NA vs EU Exhibition for Evo OFF!

Of the prevailing conversations regarding the FGC, the one that has generated the most debate in recent times is the supremacy of regions in Street Fighter V. For a very long time, the three traditional regions were Asia, North America, and Europe and even now, some will argue that these are the only three notable regions. Of the three, there is little debate about the supremacy of Asia as the strength in depth available to them is unbelievable. However, the 2nd and 3rd spots have been the cause of a raging debate, with North America adamant that they are the best of the rest while Europe quietly points to their superior Evo record. 

The debate had gotten so big that it finally culminated into tentative plans for a 10 v 10 exhibition match during Evo next month. We saw something similar during Combo Breaker 2022 when 10 representatives from North America and 10 from Europe fought it out in Tekken. In that instance, North America came out victorious, which was a huge boost to their credibility. 

Unfortunately, any hope that Street Fighter V would have the same exhibition was quelled when Arturo 'NYCFurby' Sanchez tweeted his disappointment that the exhibition would no longer be going forward. 

According to Arturo, a veteran fighting game player, and tournament organizer, many players were against the idea. While he didn't go into much more detail, other tweets and some interesting comments from Punk suggest that the problem was of a financial nature, with many of the players looking to be involved hoping to be compensated. 

There was a bit of fallout as proponents of both sides of the argument stated the reasons for their stances. It seems that one side believed that as pro players, requesting remuneration for the job they do, especially on such a huge stage, was not inconsiderate in the least.

This all comes hot on the heels of a statement made by Combo Breaker and CEO 2022 winner iDom, who said that he was of the opinion that North America is the worst region in Street Fighter. This was as hot a take as it gets, and the reactions were priceless. It was hoped that the exhibition would go some way in settling the debate, but unfortunately, we will no longer be seeing that.

Arturo did promise that there would be something else in place of the exhibition, and we await what that activity will be. 

Evo 2022 will be the first offline Evo since 2019 and will take place on the first weekend of August (August 5th to 7th) in Las Vegas.