While a significant leak fromCapcomlate last year hinted towards several of the company’s upcoming projects, the publisher’s still remained quiet until recently. Things likeResident Evil 4 Remake,Street Fighter 6, the sixthMonster Hunter,Dragon’s Dogma 2, as well as more nebulous projects like “Resident Evil Outrage,” were all part of the massive data breach. Some leaked titles and release dates have come to fruition, withMonster Hunter Risecoming to PC and Rose being leaked forStreet Fighter 5ahead of time. However, none of the bigger projects that were leaked have received any official news, but that could change with a new countdown from Capcom.
Initially, fans were quick to assume this ambiguous timer was counting down towards the rumoredResident Evil 4 Remake, but it’s clear now that’s not the case.Capcomteased aResident Evilannouncement for earlier this week, but that turned out to be an updated museum website to celebrate the franchise in general. Something like aResident Evil 4remake (or a new mainline entry tease) presumably would have had more pomp and circumstance. However, especially given the timing of this reveal, it’s pretty clear that this countdown is pointing towards aStreet Fighterannouncement coming this week. There’s plenty of evidence to back this up as well.
RELATED:Capcom Teases New Street Fighter Announcement for Franchise’s 35th Anniversary
Capcom’s Countdown Is Likely For Street Fighter, Definitely Not Resident Evil
Firstly, fans are generally beginning to understand that this upcoming countdown isn’t anythingResident Evilrelated. The countdown was vague enough to give off that initial impression, but Capcom likely wouldn’t surprise-drop a countdown alongside an updated franchise website at the same time.TheResident Evilmuseumis just an extension of the existingResident EvilPortal on Capcom’s website, with the site itself showcasing details and artwork from past games. Especially since the URLs are separate, as well as theResident Evilmuseum site’s next update slated for 2/22 (a day after the Capcom countdown), these are likely two very different announcements.
If anything substantial were to be announced from theResident Evilfranchise this year, it’d likely happen closer to E3 season, rather than what would otherwise be a random week in February. However, this announcement countdown does align with another one of Capcom’s biggest franchises:Street Fighter. Capcom has hosted the “Capcom Pro Tour” annually, which is a publisher-supported tournament series whereall the bestStreet Fighterplayers competefor an over $200,000 prize pool. Coincidentally, or not-so-coincidentally, Capcom’s mysterious countdown on its website coincides with the timing of grand finals for the CPT championship match.
RELATED:Rumor: Street Fighter 6 Announcement Could Be Happening Soon
Fighting Game Fans May Get A Street Fighter 6 Reveal Soon
The Capcom Pro Tour circuit for 2021 was likely considered to be the last tournament series forStreet Fighter 5’s life cycle. Especially considering theSF5development team was very candid about stating the game’s final DLC character Luke would be the last, but was also keen to point him out as a potential tease forStreet Fighter’s “future.” Many took that as a sign thatLuke would show up in a futureStreet Fighterentry, and for a newStreet Fighterannouncement to coincide with Capcom Pro Tour (as many DLC reveals have done previously) would make a lot of sense. All signs point to this Capcom countdown referring to a potential tease/trailer forStreet Fighter 6.
Toss in the fact that the Capcom CAP-JAMS band retweeted the initial announcement made by Capcom, and it’s pretty clear that the countdown is leading up toStreet Fighter 6. Alongside the Capcom leak previously, several other leakers and reports have been able to independently confirm thatStreet Fighter 6was in development in the last few years, so that would make sense. Dusk Golem, a notable Capcom andResident Evilleaker, also confirmed thatStreet Fighter 6was initially pushing for a 2021 release, but was delayeddue to poor testing and feedback allegedly changing the direction of the game in development.
Street Fighter 5had a bit of a rough launch, but has notoriously impressed new and veteran fans over time with continuous support and updates to the game. Capcom likely doesn’t want to repeat the same mistakes it made withStreet Fighter 5’s launch, meaning an internal development delay forStreet Fighter 6is possible. Given that the game has potentially been in development for four-to-five years,Capcom being ready to revealStreet Fighter 6in 2022isn’t out of the realm of possibility. Pair that with the Capcom Pro Tour serving as a swan song forStreet Fighter 5, andStreet Fighterfans have a lot to look forward to for this year’s 35th anniversary.
MORE:The Next Street Fighter Could Learn a Lot From Guilty Gear Strive
