Street Fighter 6's director was 'shocked' that Capcom Cup 12 viewing will be paywalled

Street Fighter 6's director was 'shocked' that Capcom Cup 12 viewing will be paywalled Director Takayuki Nakayama was as surprised as anyone to find out that Capcom Cup 12 would charge PPV-style for viewership.

Capcom Cup 12 promises to bring a wealth of fantastic fighting from some of the best players in the world for fans' viewing pleasure, just as it has done in years past. Except this year it’s going to be treated as pay-per-view and charge fans for the privilege of seeing it go down, which has rubbed many the wrong way. It wasn’t a decision the Street Fighter 6 team (the game at the center of it all) expected either, as its director shared that they were just as shocked by the announcement as anyone else.

In a recent Twitter reply, Takayuki Nakayama, director of Street Fighter 6, shared that he and SF6 producer Shuhei Matsumoto learned about the same time as anyone else that Capcom Cup 12 would be paywalled. He didn’t seem thrilled about it:

It may sound strange, but it's true. Revenue targets and assigned tasks differ fundamentally by department. Even the development team was surprised by this announcement (At least Matsumoto and I were shocked at the venue) That said, since this matter occurred within the same company, we are currently discussing it. We apologize for any concern this may have caused.

It may sound strange, but it's true. Revenue targets and assigned tasks differ fundamentally by department. Even the development team was surprised by this announcement（At least Matsumoto and I were shocked at the venue）That said, since this matter occurred within the same… — TAKA-nakayama (@takaNakayama) October 2, 2025

All of this comes from the announcement by Capcom Fighters about the new pay model for the upcoming Capcom Cup 12 Finals in March 2026. Recently, the group announced that the Capcom Cup Finals and Street Fighter League Finals would charge players around 4000 yen (about $27) for viewership of either one, or 6000 yen (about $41) for a bundle ticket to view both. That model is more accepted in Japan, where PPV gaming events have already been a norm. However, there are many players that feel the model suddenly being adapted this year prices western fans out of the experience.

Nakayama mentioned that it’s being “discussed” at this time, which may lead to changes, but that remains to be seen. Stay with us on the Street Fighter 6 topic as we continue to follow this story for news and updates.