Matt Dahlgren opens up about Street Fighter 5 character leaks: 'I don't think we can blame fans for being so passionate... the onus is on us'

Posted by John 'Velociraptor' Guerrero • December 21, 2015 at 7:22 p.m. PST • Comments: 82

The process of releasing a new game in this community has become a long, drawn out and artistic process. As developers slowly draw the curtain back, the community excitedly absorbs every byte of new information that's released.

It's very difficult to keep things hidden on the information superhighway, something Capcom received a stern reminder about in recent months.

With PC, as one of the two platforms that support Street Fighter 5, it comes as little surprise that excited fans would try to mine as much information as possible.

Over the past few months, we've seen data miners uncover quite a bit of crucial content before its intended release, including the identities of the first six downloadable characters.

We asked Capcom's Director of Brand Marketing & eSports, Matt Dahlgren, how the team has felt about these leaks, and how they plan on better hiding future content. Hit the jump below to continue.

We'll be honest, if you were to present us with a list of SF5 secrets in an envelope, we can't say for certain we wouldn't let curiosity get the better of us. Ultimately, we feel, these leaks were unfortunate for everyone.

The thrill and surprise for what would have been spread through six special events has been condensed into a single moment of passing conversation or the reading of one news article.

Matt Dahlgren laments the leaks happened at all, and admits that this was a learning process.

"I think the biggest safeguard is that we shouldn't have the content in there to begin with. It was a basic oversight that we didn't catch this time around," he says.

"I don't think we can really blame fans for being so passionate that they want to go in and try to find everything out. I think the onus is more on us to be a bit more proactive to make sure that information isn't there for them to find to begin with."

What child isn't going to take an early peek at their birthday presents if they're given the chance? As we stated though, this is a learning process, and we expect it to be much harder for data miners to unveil information in future Capcom titles, as well as potential future SF5 content.

In the overall scope of SF5, these leaks are relatively minor. It'll be much more important to actually feel the impact on the game that these characters bring once they are released.

As an aside, it's kind of interesting that so many are so adamant about avoiding spoilers for our favorite television shows, or Star Wars, but we so readily seek out undisclosed game content. Maybe they're apples and oranges.

What do you think about the leak situation? Are you happy to know the identities of the upcoming characters ahead of time? Let us know your thoughts and feelings in the comments section.

Other Exclusive Capcom Interviews About Street Fighter 5

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• Not sure which Street Fighter 5 character you want to play yet? Combofiend's advice can help you pinpoint your perfect match

• Cheaters will have a hard time hacking into Street Fighter 5's all new leader board and ranking system

• Capcom speaks out on changing Street Fighter 5's risqué visuals

• Combofiend answers 'Was Omega Mode a test bed for Street Fighter 5?'