Capcom has made some of gaming's most recognizable franchises since its founding back in 1979. Resident Evil, Monster Hunter, Devil May Cry, and Street Fighter are just a few franchises that has kept Capcom as a mainstay of the gaming industry for decades. With Street Fighter especially, Capcom has a hold on a large portion of the fighting game community, as Street Fighter is one of the most popular fighting games to be played competitively at tournaments. It is usually one of the headlining games at the Evolution Championship Series, better known as EVO.
2022 seemingly marks no major difference as Street Fighter 5 is again one of the headlining games at EVO. However, things might not be looking so good for Street Fighter's pro scene as Capcom has unveiled some new guidelines that have greatly annoyed fans. Initially released at the beginning of the month, the Capcom guidelines first seem standard for qualification criteria for official gaming events. The game must be featured with gameplay, and organizers cannot sell official merchandise as if it were their own.
However, in the further details of the qualification criteria are the more controversial elements. Firstly, there is the concern around smaller prize pools, as the total prize pool allowed for any major event must be under $10,000. Prize pools for specific events can be no larger than $2,000, meaning that in comparison to the other major eSports like DOTA, Call of Duty, and other games that allow for millions of dollars to be played for, a $2,000 pool offers next to no competition for the players and stakes for the viewers.
Sources have said that this was likely done in order to keep Capcom's prize pools low during official events while at the same time preventing the supposed smaller tournaments from dishing out prize pools that are higher than those events found in places like the Capcom Pro Tour. Even compared to previous Capcom Pro Tours which had a prize pool of $600,000, the new limits are a drastic change.
There's also the distancing of Capcom from these smaller tournaments, as the guidelines state organizers cannot promote "your event in a way that suggests that your event is endorsed by or affiliated with Capcom or our licensors in any manner. You cannot use Capcom’s company logos or trademarks (e.g., CAPCOM) to promote your event." With Street Fighter 6 coming soon, many are wondering how small events will survive, and how these changes will entice people to play in and watch the Street Fighter pro scene.