Street Fighter 6 sales are shaping up well for Capcom, as the latest entry in its iconic series shoryukens its way through the two million mark. With its story-driven World Tour mode and the option to use beginner-friendly modern controls, Street Fighter 6 isn’t just one of the best fighting games in recent years – it’s also one of the most approachable. That seems to be paying off so far, as Monster Hunter and Resident Evil developer Capcom readies up for its massive $2 million Capcom Pro Tour 2023.
“More than 35 years since Street Fighter first debuted, the series still enjoys immense popularity across the globe with cumulative sales for the series totalling over 50 million units worldwide,” Capcom reports in its latest investor press release. This is, of course, most recently bolstered by Street Fighter 6, which it says has now passed two million units sold worldwide.
As for why Street Fighter 6 has proven so popular, Capcom points to the Street Fighter 6 World Tour mode, a delightful adventure that lets you create your own weird and wonderful monster and take them to the streets, battering your way through all and sundry under the guidance of the most beloved names on the Street Fighter 6 roster.
In addition to this, Capcom says it “carried out initiatives to appeal to a broad range of players, including the introduction of the modern control type, a new controller input option for players new to the series that allows them to execute special attacks with simple button combinations.” It’s certainly seen a lot of positive reception so far – managing to strike a balance between welcoming new players and not upsetting veterans.
Our Street Fighter 6 review praises how much easier learning the basics – and even some of the more advanced tricks like spacing and frame advantage – becomes with the addition of modern controls. Yet they come with their own drawbacks, giving players encouragement to try out the classic control scheme as they become more confident and see whether they prefer the more nuanced control offered by the “old-fashioned” method.
As a long-time fan of the series, this is the first time I’ve been able to sit down with some friends who aren’t really Street Fighter players and have them feel like they’re doing more than helplessly mashing buttons against my more studied (if still admittedly amateurish) moves. At least one of them has been tempted to finally give the series a proper shot as a result – a sentiment that’s being increasingly echoed online.
While Street Fighter 6 sales have gotten off to a solid start in its first month, then, it’ll be interesting to see if continued word of mouth encourages even more players to give it a whirl. Capcom is also hopeful that its Capcom Pro Tour, which begins in August with a $2 million prize pool and $1 million up for grabs for its eventual champion, will help further drive attention, as the best in the world gather to prove their worth. With modern controls allowed in the tournament, maybe even a brand new player could be among them?
There’s also been lots of fun happening in the community, such as Aleks Le – voice actor for new cover star Luke – playing the game on his own YouTube channel. We now have a Street Fighter 6 Rashid release date for its first add-on character, too, so the contenders just keep coming.
Take a look through our Street Fighter 6 tier list if you’re struggling to decide on a main, and make sure you find all the Street Fighter 6 World Tour characters – you’ll be knocking fools out in no time.