Evo Japan 2024 finally wrapped up yesterday and brought with it a handful of exciting fighting game announcements though also some apparent issues to sort out at future events.
Specifically, Combo Breaker 2024 is now facing the conundrum of Street Fighter 6 releasing Akuma and its major Season 2 balance update just days before the tournament.
As things stand now, both Akuma and the patch are scheduled to hit the game on Wednesday, May 22, while Combo Breaker will kick off just two days later on May 24.
This of course raised the issue of whether entrants should continue to play on the current version of SF6 or let the new stuff rock, and it seems that decision is going to be left to the competitors themselves.
Event Director Rick ‘TheHadou’ Thiher took to X/Twitter today to state the CB team will be emailing SF6 entrants directly with a poll asking for their input regarding Akuma and the re-balancing that are said to go out later this week.
CB will be emailing our 2024 SF6 registrants a poll regarding Akuma and the balance patch accompanying him. Please look out for that later this week.
— Rick (@TheHadou) April 30, 2024
A move like this is rarely seen from a fighting game major for a multitude of reasons, but Combo Breaker finds itself in a more interesting and unique position right now.
Generally, most fighting game majors require at least a week or two before a new character or significant update can be tournament eligible to allow players some time to get acclimated and try to avoid any potential issues they may cause among other reasons.
On the other hand, fans have been waiting a year for Akuma and a long time for these balance changes in SF6, so one way or the other, it’s going to be what most of the community is going to want to talk about and play.
If the decision was left purely up to the spectators, they’d quite likely vote in favor of making the new content legal to make their experience more interesting from a viewer standpoint — but they also aren’t the ones with significant stakes in the game / event.
There would also be some merit to wanting to be the first offline major to feature the highly anticipated new additions too.
Seemingly leaving it up to those actually entering the SF6 tournament is probably the best thing to do in this sticky situation with presumably thousands of players traveling from all over the world to compete for thousands of dollars in prizes (though this initial post from Thiher doesn’t outright promise that the option with the most votes will be what the organizers decide).
It’s also not stated whether Akuma and the balance update have to come as a package deal together to be legal or if there’s an option to vote for having the patch but keeping the demon out.
A lot of entrants are presumably going to be very interested in the new stuff, but only having two days to prepare creates a wildly volatile competitive environment that is far from ideal for those actively trying their hardest to win.
I’d say just let the patch rock tbh. I think its good for both players/spectators https://t.co/hpV2fsfjXm
— Shine (@Shine_NYC) April 30, 2024
From what we’re seeing so far on social media, responses from the competitive scene may be leaning towards letting the DLC and update rock though that doesn’t mean the actual votes will shape up that way.
Combo Breaker does have more leniency to make this type of decision because it doesn’t need to adhere to the Capcom Pro Tour rules since it’s not part of the circuit this year.
Because it isn’t CPT, it’s one of the best tournaments on earth and will have 24 hour venue, we gotta let it rock. This will be the perfect event to level up at the start of Season 2. https://t.co/yWhp2ORvHd
— 🏆Masterino ☯️ (@Zaferino1) April 30, 2024
Those who have signed up to enter SF6 at the event should keep an eye on their email this week for more information, and there will hopefully be a more solid answer of what the final rules will be in the next week or two.
Combo Breaker 2024 is set to take place from May 24–26 in Schaumburg, Illinois.
Michael Johnson is a tech enthusiast with a passion for all things digital. His articles cover the latest technological innovations, from artificial intelligence to consumer gadgets, providing readers with a glimpse into the future of technology.
