A look at Virtua Fighter ‘No Matter the Cost’ fan tournament

Hi SEGAbits readers! Kori-Maru here! Giving you all another event report covering a a fan dedicated Virtua Fighter ‘No Matter the Cost’ tournament which is being hosted by NWO and VFDC. The event featured many Virtua Fighter iterations starting from Virtua Fighter 2 through Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown spanning over three days. While Virtua Fighter has a small tournament scene in the West, fans of the series continue to show strong support for SEGA’s elite fighting game franchise.

Prizes were given out for each tournament and raffle giveaways included rare items such as Japanese Virtua Fighter player BunBunMaru’s jacket, Virtua Fighter 10th Anniversary for PlayStation 2, a copy of Yakuza 6, and a flight ticket to EVO Japan 2018 as the grand prize. Pretty good haul for a fan ran tournament.

While spectating Virtua Fighter ‘No Matter the Cost’, I got the chance to meet and play against good players from the community, some of which participated in the SEGA Cup events held in both Europe and New York. The moment they all started setting up their fightsticks to play, I was amazed by how talented everyone was during matches and how hyped everyone was witnessing extension combos . I even learned a few tips from them to improve my play style.

During the event I was able to interview with the man behind ‘No Matter the Cost’, Chief Flash, on the concept and purpose of No Matter the Cost along with some of the best players in the Virtua Fighter community. We talked about their history with Virtua Fighter, their introduction to the tournament scene, and how SEGA as a company should improve on it’s popular IP for a new generation.

Special shout out to Oneida, Cruz (VF NYC), Rodney, and Chief Flash for taking time for the interviews and setting up an amazing tournament.

To check out the interview video, pictures, and highlights from the event’s stream.