It sounds absurd, but it’s true: Capcom will charge fans more than €34 to watch the Capcom Cup 12 and SFL World Championship finals online, sparking backlash across the fighting game community.

Capcom has found itself at the center of a new controversy. As the Street Fighter 6 competitive season nears its climax with the Capcom Cup 12 and SFL World Championship finals, fans were eagerly waiting to watch the best players in the world compete. However, that excitement was crushed by a controversial decision from the Resident Evil publisher: instead of free live streams, both events will be available exclusively through paid online broadcasts — and they won’t come cheap.

According to a Capcom announcement on X, the Capcom Cup 12 Finals (March 14, 2026) and the SFL World Championship Finals (March 15, 2026) will be shown via pay-per-view. Tickets go on sale November 12, with the following pricing:

• CC12 Final – 4,000 yen (about €23)
• SFL:WC 2025 Final – 4,000 yen (about €23)
• CC12 + SFL:WC 2025 Package – 6,000 yen (over €34)

Fans immediately criticized the move, arguing that charging for tournament streams undermines the very purpose of such events — to promote the game, showcase the world’s best talent, and celebrate the competitive scene. “Isn’t the main point of esports to grow the game’s popularity and boost its sales?” asked Zilego_x on Reddit. “This seems to do the opposite, damaging the brand for a quick cash grab.” Others, like stevenAitsover on X, warned of long-term consequences: “The Capcom Cup was supposed to inspire the next generation of fighting game players. Does Capcom really want to kill its own player base?”

Even the Street Fighter 6 Director Was Caught Off Guard

Some pointed out, like XsStreamMonsterX on Reddit, that pay-per-view events are not unusual in Japan. They speculate that Capcom may be testing whether the model can work globally — a plan that, judging by fan reactions, hasn’t gone down well at all.

The backlash has been so intense that fans have reached out directly to the Street Fighter 6 dev team on social media. One user, Brian_F, urged Takayuki Nakayama, the game’s director, to collaborate more closely with the esports division and explore alternative monetization models instead of resorting to paywalls.

Nakayama responded that while the development and esports divisions operate separately, even the dev team was blindsided by the decision — and internal discussions are already underway. “It might sound strange, but it’s true. Revenue targets and responsibilities vary significantly between departments,” he explained. “Even the development team was surprised by this announcement (at least Matsumoto and I were). That said, since this issue happened within the same company, we’re currently discussing it. We apologize for any concern this has caused.”

Whether Capcom will reconsider or alter the decision to calm the backlash remains to be seen.

Source: 3djuegos