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Red Bull Kumite is taking place in Salle Wagram in France. Located in the heart of Paris, Salle Wagram is a decadent and historical landmark that has seen countless orchestral performances throughout the decades. For Red Bull Kumite, the venue will once again transform into the best-looking fighting game tournament in the world, with an octagon arena in the centre of the venue.
Where can I watch the tournament?
For those of you unable to attend, the entirety of the tournament will be live streamed in several languages, including French, English and Japanese.
Starting from 11am CEST on Saturday, May 27, you’ll be able to tune and watch 256 players whittled down to just two, as they take part in the qualifier, set to finish up at 11pm CEST.
Then, on Sunday May 28, Red Bull Kumite will start at 2:15pm CEST with the opening ceremony followed by every single Red Bull Kumite match streamed right up until 10pm CEST.
What’s the Red Bull Kumite 2017 qualifier?
Throughout Saturday, May 2, 256 players will be competing in the qualifiers to take part in the prestigious tournament the following day. Fighting from the early morning, right through to the depths of the night, these players will need nerves of steel as they compete in a double elimination, best of three, tournament format.
This means that players with a total of two losses will be eliminated and will no longer be in the running for a shot at qualifying for the main event. The two players that do qualify will bring up the total number of entrants the next day to 16.
It’s a unique journey that a few lucky players can experience, just like the fictional Niko we’ve covered in our comic. So, be sure to check in on the qualifier on Saturday to see all these hopeful players battle it out for their chance at competing in the tournament.
What do I need to know about Red Bull Kumite?
It’s the moment everything has been building up to, Red Bull Kumite itself. Throughout the past few months, the best players from all over the world have been picked to ensure that the tournament has the best competition possible for its viewers.
Players from South Korea, UK, France, USA, Norway, South Korea, Taiwan and China will be in attendance, but only one player can take home the trophy and Acer’s brand-new Predator 21 X gaming laptop.
Just like the qualifier, players will fight in best of threes up until the losers’ finals, winners’ finals and grand finals where the format will then change to a best-of-five format. You can even follow along with the tournament by checking out the brackets, picking your favourites and noting what matches could potentially be highlights of the show.
Who should I look out for at the tournament?
But who are these players? Well, the current list is; Bonchan, Luffy, Phenom, Infiltration, Infexious, RB, Xyzzy, Xiao Hai, Mister Crimson, Nemo, PR Balrog, Gachikun, Daigo, Tokido, and the two wild-card entrants from the qualifier.
It’s a list of who’s who in the fighting game world. The previous year saw Infiltration narrowly take first place over Tokido in the Grand Finals, but with Street Fighter V’s second season in full swing, things have changed drastically.
Thanks to his recent win at Battle Arena Melbourne, Bonchan is the highest-placed player in the Capcom Pro Tour, making him the easy favourite for this year’s event.
Although that doesn’t mean it will be a stroll for Bonchan, as hot on his heels is Tokido, falling just short of Bonchan’s current position in the global rankings and having placed very well in every tournament he has entered this year.
On the other side of the coin, we have the underdogs of the tournament; RB and Infexious, who are yet to place on the Capcom Pro Tour leaderboards. Both of these players are well regarded for their playstyle, with each of them previously competing with a grappler, and could potentially pose a threat as the dark horses of the competition.
What if I can’t wait until May 27?
By now, you should be sweating with anticipation, unable to focus on anything but Red Bull Kumite 2017 and looking for a way to pass the time until May 27. Thankfully, this isn’t the first time the event has been run. So, why not check out Infiltration and Bonchan’s intense battle for first place back in 2015, during the golden era of Ultra Street Fighter IV. Or you could check out Infiltration’s dominant performance last year and look out for some of the players that will be trying to take him out this year.
And if that doesn’t cut it, you can always check back for more content at Red Bull eSports to ensure you’ve got all the most up-to-date information for the Red Bull Kumite.
In partnership with Predator, Red Bull Kumite 2017 kicks off in Paris on May 27 and May 28 2017.
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