Capcom To Inject Sponsored Content Into ‘Street Fighter V’

By Stefanie Fogel

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Capcom is offering a free trial of “Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition” this week so people can experience the game ahead of Cup 2018, it announced in a blog post on Thursday. But, there’s a catch.

Sponsored content will appear within the game starting on Tuesday, Dec. 11. The ads will display in several locations — like on characters’ outfits and on background monitors — and it will remind players about costumes, bundles, and the Capcom Pro Tour. People can choose to turn off the feature in the settings, but Capcom said it’s offering additional Fight Money in Ranked and Casual matches to players who enable it.

The free trial begins on Dec. 11 at 1 p.m. PT and ends on Dec. 19 at 9:59 a.m. PT. PlayStation 4 owners don’t need a PlayStation Plus subscription to download and take part in the trial, but it is required for online play, Capcom said. PC owners need the Steam client to participate.

All of the initial content from the original “Street Fighter V’ and the modes introduced in “Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition” are available during the trial. That includes all of the original 16 characters, plus three fan-favorite DLC characters — Guile Akuma, and Sagat. But, those last three will only be available in Ranked, Casual, Battle Lounge, Training, and Challenge modes.

The free trial also grants access to the Arcade mode first introduced in “Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition. It allows players to relive past main entries in the series. Versus and Training modes are also available.

Capcom Cup 2018 takes place Dec. 14-16 at the Luxor Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.