Hello again, Street Fighters! We have a ton of new information to share with you today regarding the latest update to Street Fighter V! As many of you may have seen last night during CPT Premier Event CEO2016, Balrog will also be released with this update alongside Ibuki and the Cinematic Story Mode!

The update will go live in all territories on July 1 at Midnight Pacific after the scheduled server maintenance is complete, which starts on June 30 at 2:00 PM Pacific.

That’s not all, though! We have even more content lined up for this release including additional costumes and new stages.

Balrog is one of the most iconic characters in Street Fighter history, first appearing as one of the Four Kings of Shadaloo in Street Fighter II as a boss character. He’s always been one of the most vicious characters to ever appear in the series, using his devastating boxing style to knock out his opponents.

Before joining Shadaloo and moving his way up in the ranks to become one of M. Bison’s highest ranking officers, he was one of the greatest boxing champions of his time. His style of boxing, which uses illegal techniques such as head-butting, eventually got him banned from competing due to causing extreme harm to his opponents. In short, Balrog will do whatever it takes to win a fight and with the end goal always being to obtain more wealth.

Outside of Street Fighter II, he also appeared in Street Fighter Alpha 3 and Street Fighter IV, not to mention various cross-over titles such as Capcom vs SNK and Street Fighter X Tekken.

Balrog in Street Fighter V still remains as one of Shadaloo’s top enforcers, working alongside M. Bison, F.A.N.G., and Vega. Be sure to check out his Character Story and of course the Cinematic Story Mode to see what sort of trouble he gets himself into this time around.

His playstyle in Street Fighter V puts the focus on his devastating punches, and with the use of his V-Trigger, he can chain these attacks together to deal serious damage. He also has a few cheap attacks up his sleeve to keep the fight in his favor, so don’t let your guard down for a moment!

V-Skill: KKB

A unique move that twirls his body while moving forward. While activated, you can dodge projectiles as well as string together attacks. You can even activate KKB before a special hits you, allowing you to be a technical inside fighter.

V-Trigger: Crazy Rush

A chance to be the aggressor when activated! Steam rises from his body and allows you to string together specials like Charging Buffalo and Bursting Buffalo.

Critical Art: Gigaton Blow

Unleash the fury from your fist with this simple, yet destructive critical art. It can be connected with various moves. Make sure to include it in your combos.

New Stages and Costumes

To ensure this release packs an even bigger punch, Balrog’s story costume and premium battle costume will become available on 7/1, as well as a revival of the classic Las Vegas stage from Street Fighter II! The streets are lined with neon signs as you are cheered on by a fired-up crowd.

That’s not all, either. This summer, Street Fighter V is about to heat up! The Kanzuki Family Private Beach will now be available as an all new battle stage. This will also be released with the update on July 1 and can be purchased for 70,000 fight money. Also, Karin’s premium summer costume will be available to purchase as part of this latest update. These can both be purchased from the PS Store and Steam for $3.99.

As a reminder, all character Battle Costumes will be available for purchase on July 1 through both PlayStation Store and on PC.

Juri and Urien

All of you probably saw the teaser we released for both Juri and Urien as part of the Balrog trailer. While they aren’t ready for official release just yet, they will be playable in the Cinematic Story Mode, and we wanted to share their official artwork showcasing their designs. As you can see, they have a brand new look with Urien in a high-end suit and Juri in a biker outfit. Updates on their playstyles will be coming soon!

As always, thanks to all our fans for the continued support. We’re committed to making Street Fighter V the best in the series and value everyone’s feedback as we continue to update the game. We’re eager to hear what you think of the Cinematic Story Mode and all the additional content included with this update coming later this week.