In 2018, almost every large fighting game developer / publisher is running their own pro circuit for one or more titles, but none so far have managed to match the clout of the Capcom Pro Tour with Street Fighter leading the way for fighting game eSports.

Capcom began their adventures with the Capcom Cup over four years ago where it has grown and evolved to the point where winners take home hundreds of thousands of dollars, and it appears that the company wants to push into eSports even more.

The company released their Integrated Report for 2018 going over all of their financial information from the past year for investors and detailing what the company is planning on doing with their money, capital and intellectual properties next.

Towards the end of the report, Capcom states that they are looking to expand their reach in the fighting game and eSports markets by creating their own internal division meant to open up new opportunities for their brands and the Japanese markets in particular.

"Next year, in order create business opportunities in the eSports market, and to invigorate the domestic market in particular, we will establish a specialized eSports division and leverage fighting games, such as Street Fighter, which has a high affinity for eSports," wrote Capcom.

Capcom plans on increasing prize pools for events in the future as well as sponsor more events though all of that will reportedly come a high price for the company's bottom line.

The company expects their net sales to increase to 2.5 billion yen ($22 million) in the next fiscal year, but "due to upfront investments in eSports, including increasing prize amounts at events and holding events to expand the user base, [Capcom] expects to record an operating loss of 400 million yen ($3.6 million)."

"Due to upfront investments in eSports, including increasing prize amounts at events and holding events to expand the user base, [Capcom] expects to record an operating loss of 400 million yen ($3.6 million)"

These plans likely tie directly back into their previous statements about Street Fighter 5's future strategy for creating / promoting new league competitions outside of North America in order to capture a larger worldwide audience.

What this means for concrete plans for the Capcom Pro Tour in 2019 and beyond remains to be seen, but this move shows that Capcom is still committed to growing the scene even more going forward by investing heavily in their future.

It's also interesting to point out that they refer to the push for fighting games in general for them and not Street Fighter 5 by name though that doesn't necessarily mean that another Capcom fighter will be dropping in the near future.

Source: Capcom