A dual tech giant collaboration reunites gaming classics with the modern era, celebrating the core competitive passion in the gaming and esports communities.
Whether you spent your childhood in the clutches of arcade games, Sega, Atari, and Nintendo, or invested in a PC, Xbox, or PlayStation later in life, there is a universal fondness for classic and retro-style games. From the comically pyramid-shaped Lara Croft to the ever-present roundness of everyone’s favourite Italian plumber, the geometric, colourfully pixellated video game aesthetic still runs through the industry’s veins. Thanks to the efforts of Capcom and Samsung, this fondness was revitalised in London during their collaborative event hosted at Samsung KX.
Nestled at the heart of retro game nostalgia is the world of fighting games. Enveloped in a strong community and competitive spirit, classic fighting games can trace their roots back to the 1970s and 80s arcades. In 1987, Capcom launched Street Fighter, and the legacy built since is maintained through their commitment to bringing gamers back to their roots. This month, they invited creators and key UK fighting game community members to Samsung KX. Each attendee had the opportunity to enjoy playing through their new release, Capcom Fighting Collection 2, a collection of re-polished 1998-2004 fighting game classics.
Community & Esports Manager for Capcom Europe, Rich “The Dragon,” strongly identifies with the drive to remain connected to the games foundational to gaming and esports today: “That’s where it all started. It’s nice that publishers bring these old games back, so we don’t have to wrangle a PC and get a weird download or fix to play them—to have your old game available and being able to just start and get online is so nice.”
The attendees strongly reflected this sentiment when they weren’t busy re-exploring their favourite classics. Discussing the comfort and joy associated with seeing retro video game graphics broadcast across the venue, content creator and entertainer KiKi explains, “It’s nice to get to know the games that everyone else used to play back in the day… it reminds me of when you were young and it felt like all games looked like that.”
As with many favourite games over the ages, competition ignites the spark of enjoyment. Capcom intently invested in celebrating this, with friendly matches and competitions across multiple retro favourites playing out on big screens, inviting any and all attendees to have a shot at proving their skill with only bragging rights as a prize. “As much as we sometimes don’t like to admit it, we all love a bit of competition,” Rich explains. “This is a fun environment, no money stakes, no egos, people can get up there and win nothing – it’s a nice, chill feeling.”
Attendees also enjoyed playing through aspects of the new Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny Remastered. Continuing the homage to the modern gaming industry’s roots, Capcom brings the original 2002 game back to life in tip-top shape to adapt to modern gaming devices while maintaining playability and ease of experience.
Overall, the Capcom x Samsung event served as a reminder of the fundamentals of gaming, whether competitive or solo. In the words of Kiki, “To have a sense of community is very important. It is so vital that all of us get to connect with each other.”
Hannah is a writer specialising in the esports, gaming, and technology sectors. Working for companies such as Lionscreed Esports, Esports Insider, and SideQuest Hub she has developed a love for wider esports and Apex Legends, although it may never surpass her drive to passionately beat her friends in every game of Mariokart. You may have seen her at various esports and gaming events, including ESI London, EGX, Discover: Esports and many League of Legends watch parties.
