A Chat Of Fighting Fandom And Touring With Capcom's Michael Martin

Jason Fanelli,

February 21, 2018 6:50 PM

Following of the announcement of Capcom Cup 2018, Twin Galaxies caught up to Capcom Esports Social Media Manager Michael Martin to chat about his beginnings in the fighting game community and his road to the Capcom offices.

“I’d be lying if I said it isn’t a great feeling to wake up every day and say I work for Capcom.”

These are the words of Michael Martin, Esports Social Media Manager for Capcom and one of the newest members of the Capcom Pro Tour team. Martin’s been a longtime fighting game fan dating back to the Street Fighter II arcade scene back in 1991. That love for fighters has given him the opportunity to be at the forefront of the FGC, and with the 2018 Capcom Pro Tour just announced on Monday, February 19, I was lucky enough to talk with him about what brought him to this point in his life, what’s he done so far, and where he sees the Capcom Pro Tour going with him on the team.

The Man Behind The Curtain

Martin’s path to Capcom didn’t start with putting fighting game events together as some members of the community may assume. “I personally hadn’t organized tournaments,” Martin explains. “Capcom Cup 2017 was the first time I was involved in the planning and execution of a fighting game event.” So how did he work his way into Capcom HQ?

“I worked in games media, covering general video games and competitive fighting games,” Martin reveals. “I began seriously covering fighting games and profiling figures within the fighting game community, and events like the Capcom Pro Tour with Red Bull Esports. Most recently, I was the fighting game expert at Yahoo! Esports, where I got the opportunity to expand fighting games coverage beyond written work with videos like Food Run with former Evo champion Ho Kun Xian.”

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Michael Martin (right) with fighting game pro and Street Fighter specialist Bruce Yu-lin "Gamerbee" Hsiang.

The transition from the FGC beat to the planning committee seems like it would be jarring, but for Michael it was a natural fit. Luckily being the best in the world at Street Fighter wasn’t a requirement, as by his own admission he’s not an S-tier player. “I love fighting games but I’ve never been good enough to be a serious competitor,” he says, “so I looked for different ways to contribute to the growth of the FGC. Working on the Capcom esports team provides some of the best opportunities to do just that.”

That’s not to say he’s a pushover, however: Michael does have one tournament win under his belt. “You might say I went out on top before joining Capcom by winning the E3 2017 SFV editor’s tournament, where I beat UpUpDwnDwn and WWE’s Austin Creed in the Grand Finals.” HIs character of choice? The Season 2 addition Kolin, whom he calls “one of the most unique Street Fighter characters” he’s ever used.

Out Of The Frying Pan And Into The Fire

Outside of the outspoken Yoshinori Ono the fighting game community doesn’t really get a glimpse of the people behind the curtain at Capcom’s major fighting game tour. Despite that the team feels the pressure of putting on a good show, something that Michael felt from the minute he sat down in the Capcom offices for the first time.

"I came on late in the season so planning an event with the scope of Capcom Cup was personally daunting,” he says. “You want to make sure you put on an event that everyone - from the competitors to the attendees to the viewers at home - will enjoy.” The Last Chance Qualifier was a question mark going into Capcom Cup 2017, but according to Michael registrations for that event exceeded all of their expectations. In his words, the LCQ became “a world class event before we even got to the Capcom Cup Top 32.”

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Sakura and Street Fighter V's Season 3 DLC will feature heavily in the 2018 Capcom Pro Tour.

The 2018 Capcom Pro Tour looks to be a bigger event than before, but does that mean featuring other games on the circuit? “Capcom Cup has featured other games beyond Street Fighter in the past,” Michael says. “However, for the upcoming 2018 season, we wanted to feature the recently released Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition and Season 3 [DLC].”

I then asked him a simple question: if Capcom ever dug into their vast fighting library to highlight an older game in a special CPT event, which one would he choose? His answer may surprise you - I certainly didn’t expect it. “A lot of people would love to see something like Super Street Fighter II Turbo or Street Fighter III: Third Strike,” he states,” but my favorite Street Fighter game of all time is Street Fighter Alpha 2.” That’s certainly digging into the archives, but what about SFA2 puts it on top? “I still like watching the OGs play SFA2 in side tournaments at various events, and Sodom is my favorite character ever so I’d love to see someone win a tournament with him.”

On The Road Again

Details for the 2018 Capcom Pro Tour dropped just this week, and while there’s plenty of information to digest in preparation for the upcoming season, Michael wants to focus on another part of the tour: the players.

“One of the most beautiful things about fighting games is how new or lesser known players, like our reigning Capcom Cup champion [Saul Leonardo Mena “RISE|MenaRD” Segundo], excel in competition,” Michael explains. “I’m looking forward to seeing who might rise to the top and compete for a chance at a potential life-changing experience at Capcom Cup.”

Saul Leonardo Mena “RISE|MenaRD” Segundo with his Capcom Cup champion's check

My last question for Michael before he got back on the tour was a simple one: what is it he wants to bring to this season the most, it being the first full Capcom Pro Tour campaign he’ll be working on?  “I love a good story, so I want to present the world the best stories in esports through SFV and the CPT,” he explains. “There are more opportunities than ever to excel in competitive fighting games and I have the opportunity in helping the FGC to grow by showcasing the best competition, players, and events on the CPT.’

Why the player heavy focus? Without the players, as Michael says himself, there would be no Capcom Cup, no Capcom Pro Tour, and most importantly no Street Fighter. He acknowledges how lucky he is to be working on the CPT team, calling it “humbling to be part of an amazing team,” but he knows he wouldn’t be there without the support of the community. In his words: “the CPT wouldn’t be where it is without the passion of the FGC and its players plus the hard work put in by all of the organizers on the tour.”

It’s been a long road for Michael and the entire CPT team, but the 2018 Capcom Pro Tour is nearly upon us and it sounds like it’s headed for another successful showing.

Want to hear great stories from more pros in the fighting game community? Check out our interview with hot dog/fighting game enthusiast Jon Nitti!



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