Red Bull is no stranger to the world of esports, especially when it comes to fighting games. Events like Red Bull Battle Grounds and Red Bull Proving Grounds are relatively new compared to events like Evolution and Summer Jam, but have been incredibly well-received by the community and are now a part of the normal tournament circuit. However, these events have been mostly Street Fighter-centered, without much in the way of other games being featured. Recently, Red Bull announced they were doing even more for a number of different scenes by announcing the Red Bull Conquest event series, which would allow Street Fighter, Tekken 7, and Guilty Gear Xrd REV2 players to compete in a series of local tournaments. Without repeating ourselves, check out the full details of the tournament here before seeing how the community reacts.
Street Fighter V is no stranger to Red Bull-branded events. Proving Grounds has been success for both Red Bull esports and Street Fighter.
Rise, Rally, Conquer!
Still can’t figure out the format? It’s okay - I’ll translate: Each game will have its own double elimination tournament to decide a city’s champion in that game. Then, the three city champions in each game will form a three-person team which will battle another city’s three-person team. The representatives of each game will battle in a first-to-five set, and the team with the highest amount of total wins will move on. Sounds pretty innovative and really seems to enforce the “team” concept, but some aren’t in favor of the format.
New Jersey-based Street Fighter V player SaGe explains his gripes with the format, saying, “Let’s say you win SF in your region, then you have to team up with the winner of your region's GGXRD and T7 winner. You can beat your opponent in SF, but if your XRD and T7 player lose, you go home.”
It’s a fair point for sure, but there’s something even worse to consider. Let’s say you win a grueling 5-4 set in your game of choice, your one partner loses 5-0, but your other partner wins 5-2. Guess what? Under the way the rules are currently laid out, you’re going home on a score of 11-10! Hopefully there will be some more clarification as time goes on, but a situation like that would be incredibly damaging to the tournament’s reputation.
Tekken makes its Red Bull esports series debut in the Conquest series
Talking Tekken
Tekken 7 has been a boon for the series as far as esports exposure has gone. The Tekken World Tour and ELEAGUE helped give Tekken the mainstream viewing audience it never had. Tekken has received the Proving Ground treatment in the past, but has never had steady support from Red Bull esports. Now considered on the same level as Street Fighter, clearly one of the most popular fighting games on the planet, the Tekken community can say their game can finally be regarded on the same level as the fighting game elites.
Nick DeJesus, creator of the Tekken Chicken frame data app, speaks highly of the event. “I think it's great,” he said. “It's very inspiring and it feels great to know that there are organizations out there trying to enable the FGC. I feel like Tekken is getting the credit it deserves.”
Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2 is ready for its closeup. Currently, only Frosty Faustings has Guilty Gear as the main event of their tournament.
The Guilty Gear Community is Revved Up!
The biggest surprise on the tour is no doubt the inclusion of Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2 as the third game on the tour. Many questioned the decision, especially with the widespread success of Dragon Ball FighterZ, which fits the niche that Guilty Gear also takes up. To recklessly speculate, DBFZ’s exclusion could be because of either A) the tour being planned for months prior to DBFZ’s release, B) some sort of licensing issue that prohibits Red Bull from associating with the game, or C) Toei prefers Monster.
But seriously, the Guilty Gear community is thrilled with the game’s inclusion! R/GuiltyGear user Faded_Sun is excited, despite some skepticism from the FGC. “So we’re just supposed to let the scene remain stagnant?” they said. “This is a great push for Guilty Gear in America. I know I’ll be attending my city’s qualifier.”
Time to Shine!
Like we’ve discussed in the past, the most important aspect of all of this is showing up, so interested players should visit Red Bull Conquest’s smash.gg page and sign up for their nearest event and compete. The unfortunate reality of these events is that if attendance is low, they’ll stop happening, especially with newer events. So start grinding now and get ready to show off for your city!
Need help preparing for Red Bull Conquest? Check out the Low-Tier Hero series, which aims to help players develop good habits, like maintaining a positive mindset and using training mode optimally.
