Gamers8: The Land of Heroes, the Saudi Arabian gaming and esports festival based in Riyadh, is well underway and the Street Fighter 6 (SF6) Invitational is just around the corner. With $1 million on the line, this is one of the most lucrative fighting game competitions on the global circuit.
But which of the tournament competitors should you keep an eye out for? We’re here to answer that question with a quick summary of the top five prospects for the tournament.
Angry Bird
Angry Bird made history at EVO 2023 this year by becoming the first-ever Street Fighter 6 world champion. That makes him the man to beat coming into Gamers8: The Land of Heroes. Having consistently been the best Middle Eastern player for SF over the last few years, and now the world champion from EVO, Angry Bird will be the favourite to take the crown here in Riyadh.
Punk (Punkdagod)
One of the all-time Street Fighter greats. He has consistently represented the USA on the world stage and has countless titles to his name. Coming in at third on the EVO stage this year, he is hot on the heels of Angry Bird and will be looking for revenge when he takes to the stage during the Gamers8 Street Fighter 6 Invitational.
Daigo Umehara
Daigo is one of the most legendary fighting game players on the planet. At 42 he is still competing and going toe-to-toe with some of the best competitors on the planet. Unlike many other fighting game players, he has almost exclusively played Street Fighter throughout his entire career and many consider him to be one of the all-time best specialist players.
Despite his age, he comes to Riyadh as a competitor that needs to be respected.
Big Bird
Another player that commands respect in the Middle Eastern fighting game scene is Big Bird. Although he has recently lagged behind his counterpart Angry Bird, he has plenty of accolades to his name in the Street Fighter series and is almost certainly a player that can beat anyone in the world at his best.
Favouring Marisa in SF6, can Big Bird go one better this time and win it all at the Gamers8 festival?
ProblemX (Mr ProblemX)
From 2018 to 2021 it felt like Street Fighter V was all about ProblemX, starting with his huge win in EVO 2018 by taking down some of the world's most established fighting game players. His winning ways continued and despite being unable to claim the top spot at EVO again, he was consistently performing on Street Fighter circuits around the world.
With the move to SF6, ProblemX has been handily placing in the top 8 and he will be hoping to go one step further and claim first place when the action kicks off in Riyadh.
To watch the Gamers8 Street Fighters 6 Invitational live, then check out the Gamers8 Twitch channel, and the official website, for schedules and information.