Pop Star The Weeknd Visits Street Fighter 6 Developers and Is Apparently a Big Fan of One Character in Particular
•February 12, 2026
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Why It Matters
The Weeknd’s endorsement highlights Street Fighter’s cultural relevance and could spark future music‑driven collaborations, expanding the franchise’s audience beyond traditional gamers.
Key Takeaways
- •The Weeknd visited Capcom Osaka headquarters.
- •He played Street Fighter 6, favoring Chun‑Li.
- •Capcom provided early access to Resident Evil Requiem.
- •Celebrity tie‑ins showcase Street Fighter’s cross‑media appeal.
- •Future music collaboration with The Weeknd possible.
Pulse Analysis
Capcom’s decision to showcase The Weeknd’s visit reflects a broader strategy of leveraging pop culture icons to rejuvenate classic gaming franchises. By aligning a globally recognized R&B artist with Street Fighter 6, the company taps into the singer’s massive fanbase, potentially converting music listeners into gamers. This cross‑promotional tactic mirrors previous collaborations, such as Aespa’s in‑game skins and metal band Cavalera Conspiracy’s theme for Mech Zangief, reinforcing the brand’s relevance across entertainment sectors.
The Weeknd’s preference for Chun‑Li, a character synonymous with female empowerment in fighting games, adds a narrative layer that resonates with both gaming and music audiences. His hands‑on experience with modern controls and arcade hardware signals genuine engagement rather than a superficial endorsement. Moreover, the early access granted to Resident Evil Requiem suggests Capcom’s intent to deepen the relationship, possibly hinting at a soundtrack contribution or exclusive in‑game content tied to the artist’s upcoming releases.
Industry observers see this as part of a larger trend where legacy titles seek fresh relevance through celebrity partnerships. As streaming platforms and esports continue to blur the lines between music, gaming, and live entertainment, collaborations like this can drive higher engagement metrics, boost merchandise sales, and generate buzz across social media channels. Should a musical tie‑in materialize, it could set a precedent for future integrations, positioning Street Fighter as a versatile cultural touchstone capable of attracting diverse demographics while maintaining its competitive integrity.
Pop star The Weeknd visits Street Fighter 6 developers and is apparently a big fan of one character in particular
The cultural impact of Street Fighter on multiple generations is often underappreciated, so there's more people from all walks of life who are (or were at one time) fans of the video game icon.
That seems to even extend to the likes of The Weeknd, given the pop star's recent trip to Japan.
Capcom recently shared some posts to their social media pages showing that The Weeknd had visited their headquarters in Osaka.
This explicitly included a meeting with the Street Fighter 6 development team with photos shown of the music icon next to some familiar faces and playing some rounds while wearing a Capcom Cup jacket.
The Street Fighter social pages say that The Weeknd is actually a big fan of Chun‑Li, and that does seem to be the case.
One photo shows him using the strongest woman in the world in Street Fighter 2 while playing on an arcade stick.
There was also footage shared online by Instagram user gene.hackerman with The Weeknd also putting some time into Street Fighter 6 with Chun‑Li as well.
It does look like he is playing with modern controls and certainly isn’t going to go pro any time soon, but it at least appears that he’s not a complete noob either.
Going to see the fighting‑game team likely wasn’t the primary reason for his visit to Capcom, however.
Although The Weeknd has discussed his gaming interests in the past, our quick searches didn’t come up with any mentions he’s made about Street Fighter.
Resident Evil is one series he’s talked about before, and Capcom showed that they also gave The Weeknd early access to Resident Evil Requiem during his visit too.
Whether or not anything ever comes of this meeting is unknown, but the current fighting game does have a history with music artists.
There was, of course, the odd Aespa × Street Fighter 6 collaboration last year as well as Cavalera Conspiracy providing a special theme for Mech Zangief in the game, with Director Takayuki Nakayama saying the team is full of metalheads including himself.
As far as other celebrities go, AEW star Kenny Omega cosplayed as Sagat, C. Viper, Alex and Ingrid for the Street Fighter 6 Season 3 reveal, and the wrestler also provided some motion capture for the upcoming DLC character too.
So it’s not out of the realm of possibility that we could see some sort of collaboration with The Weeknd in the future.
The man has already been in Fortnite, but hopefully his potential contribution to SF6 would be on the musical side and not a weird costume or something.
Street Fighter producer Shuhei Matsumoto is a big fan of western hip‑hop and R&B, so at the very least he was probably really jazzed to meet The Weeknd.
Image credit: Capcom
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