Capcom Cup 12 Pay-per-View Pricing and Details Finally Revealed, Free Version of Stream Technically Available
•February 13, 2026
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Why It Matters
The move signals a decisive shift toward paid live viewing in fighting‑game esports, testing whether audiences will embrace a PPV model and potentially setting a pricing precedent for future tournaments.
Key Takeaways
- •One‑day PPV tickets cost $6 or 900 yen
- •Two‑day tickets priced at $10 or 1,500 yen
- •Free in‑game stream lacks commentary, limited viewers
- •Battle Hub not supported on Nintendo Switch 2
- •Ticket sales may shape future esports monetization models
Pulse Analysis
Capcom Cup 12’s pricing overhaul reflects a broader industry experiment with pay‑per‑view formats for high‑profile fighting‑game events. After a backlash to the initial $26 two‑day fee, the Japanese developer slashed prices to $6 for a single day and $10 for both days, aligning the cost with comparable esports offerings in Japan. By keeping the PPV structure while lowering the barrier to entry, Capcom hopes to recoup production costs and gauge consumer willingness to pay for premium live content, especially as Street Fighter 6 continues to dominate its home market.
The free streaming alternative leverages Capcom’s Battle Hub, embedding a live feed directly into Street Fighter 6. However, the service comes with notable constraints: no match commentary, capped viewer slots, potential instability, and exclusion from the Nintendo Switch 2 version. These limitations preserve the value proposition of the paid tickets while still offering a taste of the action to the broader community. For players, the trade‑off is clear—pay for a stable, commentary‑rich experience or settle for a stripped‑down, possibly laggy broadcast.
If the reduced‑price tickets sell robustly, other tournament organizers and game publishers may adopt similar PPV models, reshaping revenue streams across the esports ecosystem. Conversely, a tepid response could force Capcom to revert to free‑to‑watch formats and reconsider its monetization roadmap for the Capcom Pro Tour. The outcome will also reveal how Japanese fan enthusiasm translates into digital ticket sales, a metric that could dictate future strategies for global fighting‑game events. Either way, Capcom Cup 12 serves as a litmus test for the viability of paid live esports viewing.
Capcom Cup 12 pay-per-view pricing and details finally revealed, free version of stream technically available
Street Fighter 6 owners can view the finals action for free though there are some odd caveats
Last year, the announcement that Capcom Cup 12's finals would be moving to a pay‑per‑view format was not well received by the western community, but it seems the company is sticking to its guns (though they are making some adjustments).
Capcom has finally revealed the final ticket prices for the big Street Fighter 6 event, and they are quite a bit lower than originally planned.
Initially, two‑day Capcom Cup 12 finals tickets were going to be 4,000 yen or $26 USD, which is no longer the case, though they are keeping the PPV structure.
Now, a one‑day ticket is $6 or 900 yen for either the Capcom Cup 12 finals or the Street Fighter League: World Championship 2025.
Two‑day tickets for both events are being sold for $10 or 1,500 yen.
Their new video discussing the details was led by Tetsuya Tabuchi, manager of Capcom's eSports department, where he talks about their new plans.
“First of all, we sincerely apologize for taking time to make this announcement,” said Tabuchi. “Following the announcement that live viewing for this event would be ticketed, we carefully reviewed the many opinions and feedback from the community. After thorough discussions across various departments within Capcom, we have decided on the following: To revise the pricing of live viewing tickets and to implement special collaborative initiatives within Street Fighter 6.”
Although the full experience will be limited to those who pay up for a few weeks, there is going to be a way to watch the action live for free.
The recently‑added Battle Hub streaming feature will be used to allow Street Fighter 6 players to view both events from within the game itself with a few caveats.
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No commentary during matches.
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Limits will be placed on viewer capacity.
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The stream may become unstable.
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The feature is not available on the Nintendo Switch 2 version of the game.
Those who don’t want to buy tickets will have to wait for the rebroadcasts of the Capcom Cup 12 finals and Street Fighter League: World Championship 2025, which will be made available on March 30 and March 29 respectively.
Fans who purchase a live‑viewing ticket also receive a special blue, white and yellow costume color for Rashid to match the Capcom logo.
Images of the ticket pricing are available in the gallery.
Tickets are now on sale on the live‑viewing platform SPWN.
While it is unfortunate Capcom is sticking with the PPV setup, they are at least loosening the rules to allow unrestricted co‑streaming of the first days of Capcom Cup before finals. This move does set a dangerous precedent for large fighting‑game events going forward.
If Capcom Cup tickets sell well, other tournament organizers and game publishers could look at charging for their events in the future too; if it bombs, that could negatively impact the Capcom Pro Tour support in coming seasons as the eSports division continues looking for a way of actually making money.
There’s not really a win‑win scenario here for the fighting‑game community besides tickets underselling and Capcom choosing to go back to their old formats next year.
Capcom, however, has been shifting its focus more and more on Japan specifically for Street Fighter 6, given the game’s massive popularity in its home country where PPV events have become more common in recent years at places like the Street Fighter League: Pro‑JP Finals.
So the make‑it‑or‑break‑it point may end up being how many Japanese fans buy Capcom Cup tickets, considering their recent SFL finals apparently sold quite well for the company.
At the very least, it sounds like the Street Fighter 6 development and eSports teams are working more closely together, so we probably won’t see another situation where even the team leads were surprised by the pay‑per‑view announcement.
Capcom Cup 12 is set to take place from March 11–15 in Tokyo, Japan.
More information about the Capcom Cup tickets and streams can be found in the gallery above.
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