Capcom apologises for sexist Cross Assault comments

Capcom has distanced itself from a torrent of sexist comments on Street Fighter x Tekken promotional show Cross Assault.

"The views and opinions expressed by cast members in the live internet program 'Cross Assault' do not reflect those of Capcom,” the publisher told GiantBomb.

“As a company, Capcom believes that everyone should be treated with respect. This particular issue was brought to our attention and has been addressed. We sincerely apologize to anyone that was offended by any comments expressed during the show.”

Capcom's statement came in response to a query over the content of its Street Fighter x Tekken tournament reality show, Cross Assault. During a recent episode, Team Tekken head Bakhtanians angered some viewers and community members by defending sexism as an integral part of the "culture" of fighter games. The resulting unpleasantness led one contestant, Super_Yan, to forfeit her matches in order to exit the show as quickly as possible.

Response to the sexism scandal has been mixed, with a strong contingent arguing in defence of Bakhtanians's commentary and many others distancing themselves from his ethos and calling on other members of the community to shape up. The incident has rekindled an ongoing debate on the culture of eSports in general and fighter tournaments in particular, which are held to be particularly unwelcoming to female gamers.

Cross Assault is ongoing, with finals scheduled to begin on March 3. Giant Bomb has collated some of the most egregious comments in text and video form, and offers an excellent summary of the situation, through the link above.

Street Fighter x Tekken releases next week on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, with Vita and PC versions to follow.