FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

Tech

New 'Street Fighter V' Rules Allow Vaping and Alcohol Sponsorships, But Not Porn

The fledgling YouPorn-sponsored eSports team faces more problems.
Valmaster, one of Team YP's top Street Fighter players, will be barred from showcasing his sponsorship at official events. Image credit: VSFTV.com

I'm still not entirely sure why popular tube site YouPorn decided to invest in an eSports team. I suppose there's a strong potential audience there—folks watching eSports events have to do something between matches and events, after all. And really, with Anheuser-Busch and Poker Stars courting the eSports audience, it seems a bit weird to single out YouPorn as a sponsor you don't want playing in your tournament.

Advertisement

But that's exactly what's been happening with Team YP (note the distinct lack of "YouPorn" in the team name). Earlier this year, the team was told by the world's largest eSports organization ESL that it was not welcome at its events. But Team YP has quite a few players across several different games, and some of the best known are their Street Fighter V players like Filipinoman and Valmaster. In response to the ESL's blanket ban, Joey Cuellar, the head of the largest fighting game event in the world, EVO, tweeted that Team YP would be welcome at its event.

Hey Joey CuellarApril 26, 2016

However, late last week Street Fighter V developer Capcom posted updated rules and regulations for Capcom Pro Tour events—which includes EVO's Street Fighter V tournament. Among the new rules is this nugget:

Capcom will not allow Players to participate in any Tournament if sponsored by adult content sponsors, such as a publisher of pornographic websites, or any other sponsor Capcom deems inappropriate at its sole discretion. Players who are sponsored by alcoholic beverages, cigarettes or vaping (e-cigarette) products will not be precluded from competing in a Tournament.

At first, this looked like a blanket ban on Team YP's participation in EVO and all major tournaments with Capcom Pro Tour affiliations (including Stunfest, a French multi-game event that took place this weekend), but Capcom soon clarified that the players aren't totally barred in a tweet:

Advertisement

We understand everyone''s concern around the sponsorship rule in the Capcom FightersMay 21, 2016

In the meantime, we won't promote sponsors we deem inappropriate but all players are allowed to compete. Thanks for understanding.

Capcom FightersMay 21, 2016

So technically, while Team YP's players can still play in the Capcom Pro Tour, they can't do it under their team banner. Considering that sponsorship deals help players with travelling expenses in exchange for visibility and promotion, however, the rule still severely cripples Team YP's members. This isn't the first run-in with the "CapCops" (as fans jokingly call the Capcom tournament authorities) for Team YP either: At last year's Capcom Cup, Valmaster was allowed to compete—sans Team YP jersey.

One could easily accuse Capcom and the ESL of simply being prudes, but the reality of the situation is a bit more complex than that.

eSports events are a global phenomenon, taking place in—and being viewed in—locales around the globe. Some of these locales, such as China and various Middle Eastern countries, have very strict laws about anything that could be even potentially tied to pornography. The last thing a global eSports league wants is to run afoul of any government, as that could spell huge problems for leagues, players, and the games they play. As eSports gains legitimacy, regulations similar to other "pro" sports seem likely—some countries are eyeing regulations already—but the industry wants to stay out of the targeting reticle of officials as much as possible. This puts the leagues in a challenging situation: While eSports teams have a right to be formed and sponsored by whomever they choose in the country they're incorporated in, said sponsors could cause serious problems on a global scale. There simply aren't easy solutions that can make everyone happy.

One thing we can probably all agree on, though? Those pink, black, and gray Team YP jerseys are snazzy as heck.