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The recent announcement that Capcom Cup 12 Finals and Street Fighter League World Championship would be available only through pay-per-view streaming has drawn mostly negative reactions from the fighting game community. Now, it appears the developers behind Street Fighter 6 were just as surprised by the decision as fans were.
Takayuki Nakayama, director of Street Fighter 6, revealed that the pay-per-view decision for Capcom Cup 12 came from Capcom’s esports division rather than the development team. In a response to professional Street Fighter player Brian “Brian_F” Foster on X, Nakayama explained that different departments within Capcom have separate revenue targets and tasks, which can lead to decisions being made without input from all parties involved.
Doesn’t it seem strange that the esports division and dev team seem so entirely disconnected? Perhaps different monetization strategies could have resulted with collaboration, rather than just charging such a high price for streaming Capcom Cup
— Brian_F (@Bri4nF) October 2, 2025
Both Nakayama and producer Shuhei Matsumoto were at Tokyo Game Show 2025 when the pay-per-view announcement was made, but they were not part of the company’s on-stage presentation. The two developers said they were shocked when they learned about the new ticketing system.
It may sound strange, but it’s true. Revenue targets and assigned tasks differ fundamentally by department. Even the development team was surprised by this announcement（At least Matsumoto and I were shocked at the venue）That said, since this matter occurred within the same…
— TAKA-nakayama (@takaNakayama) October 2, 2025
The pay-per-view model helps increase revenue and covers the costs of hosting large-scale esports events. However, it also creates obstacles for fans who want to watch the competitions live. Those who cannot afford tickets or do not have access to them are unable to join in on the excitement of tournament finals with the rest of the community.
There may still be a chance for changes to the current approach. According to Nakayama, Capcom is now holding internal discussions that include both the development team and esports division about how to handle future Street Fighter tournaments.
