Still from Ultra Street Fighter IV
Japanese gamer Yusuke Momochi has been crowned Street Fighter champion at SXSW’s 2015 Fighters Invitational.
Sixteen of the world’s best players were invited to the Austin, Texas event and, over the course of the weekend (March 13-15), battled it out on Ultra Street Fighter IV in front of a live audience.
The event – which featured a stage, big-screen and live commentators – was also streamed for free via the invitational’s website, where you can currently check out a full list of the weekend’s results.
As reported by IGN, Momochi claimed the US$10,000 first place prize, defeating Kazunoko in the final. Both players had topped their individual groups prior to entering the knock-out rounds. Kazunoko picked up US $4,000 for finishing as runner-up, while third-place winner Gamerbee was awarded $2,000.
Click below to watch fan-recorded footage of Momochi, playing as Ken, taking on Daigo in the semi-finals.
Street Fighter V, the next edition of Capcom’s long-running beat ’em up franchise, is due to be released in Spring of next year and appears to be loyal to the series’ arcade roots, with heavily-stylised animation and trademark superhuman fireballs.
A trailer has been released featuring stalwart characters Ryu and Chun-Li, with clips from the game intercut with footage of competitive tournaments similar to the SXSW invitational that have sprouted up due to the series’ popularity (for a more in-depth look, check out the online documentary I Am Street Fighter).
Note: The author of this post, Dean Van Nguyen, would like to point out that he is the undefeated Siliconrepublic Street Fighter II champion having brutally defeated hapless fellow journalist Colm Gorey in all previous showdowns.
