Fighting game aficionados are excited to know what is in store for the "Street Fighter V" tournament scene in 2017. Capcom surprises fans with its announcement of the "Capcom Pro Tour 2017" prize pool, which is a whopping $600,000. Last year, the "Street Fighter" community witnessed the tournament transition from "Street Fighter IV" to the latest installment in the series. Moreover, the organizers have apparently promised to streamline the qualification process this year.
This year, the developer is reportedly focused to maintain the game's global reach especially with the Season 2 content already started. Sources have confirmed that the 2017 tour will feature 50 sanctioned tournaments. These include the recognized regional contests and major events like "EVO 2017" and more. 2016 had around 72 competitions scattered from March until December last year. However, this year's prize pool has seen an increase of $100,000 from last years, reports Game Rant.
Unlike last year's process, the "Capcom Pro Tour 2017" will no longer feature an auto-qualification advantage for winners of Premiere events. This year's contestants must qualify for one of the 32 spots through Capcom Pro Tour points only. Some events reportedly dish out more points compared to smaller tournaments, while the "EVO 2017" and "Street Fighter V" competition rewards the highest amount of marks. Therefore, if players want to increase their chances for qualification, they must try to join as many tournaments as they can.
Regional tournament will also feature some changes, according to the organizers. Not all players have sponsors that can have them travel to different international tournaments, so regional finals will reportedly prioritize players who earned points from competitions held in those areas. It is apparent that the developer wants to showcase local talent as well. According to PVP Live, online events will be limited to four for each region and registrations will not have a player cap.
The "Capcom Pro Tour 2017" will obviously culminate with the "Capcom Cup 2017" event in December. Street Fighter V players will reportedly see a different tournament format this year, which will reportedly have a group stage event. Sources have yet to confirm if the DLC revenue for this year will be shared to the tournament champion like last year.