Friday evening, Capcom and Sony hosted a Super Street Fighter IV “Fight Club” event here in Los Angeles, open to the public. The event allowed fans to come try out the new title, while taking in all the food, music and art one could handle. Capcom even hosted an epic battle between U.S. Street Fighter champion Justin Wong, against Japanese champion Daigo Umehara.
I decided to attend to event, in an attempt to bring all this greatness to you Tanooki Street Fighter fans. Unfortunately, I never had a chance to enter the party, held inside a giant warehouse. Capcom selected a location that had a 600 person limit, according to the fire marshals on hand. Doors were scheduled to open at 8pm, but didn’t open until about fifteen minutes past. Finally, folks were guided behind the giant black curtain at the front entrance, and the crowd went wild. You could hear and feel the excitement as the giant line of well over 1,000 people motioned towards the door. Suddenly, with about half the crowd inside, the line stopped. And unfortunately for me, I had about 100 people in front of me.
Several event employees circulated the winding lines of impatient fans, only to inform us that unfortunately, they reached capacity and would not be allowing anyone else into the building. The look of devastation in the eyes of the fans, including myself, was nearly too much to bare. The earliest event-goers got there nearly 10 to 12 hours before the doors opened. Luckily, those fans were all granted access to the indoor festivities. Still, some of us that got there around 5pm were among the masses shunned from the fun.
Not only were fans saddened by the neglect, but you could hear the anger and disappoint in their voices. At one point, the outdoor crowd broke into a chant, yelling “let us in, let us in!”
I wish I had more fun first-hand details to share about the great launch party Capcom held. What I can tell you is that Street Fighter fans are truly some of the greatest and most devoted fans of any title. You could feel a strong bond prevalent through all of those that attended. With several cosplayers in attendance, from Cammy to Balrog, fans delightfully cheered as they approached. Even the appearance of Capcom’s Community Manager Seth Killian brought on screams and applause.
At the very least, it was good to see that the community of Street Fighter fans is still as strong as ever. A franchise that’s been around for decades has created a culture, making events like this one possible. Not many other titles could launch with the amount of fanfare and devotion, like this LA Fight Club event. I just hope next time, Capcom plans accordingly.
