Bonus Round - Capcom's crazy cryptic countdown

A little over a week ago, a mysterious little offshoot from Capcom’s website appeared. The page was completely gray, featuring a standalone timer counting down from 7:00…to something. The page didn’t have any other text, but some basic math provided what it was that the timer was measuring: It was counting down from seven days until…something. Speculation online was intense, with some people believing that it was a new Resident Evil game, like a follow-up to RE: Village or RE:Verse. Some people thought it might be something related to Pragmata, the PS5 sci-fi dystopian announced all the way back in 2020, set to release in 2023. However, the most prevalent theory ended up being the correct one, which was the announcement of Street Fighter 6.

Now, for those of you who don’t consistently keep their fingers held on the pulses of the collective consciousness of the fighting game community, suffice it to say that Street Fighter 6 is going to have a lot to prove whenever it eventually comes out. While Street Fighter V is currently standing in a respectable regard, it had to work incredibly hard to get there. The initial SFV launch was pretty barebones, with an extremely limited character roster, a buggy beta phase, and online that barely worked for the first year of the game’s lifespan. Only after several seasons of character additions, the inclusion of secondary V-skills and V-triggers, free DLC containing single player content, general improvements to the game’s online environment, and consistent esports sponsorship via Capcom Pro Tour, Capcom Cup, and inclusion at FGC events and tournaments like EVO did the game finally start being seen as successful.

Which honestly is a shame, because certain elements of the game like the graphical style, implementation of crush counters, and extremely satisfying cancel windows made for a fantastic experience if it weren’t for all the glaring errors. However, with Capcom having used the last season of SFV for experimental characters like Dan, Oro, Rival Schools’ Akira, and Street Fighter 6 protagonist Luke, this new game seems to have some promise behind it.

Now, the trailer for SF6 isn’t particularly revealing; Ryu, sporting his beard from the pre-order bonus of SFV (‘Hot Ryu’, for those in the know) stands in a dark void against Luke, SF6’s fresh face. Luke sports a new, slightly more clothed design, and the two of them stance up. Veins pop, fists swing, aaaaaand logo. That’s it, as far as the reveal goes. Fan speculation is once again popping off, with some people saying the game will run using the RE Engine, some people thinking the game will take place after SFIII, but mostly? General hype and confusion. Suffice it to say, I’m extremely excited to see where Capcom takes the series next, but let’s hope the new game’s start isn’t nearly as rocky as its predecessor.

Yeah, that makes sense!

DeForest White