Capcom changes its controversial Street Fighter V Community License Agreement for the better

In late February, Capcom introduced a new set of guidelines affecting community events that stage matchups of Street Fighter V. Needless to say, it did not go over well. Capcom has at last responded, introducing changes to the Street Fighter V Licensing Agreement. For the most part, small-to-medium tournament organizers should feel some relief.

The original agreement by Capcom would have meant that all tournaments would need to be pre-approved by the publisher. Not only that, but the company set a cap on winner earnings. Any event that offered $10,000 or more in a year would need to apply for a license. Single sponsorships were limited to $5,000 per event and $20,000 per year. Tournaments could no longer be held in places where alcohol and gambling took place, such as bar arcades. Capcom also claimed all rights to video and photographs taken during the event.

But Capcom has changed the Community License Agreement, altering many of these rigid guidelines. The company admits it “could have handled the situation better.”

“Our aim was to make the requirements clear and to make approvals for a no-cost license much more expedient,” Capcom explained. “When TOs have contacted the Capcom USA and Capcom Europe teams about running community events with Street Fighter V: Champion Edition in the past, the approval process has been prohibitively longwinded. This is something we are keen to change so TOs have more time to focus on putting on a great event and less time spent on seeking approvals.”

Blog post https://t.co/1ipE3umksm

Updated community license https://t.co/VgxYBgO2z6 pic.twitter.com/dNUfR9nrys

— Capcom Fighters (@CapcomFighters) May 12, 2022

The new guidelines

Capcom’s License Agreement changes limitations, and removes some restrictions. The yearly $10,000 prize pool limit has been discarded. Sponsorship amounts have changed to $5,000 to $,6000 per event, and $20,000 to $30,000 yearly. Bar arcades can host events, so long as the organizer doesn’t own the bar or is sponsored by “prohibited brands.” Photography and video will no longer be required to send to Capcom. The agreement will also no longer limit spectator fees, “as long as those fees are used to offset event costs.”

The company also included the use of crowd-funding platforms like Matcherino. With the old guidelines, smaller events would have had difficulty using such platforms.

“If Matcherino (or another crowd funding platform) is used to fund the prize pool, the funding will be counted toward the prize pool limitations,” Capcom writes. “If you’re unable to cap the prize pool funding and expect to exceed the community license thresholds, contact [email protected] and we will review your event and license requirements on a one-to-one basis.”

Here’s a summary, provided by Capcom:

• Increased prize pool limit from $2,000 to $10,000 per event
• Removed the yearly $10,000 prize pool limit
• Increased sponsorship limit from $5,000 to $6,000 per event
• Increased sponsorship limit from $20,000 to $30,000 per year
• Changed spectator fee restrictions
• Changed venue restrictions for bars
• Removed License Grant-back for video/photo content captured at events

The changes to the licensing agreement took some time, but things do appear better. To read up on all the altercations, Capcom has them at its official web page along with a Q&A.