Sound files discovered in the most recent Street Fighter V beta may confirm the identities of to-be-announced characters, several events which could be part of next year’s Capcom Pro Tour, and a new player ranking system.
The audio files, discovered by Shoryuken forum user AceKombat, and currently available on Shoryuken, are of a female announcer saying the names of characters, major fighting game tournaments, and player ranks. In addition to the names of the 15 characters already announced, the game includes sound files for the names Fan, Alex, Guile, Ibuki, Balrog (known as Bison in the Japan), Juri, and Urien. The names Fan, Fun, and Zen have been linked to speculation about the final character in the game’s Feb. 16 launch, so Fan is likely to be that character. The others may be the six DLC characters teased by the producer Yoshinori Ono during his presentation at last week’s Paris Games Week.
Names of several fighting game tournaments were also part of the files. Those names likely, if unsurprisingly, confirm that the Capcom Pro Tour will return in 2016. Their inclusion appears to show that Capcom is planning to integrate esports into its plans at a level not seen during the life of Street Fighter IV.
The discovered audio files include names of 15 of the 16 Premier events on the 2015 tour. The files also include an audio clip of “Japan Premier Event,” which likely refers to the event known as Taito Arcade Nationals in 2014 and Ultra Hyakkishu Cup this year.
The name “DreamHack Summer” also appears in the audio files, which is especially notable. DreamHack Summer was part of both the 2014 and 2015 Tours as a Ranking event. No other Ranking event was named in the files, which might imply that the tournament may see a status upgrade in 2016.
The files also include generic placeholders labelled “Capcom Pro Tour Premier Event” and “Capcom Pro Tour Ranking Event,” as well as a file for a “Capcom Pro Tour Online Event.” This may indicate the return of online events to the 2016 Capcom Pro Tour. Several online tournaments in Europe and the Americas were a part of the 2014 Tour, but they were not included in the 2015 edition. Recent efforts seem to show Capcom has an interest in some form of online tournament, as they partnered with Alex Valle’s LevelUp to run two online tournaments—the second of which will occur on Saturday, Nov. 7—with tickets (not qualification) to Capcom Cup awarded to the winners.
New online ranks may also be a part of Street Fighter V. In all of its iterations, Street Fighter IV used Battle Points to rate a player’s skill with a given character and Player Points to rank their skill with all characters. Battle Points corresponded with letter grades ranging from D to A, with ranks of Master and Grand Master available to the best of the best.
While the specific ranking system is unclear, it appears that the grades will be replaced by a system that might feel familiar to League of Legends fans. The audio files imply that players will begin ranked as Rookies and will be able to improve their rank through Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond tiers, with each tier including a basic, a super, and an ultra level. Ranks of Master, Grand Master, and Ultimate Grand Master will also be available, as well as Warlord and Hero, which may or may not be a part of this progression.
Image via Capcom
Check out our interview with Capcom Fighters’ very own Mike Ross.
