They may not be able to throw a proper Hadouken, but this Saturday the mixed martial artists of EliteXC will promote the Street Fighters that can on network television. Sometime during the 9PM program on CBS, Capcom will debut television spots for Street Fighter IV, and open up a brand-new Street Fighter website primed to take your console version preorders.
There's no word on PC, but the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions will be available for preorder through some undisclosed partnership with GameStop -- and will come with "a limited edition collectible Street Fighter Tribute artbook" that sounds suspiciously like the badass Udon Entertainment production fans have been drooling over. We highly doubt they can afford an $80 preorder bonus... but perhaps they'll include a nice sampler? We're checking on it right now.
According to the current countdown, the website will actually open around 2:30AM PST on May 31st -- so you probably won't have to elbow past the TV crowd in order to stake your claim.
UPDATE, 11:05AM: A Capcom representative informs us that the SFIV preorder bonus will indeed be a "miniversion of the Udon book."
Press release:
SAN MATEO, CA – May 28, 2008 – Capcom®, a leading worldwide developer and publisher of video games, today announced that the first television commercial for Street Fighter® IV will debut during the CBS EliteXC Saturday Night Fights mixed martial arts (MMA) event. The EliteXC bout takes place on CBS on Saturday, May 31 at 9 PM EST. Immediately following the bout, the Street Fighter IV trailer will debut on the newly redesigned StreetFighter.com, along with the first chance for gamers to preorder Street Fighter IV for the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) computer entertainment system exclusively through GamesStop.Viewers tuning in to catch the first MMA fight to ever air on US broadcast television featuring internet phenomenon Kimbo Slice battling British fighter James “The Colossus” Thompson, will be treated to the network premiere of a 60 second Street Fighter IV trailer and 30 second Street Fighter IV television spots, which feature a combination of stylized CG animation and game play, ending with a call to action that will drive viewers to the newly designed StreetFighter.com website.
On the website, players will be able to watch the new “artistic” trailer, featuring a stylized brawl between Street Fighter favorite Guile and new character Abel along with several other Street Fighter IV trailers and then immediately pre-order the Xbox 360 or PS3 version of the game from GameStop. Fans who pre-order Street Fighter IV will receive a limited edition collectable Street Fighter Tribute artbook, illustrated by top artists from the comic book and video game industries. A countdown currently running on the website tracks the time remaining until the new trailer unlocks.
May 29th, 2008 at 11:56 pm
Need PC pre-order details ASAP.