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Arc System Works World Tour Crowns Two New Champions

by Kalai Chik,

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Winners Mocchii and GO1
Kalai Chik

Last weekend, DNF Duel and Guilty Gear -Strive- (GGS) awarded winners, Mocchii and GO1, for coming out on top after a grueling day of hard-fought battles. The sold-out event featured the chance to experience the World Tour finals in person alongside the top qualifying players. While living out the excitement alongside other DNF and GGS fans, spectators could demo some of Arc System Works' other titles in the background during downtime.

The global tournament featured the top eight players of DNF Duel and GGS from preliminary tournaments held worldwide last year. While GO1 maintained his DNF Duel champion title, Mocchii surprised audiences after he cleared the losers bracket and beat TY in the final match. Japanese players often dominate the top spots in the international fighting games space, but the rollback netcode has helped broaden the space to more international players.

“Because of how good the netcode is, everyone is more connected,” said Zando (Guilty Gear -Strive- competitor). “All the players from the West, we all know each other. We all improve together, and it's not every region for itself.”

“Online play was often looked down upon when there was delay-based netcode,” continued MysticSmash (DNF Duel competitor). “Prevalence of rollback netcode helped players like Zando and me make a name for ourselves.”

arcsystemworksworldtour8
Kalai Chik

As the event wrapped up, the Head of Publishing at Nexon Korea and Ryosuke Kodani (Development Director) shared their excitement about DNF Duel's upcoming Season Pass roadmap. Guilty Gear creator Daisuke Ishiwatari and GGS producer Ken Miyauchi then took to the stage to share the trailer for Bedman? as the series' next DLC character.

Before the reveal, Miyauchi spoke briefly to ANN about why they decided to go with Bedman? in this iteration. “The first two DLC characters for Season Two are quite easy to control. Bridgette and Sin are accessible for people who have played other fighting games or Guilty Gear -Strive-.” He explained they changed the Bedman? to be “reborn” as a Strive character. “The original character in Xrd is quite complex, and if you've played this character before, you wouldn't be able to play other characters.” In addition, audiences should expect Badman? to have a similar sense of distinct mobility and control that “requires a unique player skill.” Miyauchi believes the character's redesign fits well among the other characters in Strive. “Whoever tries the character will have a lot of fun.”

arcsystemworksworldtour3
Kalai Chik

To close the night, Arc System Works CEO Minoru Kidooka cheerfully announced that Arc World Tour 2023 would be kicking off to celebrate Arc System Works' 35th anniversary and Guilty Gear's 25th anniversary. He promises a bigger stage and a more extensive production for the following year.

Regarding Arc System Works' plans for more offline events, Junior Ferreira (Arc System Works Esports manager) told Anime News Network: “From my perspective on the production end, I care more about what we're building with players. I want to treat [the players] like superstars; I want [them] to continue playing our games year after year, and grow players with our esports initiatives.”


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