Last year, Capcom won over fans again with the release of Street Fighter 6, the latest game in their hit franchise that brought back the best elements from across the series. Since then, the developers have worked tirelessly to ensure the game was finely tuned for fair competition between its elite players. With the arrival of the December patch, upending many moves and stats, professional players have already expressed their thoughts. Even with seemingly minor tweaks, they’ve already begun rewriting their strategies.
Street Fighter 6’s Update
According to Eventhubs, Street Fighter 6’s latest update, the December balance patch, has reached the main game. While many gamers might see a collection of minor tweaks and changes, it could greatly impact the ever-changing meta. For example, Ryu can now cancel his crouch kick fireball without fearing being interrupted by an opponent. Conversely, M. Bison’s Devil Reverse can now be interrupted mid-air. Furthermore, Rashid received enough buffs that players believed he would rise in the meta.
Not even a day after its release, professional players were ready to express their thoughts. Some players were already reshuffling their tier lists, while others gave more articulate opinions. Some boasted of characters like Honda and Marisa’s moves, while others complained of nerfs on characters like Akuma. Many other professional competitors began providing detailed and obtuse guides on performing combos and moves on them, such as highlighting the new window to cancel Ryu’s abilities. While some players were merely pleased or disappointed, these experts immediately realized that the new meta would only mean new tools and strategies for gaining the upper hand.
The Latest Game
The latest entry in the saga, Street Fighter 6, has already won over many fans. Its HD graphics, robust online features, and roster earned acclaim. While it built upon the formula of the main series, its main addition was the “Drive Gauge” system, which allowed players to prioritize up to five moves. Given the delicate balance of this system, fans were naturally quick to critique these updates while adapting to them. Capcom’s Street Fighter has always been a major staple of fighting game franchises. Since the days of coin-operated arcade cabinets, the game has become a global phenomenon. Dozens of games and spinoffs have been released with many times as many iconic fighters. Furthermore, it has become one of their biggest IPs, with Ryu making his way into Smash Ultimate.
Perfecting the Fighting Game
While all games require developers to finely tune mechanics, design, and physics, online fighting games take this to the next level. With so many elite players entering massive tournaments, the developers must ensure that hitboxes and damages are balanced to the exact pixel. Massive fighting games like Nintendo’s Smash Bros. exemplify this. Yet another example would be arena games such as League of Legends, which constantly rework old champions. Since players have such specific discussion points regarding such particular moves and how they affect the meta, this is just as much the case for Street Fighter. With so many tournaments for the game scheduled in the future, Capcom naturally had a tremendous burden on them to ensure the game was perfectly tuned, which they ensured through these frequent patches.
Conclusion
To the casual player, these were only a handful of adjustments. However, for most professional competitors, these changes will not only upend the meta but force them to adapt. Fortunately, as fans have already demonstrated from these early reactions, they are more than willing to do so. In an age where esports has become just as ubiquitous and profitable as real-life sports, the dedication of players and developers shows how both strive for an even playing field. A true fighting game is a skill test, not just who chose the right guy.
