Bullying companies works: Capcom tries and fails to make Street Fighter 6 fans pay $40 to watch a tournament, reduces pay-per-view price to $10 and commits to showing it for free inside the game

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Although the free version won't feature commentary and may be unstable

Street Fighter 6 screenshot
(Image credit: Capcom)

Capcom has rolled back its controversial decision to charge $40 to watch the Street Fighter 6 Capcom Cup finals, but the tournament is still not totally free, either.

Back at Tokyo Game Show 2025, Capcom announced this year's Capcom Cup finals and Street Fighter League World Championship would be aired via pay-per-view, with the previously-free Capcom Cup final costing around $26 on its own, or $40 to watch both it and the Street Fighter League. Naturally, fans were not happy at all, and MenaRD – the only two time Capcom Cup champion – expressed his distaste Capcom's decision, saying he probably wouldn't have pursued the game as his career if the whole world always had to engage in pay-per-view.

Regardless, I wouldn't be shocked if this whole debacle makes Capcom rethink its pricing for the Capcom Cup next year. But people need to vote with their wallets – because if this year's Cup sells well enough, you may see Street Fighter esports become PPV every day, not just its finals

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Scott McCrae
Scott McCrae
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Scott has been freelancing for over three years across a number of different gaming publications, first appearing on GamesRadar+ in 2024. He has also written for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, VG247, Play, TechRadar, and others. He's typically rambling about Metal Gear Solid, God Hand, or any other PS2-era titles that rarely (if ever) get sequels.

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