Capcom Cup

{{Short description|Annual esports tournament}}

{{Infobox sports league

| title = Capcom Cup

| current_season =

| logo = File:Capcom_Cup_logo.png

| pixels =

| caption =

| formerly =

| sport = Esports

| game = Fighting games
Ultra Street Fighter IV
Street Fighter V
Street Fighter 6

| founded = 2013

| qualification = Capcom Pro Tour

| country = United States

| website = {{URL|http://capcomcup.com|}}

| champion = "Kakeru"

| most_champs =

| founder = Capcom

}}

The Capcom Cup is an annual fighting game tournament specifically focused on the Street Fighter series. The event's first incarnation was in 2013 which featured Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition version 2012, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, and Street Fighter X Tekken version 2013 as the three main games each with 8 qualifiers.{{Cite web| title = Capcom Cup 2013| work = Capcom Cup| access-date = 2015-01-29| url = http://capcomcup.com/capcom-cup-2013/| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150205110259/http://capcomcup.com/capcom-cup-2013/| archive-date = 2015-02-05| url-status = dead}} In 2014, Capcom Cup was an Ultra Street Fighter IV exclusive tournament with 16 qualifiers. The 2015 Capcom Cup was doubled to a 32-man format and was later increased to a 48-man format beginning with Capcom Cup IX in 2022–23. The series of qualifying events for the tournament are known as the Capcom Pro Tour and include many of the largest, most prestigious pre-existing fighting game tournaments such as Evolution Championship Series and DreamHack.

History

=2010s=

==2013==

In 2013, Capcom started the Capcom Cup right after EVO 2013, with Ho "Xian" Kun Xian receiving a special invitation.{{Cite web| title = Capcom Announces Capcom Cup at Evo Panel; Eight Best AE 2012 and UMvC3 Players, Evo 2013 to Act as First Qualifier| author = Ian Walker| work = Shoryuken| date = 2013-07-13| access-date = 2015-01-29| url = http://shoryuken.com/2013/07/13/capcom-announces-capcom-cup-at-evo-2013-eight-best-ae-2012-and-umvc3-players-evo-to-act-as-first-qualifier/}} Capcom released qualifier dates to determine the seven remaining qualifiers.{{Cite web| title = Capcom releases Capcom Cup global qualifier dates| author = Staff| work = GameSpot| date = 2013-09-17| access-date = 2015-01-29| url = http://www.gamespot.com/articles/capcom-releases-capcom-cup-global-qualifier-dates/1100-6414539/}} Capcom created a poll to decide which players would make it into the Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 tournament, with Nemo, Justin Wong, KaneBlueRiver, IFC Yipes, Abegen, NYChrisG, Filipino Champ, and MarlinPie being voted in.{{Cite web| title = Nemo, IFC Yipes, Justin Wong, KaneBlueRiver and more to compete at Capcom Cup - Capcom's official UMvC3 poll results and invite list| author = Steven Chavez| work = EventHubs| date = 2013-11-06| access-date = 2015-01-29| url = http://www.eventhubs.com/news/2013/nov/06/nemo-ifc-yipes-justin-wong-kaneblueriver-and-more-compete-capcom-cup-capcoms-official-umvc3-poll-results-and-invite-list/}} For their Street Fighter X Tekken tournament, Capcom also gave special invites to Infiltration, Justin Wong, Alex Valle, and NuckleDu. The other four players were determined by two respective PlayStation Network and Xbox Live tournaments.{{Cite web| title = Street Fighter x Tekken| work = CapcomCup| access-date = 2015-01-29| url = http://capcomcup.com/capcom-cup-2013/street-fighter-x-tekken/| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150205133412/http://capcomcup.com/capcom-cup-2013/street-fighter-x-tekken/| archive-date = 2015-02-05| url-status = dead}}

Capcom Cup 2013 was hosted at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport in Burlingame, California on December 14, 2013. There was some controversy regarding the EVO 2013 Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 champion Job "Flocker" Figueroa being cut from the player lineup. In response, Capcom set up a First-To-Five exhibition match between EVO Champ Flocker, and the Capcom Cup 2013 champion. The victor of the Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 tournament, NYChrisG faced off against Flocker and defeated him. There was also two exhibition matches for an early build of Ultra Street Fighter IV; the first being Eduardo "PR Balrog" Perez-Frangie against Alex Valle, and the second being Infiltration vs. Filipino Champ.{{Cite web| title = Capcom Cup 2013 Results| author = USD| work = Shoryuken| date = 2014-12-14| access-date = 2015-01-29| url = http://shoryuken.com/2013/12/14/capcom-cup-2013-streaming-live-from-burlingame-california/}}

{{hidden begin|titlestyle=text-align: center|border=#aaa 1px solid|title=Capcom Cup 2013 tournament results}}

class="wikitable"
colspan=6 | Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition v2012
style="width:50px;"| Place

! style="width:180px;"| Player

! style="width:150px;"| Alias

! style="width:300px;"| Character(s)

! style="width:250px;"| Qualification

1st

|{{flagicon|Japan}} Naoto Sako

|HORI|Sako

|Evil Ryu

|Treta Aftermath

2nd

|{{flagicon|Singapore}} Kun Xian Ho

|DM.MCZ|Xian

|Gen

|Special Invite for winning EVO 2013

3rd

|{{flagicon|Japan}} Keita Ai

|RZR|Fuudo

|Fei Long

|Capcom Cup Asia Finals

4th

|{{flagicon|Japan}} Tatsuya Haitani

|Haitani

|Makoto

|Tokyo Game Show 2013

5th

|{{flagicon|Japan}} Hajime Taniguchi

|MCZ|Tokido

|Akuma

|Shadowloo Showdown 2013

5th

|{{flagicon|Singapore}} Ghim Kee Eng

|DM.MCZ|Gackt

|Fei Long

|Capcom Cup Asia Finals

7th

|{{flagicon|USA}} Christopher Gonzalez

|AGE|NYChrisG

|Sakura

|The Fall Classic 2013

7th

|{{flagicon|France}} Alioune Camara

|BCN-esports|Alioune

|Cammy

|Play Expo 2013

class="wikitable"
colspan=6 | Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3
style="width:50px;"| Place

! style="width:180px;"| Player

! style="width:150px;"| Alias

! style="width:300px;"| Character(s)

1st

|{{flagicon|USA}} Christopher Gonzalez

|AGE|NYChrisG

|Morrigan/Doctor Doom/Vergil

2nd

|{{flagicon|USA}} Michael Mendoza

|EMP|IFC Yipes

|Spencer/Vergil/Hawkeye, Dante/Vergil/Magneto, Wesker/Dante/Spencer

3rd

|{{flagicon|USA}} Ryan Ramirez

|coL|Filipino Champ

|Magneto/Doctor Doom/Phoenix, Magneto/Dormammu/Doctor Doom

4th

|{{flagicon|Japan}} Naoki Nemoto

|BE|Nemo

|Nova/Doctor Strange/Spencer

5th

|{{flagicon|USA}} Justin Wong

|EG|Justin Wong

|Wolverine/Storm/Akuma, Wolverine/Spencer/Frank West

5th

|{{flagicon|Japan}} Genki Abe

|BE|Abegen

|Tron/Thor/She-Hulk

7th

|{{flagicon|USA}} Kyohei Lehr

|BT|MarlinPie

|C. Viper/Doctor Doom/Amaterasu

7th

|{{flagicon|Chile}} Nicolás González

|BE|KaneBlueRiver

|Hulk/Haggar/Sentinel

class="wikitable"
colspan=6 | Street Fighter X Tekken v2013
style="width:50px;"| Place

! style="width:180px;"| Player

! style="width:150px;"| Alias

! style="width:300px;"| Character(s)

! style="width:250px;"| Qualification

1st

|{{flagicon|South Korea}} Seon-Woo Lee

|Infiltration

|Jin/Alisa

|Special Invite

2nd

|{{flagicon|USA}} Dexter James

|EMP|Tampa Bison

|M. Bison/Rolento

|Online Qualifier

3rd

|{{flagicon|USA}} Justin Wong

|EG|Justin Wong

|Hwoarang/Chun-Li

|Special Invite

4th

|{{flagicon|USA}} Alex Valle

|LU|Alex Valle

|Yoshimitsu/Lars

|Special Invite

5th

|{{flagicon|USA}} Du Dang

|DSC.EMP|NuckleDu

|Guile/Zangief

|Special Invite

5th

|{{flagicon|USA}} Alexander Ramos

|KS|Ramos

|Vega/Cammy

|Online Qualifier

7th

|{{flagicon|USA}} Garrett Palmer

|THEZOMBIEDRIVER

|Hwoarang/Nina

|Online Qualifier

7th

|{{flagicon|USA}} Sareth Sok

|KS.CORN|Sethlolol

|Law/Kuma

|Online Qualifier

{{hidden end}}

==2014==

{{main|Capcom Cup 2014}}

In 2014, Twitch and Capcom partnered up to create an Ultra Street Fighter IV circuit known as the Capcom Pro Tour.{{Cite web| title = Capcom and Twitch Join Forces to Create the Capcom Pro Tour| author = Vince Ingenito| work = IGN| date = 2014-03-10| access-date = 2015-01-29| url = http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/03/10/capcom-and-twitch-join-forces-to-create-the-capcom-pro-tour}} Ten players would automatically qualify into the tournament and the other six would garner points. The Capcom Pro Tour featured a point system divided into four tiers. Tier 3 consists of six Online Tournaments, which are the lowest earning tournaments in the circuit. Tier 2 is for Ranking Tournaments, which are international tournaments that are mainly composed of players in a certain region. Tier 1 consists of nine Premier Tournaments. A player would automatically qualify upon winning the tournament or being the highest player who hasn't qualified. Evolution Tier consists of the Evolution Championship Series, which grants the player four times the points of a Premier Tournament and also gives the winner an automatic spot in the Capcom Cup. Capcom has removed Tier 3 (Online Tournaments) from the 2015 Capcom Pro Tour circuit.{{Cite web| title = Capcom Pro Tour Rules| work = Capcom Pro Tour| access-date = 2015-01-29| url = http://capcomprotour.com/rules}}

Capcom Cup 2014 was the conclusion of the Capcom Pro Tour in 2014. Capcom Cup 2014 was held at The Warfield in San Francisco, California on December 13, 2014. One notable appearance in the Capcom Cup was a Brazilian player named Eric "ChuChu" Moreira Silva, who qualified by garnering majority of his points from the online tournaments.{{Cite web| title = ChuChu, Capcom Cup 2014, and the Legitimacy of Online Qualifiers| author = Ian Walker| work = Shoryuken| date = 2014-10-28| access-date = 2015-01-29| url = http://shoryuken.com/2014/10/28/cnbchuchu-capcom-cup-2014-and-the-legitimacy-of-online-qualifiers/}} Another notable moment was Momochi's dominant performance; taking a set off of Snake Eyez, losing a set to Ryan Hart, then completely dominated everyone in the tournament.{{cite web|last1=Migliacio|first1=Michael|title=SHINRYUKEN! The Street Fighter Champ Speaks Out!|url=http://evilgeniuses.gg/Read/479,SHINRYUKEN-The-Street-Fighter-Champ-Speaks-Out/|website=Evil Geniuses|access-date=2016-08-12}} There were also two exhibition matches for the Ultra Street Fighter IV Omega Mode, a mode which changes how every character plays. The main exhibition was Alex Valle vs. Ryan "Filipino Champ" Ramirez, and the secondary exhibition was Kelvin Jeon going up against Hooman "Hoodaman" Ghahremani.{{Cite web| title = Capcom Cup 2014 Results| author = USD| work = Shoryuken| date = 2014-12-13| access-date = 2015-01-29| url = http://shoryuken.com/2014/12/13/capcom-cup-2014-streaming-live-from-san-francisco-california/| archive-date = 2018-09-11| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180911225659/http://shoryuken.com/2014/12/13/capcom-cup-2014-streaming-live-from-san-francisco-california/| url-status = dead}} Capcom also showed the first ever match of their upcoming game Street Fighter V with Twitch's Mike Ross using Ryu going up against Capcom's Peter "Combofiend" Rosas using Chun-Li.{{cite news|last1=Yin-Poole|first1=Wesley|title=First Ever Street Fighter V Match|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-12-15-first-street-fighter-5-match-reveals-new-mechanics|website=Eurogamer.net|date=15 December 2014 |publisher=Eurogamer|access-date=May 24, 2015}}

==2015==

{{main|Capcom Cup 2015}}

Capcom Cup 2015 was announced by Yoshinori Ono at Capcom Cup 2014. The tournament will use the same ruleset as the previous year. Capcom Pro Tour 2015 has a total pot bonus of $500,000 thanks to a partnership between Sony Computer Entertainment and Capcom.{{Cite web| title = Next year's Capcom Pro Tour will have a total prize pool of $500,000 thanks to partnership with Sony, Yoshinori Ono confirms| author = Nicholas Taylor| work = EventHubs| date = 2014-12-13| access-date = 2015-01-29| url = http://www.eventhubs.com/news/2014/dec/13/next-years-capcom-cup-will-have-prize-pool-500000-thanks-partnership-sony-confirms-yoshinori-ono/}} The tournament has also been doubled from 16 qualifiers to 32. One of the spots was reserved for 2014's Capcom Cup champion, Yusuke Momochi.{{Cite web| title = Announcing Capcom Pro Tour 2015| work = Capcom Pro Tour| access-date = 2015-03-12| url = http://capcomprotour.com/announcing-capcom-pro-tour-2015/}} In May, Capcom announced a new rule for the Capcom Pro Tour Premier events, stating that if the Top 4 players in a Capcom Pro Tour premier event have all qualified, Capcom will remove the automatic qualifying spot and add a new qualifying slot to the CPT Leaderboards.{{cite web|title=Capcom adds new rule regarding Capcom Pro Tour Premier Events|url=http://capcomprotour.com/rule-addition-for-capcom-pro-tour-2015-season/|website=capcomprotour.com|publisher=Capcom Pro Tour|access-date=June 4, 2015}}

Capcom Cup 2015 was held December 6 at Moscone Center in San Francisco, California, coinciding with the PlayStation Experience conference.{{cite web|last1=Martin|first1=Michael|title=Capcom Announces Dates for Capcom Cup 2015.|url=http://ca.ign.com/articles/2015/08/14/capcom-announces-dates-for-capcom-cup-tournament|website=ca.ign.com|date=14 August 2015 |publisher=IGN|access-date=August 25, 2015}}

==2016==

{{main|Capcom Cup 2016}}

Capcom Cup 2016 is to be held in December 2016. 32 players will qualify for the tournament by winning one of the eleven Capcom Pro Tour Global Premier Events, Evo 2016, one of the four regional events, or by scoring high on the Points Leaderboards. Street Fighter V was released shortly before the start of the 2016 Capcom Pro Tour and has replaced Ultra Street Fighter IV during this season.

Capcom Cup 2016 was held over December 2 and 3 of that year. The top 32 to top 8 portion of the tournament was held on December 2 at the esports Arena in Santa Ana, California, while the top 8 portion was held on December 3 at that year's PlayStation Experience at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. The tournament was eventually won by NuckleDu, defeating Ricki Ortiz in the finale.

==2017==

{{main|Capcom Cup 2017}}

{{see also|Capcom Pro Tour 2017}}

Capcom moved away from auto-qualification spots in Capcom Pro Tour 2017. This was done to simplify the Pro Tour, as confusion arose around the Global and Regional Leaderboards throughout the 2016 season. Capcom's Neidel "Haunts" Crisan also noted in November 2016 that CPT 2017 may host fewer events than the 2016 season.{{cite web|url=https://sports.yahoo.com/news/capcom-considering-removing-auto-qualifying-for-capcom-cup-2017-174405656.html|work=Yahoo! esports|title=Capcom considering removing auto-qualifying for Capcom Cup 2017|last=Martin|first=Michael|date=2016-11-10}}

Saúl Antonio Mena "MenaRD" from the Dominican Republic, with only 17 years old, won the Capcom Cup 2017. He won 3-1 to Tokido from Japan. In his road to confront Tokido, he beat famous pro-player as Daigo The Beast, Nemo, Itazan and the previous Capcom Cup winner Xian.{{cite web | url=https://esports.as.com/fighting-games/MenaRD-campeon-Capcom-Cup_0_1089491041.html | title=MenaRD, campeón de la Capcom Cup | date=11 December 2017 }}

==2018==

{{main|Capcom Cup 2018}}

{{see also|Capcom Pro Tour 2018}}

Capcom Cup 2018 was held in the Esports Arena in Las Vegas on December 14–16. The tournament began with a "Last Chance Qualifier" event, which filled the final spot of the 32-person Capcom Cup bracket.{{cite web|url=https://www.playstationlifestyle.net/2018/09/14/capcom-cup-2018-details/#/slide/1|work=PlayStation LifeStyle|title=Capcom Cup 2018 Will Be Held in Las Vegas|last=White|first=Lucas|date=2018-09-14}} The tournament's first prize was set to $250,000 USD. Capcom Cup 2018 was won by Kanamori "Gachikun" Tsunehiro, defeating Hiromiki "Itabashi Zangief" Kumada in the grand finals. No. 1 seed and Evo 2017 champion Taniguchi "Tokido" Hajime dropped out early during the tournament, alongside various other high-seeded players.{{cite web|url=https://dotesports.com/fgc/news/gachikun-is-the-2018-capcom-cup-champion|work=Dot Esports|title=Gachikun is the 2018 Capcom Cup champion|last=Newell|first=Adam|date=2018-12-16}}

==2019==

Capcom Cup 2019 was held at The Novo in Los Angeles, California from December 13–15, 2019. Similar to the 2018 edition, the event began with a Last Chance Qualifier before going into tournament proper. The tournament was won by Derek "iDom" Ruffin after defeating Victor "Punk" Woodley in the grand finals.{{Cite web |last=Zalamea |first=Nigel |date=2019-12-17 |title=iDom pulls off an incredible comeback to win the Capcom Cup {{!}} ONE Esports |url=https://www.oneesports.gg/street-fighter/idom-pulls-off-an-incredible-comeback-to-win-the-capcom-cup/ |access-date=2024-09-14 |website=www.oneesports.gg |language=en-US}}

=2020s=

==COVID-19 suspension==

The COVID-19 pandemic brought a suspension to all offline events for the Capcom Pro Tours of 2020 and 2021.{{Cite web |last=Zalamea |first=Nigel |date=2020-06-01 |title=Every esports event disrupted by the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak (updated) {{!}} ONE Esports |url=https://www.oneesports.gg/gaming/every-esports-event-disrupted-by-the-covid-19-coronavirus-outbreak/ |access-date=2024-09-14 |website=www.oneesports.gg |language=en-US}} All events during both seasons were held online and their respective Capcom Cups were cancelled and replaced by an online Season Final tournament in both seasons.

==Capcom Cup IX (2022–23)==

After over three years, the Capcom Cup made its return with Capcom Cup IX, the culmination of the Capcom Pro Tour 2022. The tournament took place at Avalon Hollywood in Los Angeles from February 14–19, 2023. The first prize for this tournament was decreased to $120,000. The tournament was won by Saul Leonardo "MenaRD" Mena II.{{Cite web |date=2024-09-04 |title="This is just the beginning": MenaRD wins second Capcom Cup after intense run |url=https://esports.gg/news/street-fighter-v/this-is-just-the-beginning-menard-wins-second-capcom-cup-after-intense-run/ |access-date=2024-09-14 |website=esports.gg |language=en}}

==Capcom Cup X (2023–24)==

The Capcom Cup X, much like IX, was held at Avalon Hollywood from February 21–25, 2024 as the culmination of the Capcom Pro Tour 2023. It was the first edition to be played in Street Fighter 6 and featured a prize pool worth over $2,000,000. It was preceded by the Last Chance Qualifier to fill in the final spot of the 48-person bracket. Capcom Cup X was won by Wang "UMA" Yuan-hao, who won the first prize of $1,000,000, the largest ever for a fighting game tournament.{{Cite web |date=2024-02-26 |title=Street Fighter 6 Capcom Cup X: Schedule, prize pool, players |url=https://www.dexerto.com/street-fighter/street-fighter-6-capcom-cup-x-schedule-format-players-2250350/ |access-date=2024-02-28 |website=Dexerto |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2024-01-13 |title=Capcom Cup X Grand Finals: Dark horse Juri player Uma becomes a millionaire |url=https://esports.gg/news/street-fighter-6/capcom-cup-x-grand-finals-uma-chris-wong/ |access-date=2024-02-28 |website=Esports.gg |language=en-US}}

==Capcom Cup 11 (2024–25)==

{{see also|Capcom Pro Tour 2024}}

Capcom Cup 11 will be held sometime in 2025 and will take place at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan. The first prize is set to remain at $1,000,000.{{Cite web |last=Jones |first=Lee |date=2024-04-30 |title=Street Fighter's Capcom Cup 11 heads to Japan |url=https://esportsinsider.com/2024/04/capcom-cup-11-japan |access-date=2024-09-15 |website=Esports Insider}}

References

{{reflist|2}}