Capcom Pro Tour prohibits e-cigs, tobacco and alcohol ads

Clearer guidelines for the kinds of products that can be advertised during Capcom Pro Tour play have been established, as “adult” products now include smokes and booze.

Capcom continues to take one step forward and two steps back.

Recently, the Capcom Pro Tour took quick and responsible action against pro player Noel Brown after an incident in which he inappropriately touched a female attendee before the Street Fighter V Losers Finals match at Combo Breaker 2016. Banning him from the remainder of the 2016 Capcom Pro Tour season was the correct move, with a second offense being a lifetime ban now setting the stage for future events.

However, the guidelines for pro fighting game players and the acceptable sponsorships allowed during Capcom Pro Tour 2016 events continue to clash against the community’s interests, as the Capcom Fighters Twitter account recently tweeted out the expanded rules to prohibit displayed product sponsorships of alcohol, e-cigarettes, and other tobacco products.

Affecting more than 50 tournaments remaining on the 2016 schedule, these updated rules continue to conflict with ongoing programs and entities willing to sponsor eSports athletes, including Bud Light with their All-Stars program. These rules were amended to include sponsorships beyond pornographic sites, which included a ban for Team YouPorn a few weeks ago.

Citing “community feedback,” the Capcom Pro Tour wants to keep a focus on players of all age, with the rules reflecting such a goal. However, any player that is sponsored by creators of said adult products will be allowed to compete, as long as those products or logos aren’t displayed.

While Capcom wants to keep the fighting game community image as squeaky clean as possible, the FGC itself reflects a wider variety of interests. The Capcom Pro Tour Grand Finals, themselves, are an 18+ event, meaning the “all ages” atmosphere isn’t even represented. Furthermore, ads for alcohol have been a staple of every single sporting event imaginable in the US, yet they aren’t considered family friendly.

The issue is centered around a key area of struggle for tournament organizers and players versus management. Capcom willing to inject hundreds of thousands of dollars in prize pool funding is their prerogative, especially if it means promoting the likes of Street Fighter V. However, if they’re not willing to bend toward the wills of the community and the sponsors that represent them, fighting games as eSports cannot grow.

Furthermore, the FGC needs to make the smart concessions with the Capcom Pro Tour. Promoting cigarettes on television has been illegal in the US for decades, and fighting to get vape sponsorships will ultimately be a losing battle. The focus should be on getting back alcohol ads and displayed logos on players 21 and over, as well as modified logos from adult sites that don’t list the site’s name.

If both sides of the issue can’t come to an agreement somewhere in the middle, despite a major lead on MOBA eSports, fighting games will continue to fall behind in competitive gaming viewership.

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