Capcom has revealed that the 2025 Capcom Cup 12 Finals and the Street Fighter League 2025 World Championship will be available to watch worldwide through a pay-per-view system. This is a change from previous years, when these events were free to view. This marks a significant shift in how Capcom broadcasts its major esports tournaments.
Beginning March 14, 2026, those who want to watch the live finals of Street Fighter will need to buy virtual tickets. The game’s developer announced this change on September 28 via a post on X (formerly Twitter), and stated that recordings of the matches will be available to watch for free about a week later.
The cost of the pay-per-view stream varies based on the ticket level, ranging from ¥4,000 to ¥6,000 (which is about $27 to $40 USD).
Fans push back against paywall
As expected, when the service changed from being free to requiring payment, fans were upset. The news shared on social media received a very negative response from users. Many fans expressed their disappointment and frustration with the change. It’s understandable they felt this way, given their previous access to the content without cost.
So, I’ve been following this, and it turns out Capcom already tried this pay-per-view thing in Japan earlier this year, in 2024. That means bringing it over here isn’t some sudden decision – they’ve been testing the waters, so to speak. It doesn’t feel as random as it first looked, knowing that. You can find more details here if you’re curious.
The anticipation is building! Tickets for #CAPCOMCUP12 will be available starting October 10th!
This season, you can watch the CAPCOM CUP 12 Finals (March 14th) and SFL: World Championship (March 15th) live through Pay-per-view. Recordings will be released for free on March 21st (CC12) & March 22nd (SFL:WC). *Pay-per-view tickets will…
— Capcom Fighters (@CapcomFighters) September 28, 2025
However, many users pointed out that Capcom, being a Japanese company, may not have fully considered the cultural differences between Japan and other markets. One user commented, “Unfortunately, cultures outside of Japan are different. This could become a major public relations problem for your brand.”
People who make content about fighting games have also been very vocal. For example, YouTuber Maximillian Dood posted a video on September 30th called “Capcom…what are you doing?!”
Max acknowledged that the company would likely face criticism, but clarified that the decision wasn’t related to the Street Fighter development team. He added, “They’re probably going to be getting an earful over all of this stuff after the weekend is over,” suggesting they’d still likely receive complaints despite not being involved.
If there are no adjustments to how people purchase the events, it’s still unclear how these concerns will impact the number of viewers for upcoming events.
Read More
- AWS crash causes $2,000 Smart Beds to overheat and get stuck upright
- Gold Rate Forecast
- The Boys: Sister Sage’s Major Weakness Revealed In Gen V Season 2
- When will Absolum have crossplay? It might take a while, but It’s on the horizon
- Does Escape from Duckov have controller support? Here’s the full breakdown
- Brent Oil Forecast
- Actors Who Voiced the Most Disney Characters
- Solana’s $190 Woes: Will It Plummet to $170? 📉
- James Gunn Compares Supergirl to this MCU Crowdpleaser With a 92% RT Score
- Only Murders in the Building Recap: Bodies, Bodies, Bodies
2025-10-01 13:49