Why Capcom is targeting the women who play "Street Fighter"

Capcom is reaching out to a portion of its player base that's relatively under the radar with a new campaign that highlights the roster of female characters in “Street Fighter 6.”

The video game developer partnered with G/O Media to produce videos focused on the women who worked on the game as well as new and returning female characters, and push them out across its various properties.

Capcom’s goal is to spark interest beyond its typical crowd of players and attract the continuously growing group of women who identify as gamers, said Jaclyn Simmons, senior brand marketing manager at Capcom.

“This is not only to garnish new female fans but also to celebrate the ones that exist,” she said.

Almost half (48%) of gamers are women, according to Statista.

Women contribute to the larger tale of how the storied fighting game series has resonated with players since the first “Street Fighter” game was released in 1987 – making their story worth acknowledging, Simmons said.

“What really is the core essence of how we’ve been approaching this is the storytelling that is behind everyone’s connection to this franchise,” she said. “For us, it’s about that share of voice.”

Women have faced a number of barriers in fighting games. For decades, conversations have swirled around oversexualized character design. Some have lobbed the responsibility at developers, calling for the removal of characters fighting in scant clothing with gratuitous jiggle physics. Others have called on gamers to stop sexualizing characters with their body shapes.

Women who have competed at the highest levels of fighting games have called out toxic behavior from male competitors and spectators at tournaments and online.

As more women get into games generally, Capcom stands to add to the small group who play “Street Fighter” should it continue to acknowledge and welcome them, Simmons said.

“I hope this creates a new standard that we can reflect for future Capcom titles to come,” she said.