Capcom Cup 2021 & SF World Championship cancelled – Looking at alternatives

The Capcom Cup 2021 and Street Fighter League: World Championship have both been canceled for the year this week. 2021 saw fighting games taking a bit of a hit, with many tournaments canceled in favor of smaller-scale online events. Things looked quite a bit brighter for 2022, with many events looking set to go ahead. This lead to the “2021” events for these games looking promising for the early months of 2022. However, this new cancellation raises some questions about how fighting games events are going to go ahead this year.

The Capcom Cup 20221 cancellation alongside the Street Fighter World Championship might not be the last to get delays this year. Although, there could be a replacement for some of these events.

Mago CapcomCup 2018

Kenryo “Mago” Hayashi at Capcom Cup 2018

Capcom Cup and Street Fighter World Championship Cancelled

In 2021, most fighting game tournaments had a bit of an adjustment. Even the best fighting games play differently online. Players rely on low lag and quick reaction times to pull off combos, which can lead to online fighting games having a different balance. This makes in-person events the gold standard for fighting games. While Capcom and other organizers mainly played things online in 2021, it wasn’t ideal. This makes the cancellations quite the disappointment again.

The Capcom Cup was due to go ahead in February. However, a recent upsurge in restrictions from a new wave of Covid-19 has led to more difficulties holding the tournament. In light of this, the Capcom Cup 2021 has been canceled. This is the second year the event has been canceled in a row.

In the place of the Capcom Cup, we can probably expect a different event. The Capcom Pro Tour replaced it last time around, so this style of format will probably be back. This is a regional event that keeps players contained in closer lobbies. This keeps the impact of playing online to a minimum. Information about what will be replacing the event will be released as it gets closer.

Street Fighting League World Championship 2021

The Street Fighter League World Championship 2021 was intended to be held as part of the Capcom Cup in 2022. This was due to end the Street Fighter season, but this has also been canceled. This event might not get a replacement like the full Capcom Cup. It’s a shame that players are left without an event for yet another year, and it leaves Street Fighter players in a weird place.

Capcom Fighting Games in 2022

Capcom’s statement on canceling the Capcom Cup 2022 paid some attention to the needs of players and fans and their disappointment. One of the major problems for fighting game players during the pandemic has been the clear lack of events. While smaller events have taken place, some organizers like Capcom have essentially canceled things every year. For players who depend on competing, this is going to be quite a hit.

The replacement tournaments are a nice addition. However, the regional events don’t really serve as much of a replacement. Hopefully, something on a larger scale can be brought about later in the year, if restrictions allow it. However, it does look like this might be all on offer from Capcom for the year.

We can only hope third party organizers like WePlay! and Beyond the Summit cover for the company and organize their events to keep the scene stable. As of yet. the Fighting Games calendar in these titles looks rather scarce.

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