Capcom aims to promote eSports with the 'full force' of their company in 2018
Looking to bring about an 'eSports Year One' in Japan
Capcom's investor relations page recently updated to include their latest sales information and growth plans to present to stakeholders. Among all of the numbers and charts, the company's Chief Executive officer Kenzo Tsujimoto shared a message that delves into some of the organization's plans for this year and the future.
Unsurprisingly, Capcom is putting a heavy emphasis on eSports going forward.
Over the past 10 years, Capcom has been steadily building an eSports presence in the United States and Europe with the Street Fighter series. This year, they aim to do the same in Japan, with a committment to make 2018 an "eSports Year One" for the region.
"Drawing upon the markets we have already developed in the U.S. and Europe, we will move forward to promote eSports with the full force of our organization," Tsujimoto wrote in his statement.
The CEO notes that fighting games at eSports competitions was a largely discussed topic last year, even in Japan. Coupling this with the fact that eSports will be a medal event at the 2022 Asians Games and their consideration for the 2024 Paris Olympics, and the values associated with video games are changing in major ways.
Though it is not stated outright, these statements do seem to imply that Capcom has hopes of bringing Street Fighter to the Olympics.
Another main area of focus for Capcom going forward will be the quality of their games. Tsujimoto explains that this is a "vital matter," and "one with which our entire company must be involved."
The company will strive to create titles that please all customers, and will prioritize consumer needs even more so than before. There will be strict quality control, according to Tsujimoto, and Capcom will do so while carrying out market analyses, as well as more closely coordinating their development and marketing departments.
"We are committed to the continued production of games that compete at the global level, as one of the top runners in the evolving game industry," Tsujimoto said.
The beginning of 2018 saw the release of Street Fighter 5: Arcade Edition -- a free update to Capcom's mainstay fighting title that added new game modes, a second V-Trigger 2 for every character, an updated UI, and more. In many ways, this update righted the wrongs that were brought about by the game's shaky launch and rough subsequent two-year road.
With AE, it seems as though Capcom has certainly put an emphasis on game quality. If we continue to see similar products and decisions made by the company this year -- specifically, a big update for Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite -- things will undoubtedly be on the up and up for the company, in terms of their fighting games.
Sent in by Shinpaisuru.
