Capcom has recently announced a new esports series for its popular Street Fighter franchise. This is known as the “North American Street Fighter Pro League,” and will feature 3-on-3 battles in Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition. There will be six teams formed from a mixture of seasoned pros, fan favorite North American players, and even newcomers as they compete against each other.
Yoshinori Ono, the Executive Producer for the Street Fighter series, commented on the decision, stating, “We thought adding team play to a Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition tournament series would bring a compelling layer of strategy and drama to the format. We are exploring this new format within a new tournament series, in addition to our ongoing support of the existing popular Capcom Pro Tour. We hope our fans will enjoy this fresh perspective on Street Fighter esports and we’ll be analyzing their feedback to incorporate into future seasons of the League.”
Six of the top ranking players on the Capcom Pro Tour 2018 North American leaderboards will be extended invitations to participate in the League as team captains, with the second slot on each team being filled in by a finalist from an online qualifier. The final slot on each team will be made up of a pool of players that the community has selected.
Once the season begins, the captains will be able to draft their teams from these player pools, building the team they think will best support them. The first season of this series is expected to begin in April 2019, and tournaments will be airing every Thursday through June. As things are currently planned, the final bout of season one will occur in late June, after which the top two teams will move into the second season.
The second season’s draft is expected to start in August and run through November, culminating in the first North America Pro League Champion. Capcom has stated that further details on the online qualifiers and community vote-in process will be shared in the coming weeks, and we will keep you updated as we learn more.
