Behind the scenes of MIXUP, the equivalent of EVO in France.


image credit @Vexania

Before starting, a presentation of the two interviewees is essential. Flo Sama is one of the MIXUP dads, and was the event director for all of its early years. Recently hired at Bandai-Namco as an esports-manager, Flo Sama gave way to Double-U, also present since the first steps of this tournament. Together (and with others), they have created a tournament whosewill have even crossed the European borders.

At the beginning, the MIXUP was called Street Grand Battle, and just wanted to be an important Street Fighter tournament. From its inception, the event had theambition to attract players from International fame. The first cashprize was €5,000, which was far from negligible in 2015 for an independent tournament. the first guest of this tournament was the legend ryan hart, one of the best European players in the history of the FGC, who did not shine only on Street Fighter. But other big names joined the party, such as Humanbomb, GamerBee (winner of the first edition), Keoma and Phenom. Of course, the great French players of the time like Valmaster, Will2Pac, Solidjin and obviously Luffy were also present. After a second edition, the event was forced to change namefor the best of reasons : seduced by the event and the seriousness of the organizers, bandai namco also wanted to make it a stage of his official track. In order not to keep a name too linked to Capcom’s license (even if they had also made the event an official stage), the Street Grand Battle became the MIXUP.

Trailer for this year’s tournament, taking place in October!

Opportunities not to be missed

We had an incredible opportunity in 2017. We were independently contacted by Capcom to host a stop on the Capcom Pro Tour (official circuit of Street Fighter V), and by Twitch for a stop on the Tekken World Tour. It was a big help to grow the event“says Flo Sama. Obviously, luck is not the only responsible. At the time, many tournaments were organized by different associations on fighting games. If they are the ones who have been contacted, it is good thanks to serious about their work on the first editions, detail that has not escaped under the watchful eye of the managers of the various Pro Tour.

This opportunity was timely. At the beginning, it was enough to have a good cashprize and good communication to attract players. Only with the arrival of the Pro Tour, and the fact that very few players made a living from their activity on the game, the latter preferred to book their trips to the stages of the various circuits.“This development was necessary to further grow the event.

The staff of the first edition of MIXUP

The EVO, a source of inspiration?

Flo Same and Double-U are unanimous on this, the EVO inspires them on certain pointsbut on others the MIXUP takes a opposite direction. Double-U is very clear on this subject, the DNA of the MIXUP will remain different from that of the EVO. “Some strong points of the EVO, such as the broadcast, are clearly examples to follow, which we try to reproduce with our means. However, over the years, EVO has become more of a showcase event, with few set-ups for freeplay (playing outside the tournament, for practice). The MIXUP will remain above all a party for the FGC and the players, so offering a maximum of positions to play is one of our priorities. In this sense, we are closer to the Combo Breaker.“Flo Sama nuances a little:”This statement was true for the EVO of a few years ago. Nevertheless with the arrival of TheHadou, the EVO could well evolve in the right direction at this level“.

Where the MIXUP also wishes to differentiate itself is by offering a very pronounced arch side. Playing on an arcade machine is part of the history of the FGC, and the goal is to offer this experience to as many people as possible, whether to discover, or to find a heart game since some tournaments take place on the terminals. It can also make it possible to create a bridge between two generations, by confronting two different experiences.

Flo Sama - VS Fighting
Flo-Sama

Double-U - VS Fighting
Double-U

Ambitions for the future

COVID-19 has dealt a severe blow to MIXUP. The 2020 edition was to be the most successful in the history of the event. “We were to be a milestone on the Tekken World Tour, and the Capcom Pro Tour. But the real banger was Soulcalibur 6. We had been chosen to be one of the major tournaments on the official circuit. At EVO Japan, MIXUP could be seen on the World Tour posters next to EVO and Combo Breaker. It was amazing.“Unfortunately the pandemic will decide otherwise, forcing the organizers to cancel this edition, after having postponed it once.

For the 2022 edition, we want to start on a good basis. We will be a stop on three official circuits: the Tekken World Tour, the ARCREVO 2022 (Guilty Gear circuit and DnF Duel), which shows that we have kept the trust of the publishers.” (the Capcom Pro Tour 2022 takes place exclusively online, with the exception of a single ticket offered to the winner of the EVO Editor’s note) Flo Sama considers this edition as a good way to see if the knowledge transfer between him and Double-U worked out well. The two friends make it clear have no professional ambitions around this event. “The MIXUP is and must remain an event for the community. The staff is voluntary. All the money raised during an edition is automatically reinjected into the next edition. Nevertheless, it can be a great professional springboard. Without the accumulated experience, I would never have landed my dream job at Bandai-Namco.” admits Flo Sama.

The main goal is always to offer unforgettable moments to players and spectators. Regarding most memorable memory of the event, neither of them hesitates: “This is clearly Super Akouma’s victory in 2019. Seeing a Frenchman win a major on his land was incredible. In addition there were many great players, so it was not a random victory. The room was in a trance.

When asked if hosting professional circuits is an obligation to grow a tournament, Flo Sama answers in the negative. “This can be a big help, but is not mandatory. In France we have the Ultimate Fighting Arena which is what I call a happy anomaly. It receives little support from publishers, but is still the biggest European event. I suppose it works at a loss, because it is above all a showcase for an esports agency, a bit like Red Bull Kumite. They still manage to obtain the support of several sponsors, which shows that this kind of event remains interesting for them. Having them in France is an incredible opportunity.

shadow work

Organizing an event the size of MIXUP requires a incredible time and investment. This is done over a period of between 9 and 6 months. At first only one ten people are concerned. It’s about knocking down the upstream work to prepare the event, and several profiles are needed: a web designer for the official site, a graphic designer for the images, a CM for communication around the event, a person to recruit future volunteers for D-Day, a human resources manager, a material manager, a person to canvass publishers and sponsors, an event manager and a treasurer. “Some people have several hats within LADOSE” (the association organizing the MIXUP Editor’s note).

On D-day, these are between 50 and 60 people who work directly on site. If we add the external service providersthis number can go up to 80. Not to mention the help provided by publishers and sponsors, organizing a MIXUP costs around €30,000. By adding their help, whether for cashprizes, and/or who provide stream set-ups with commentators, the total budget is between 70,000 and 80,000€. Even if this amount may seem impressive, especially for an association of volunteers, Double-U specifies: “This situation is not absolutely extraordinary in the FGC. These are community events, where anyone can come, and for us, that’s what makes the beauty of this scene.

The goal of LADOSE is not only to organize the MIXUP, but also to support other initiatives. “We are ready to invest all of LADOSE’s resources in supporting other events. The people who join us, know that we will gladly help them organize their own events, by bringing them our experience. All we want is to help grow the FGC. Nevertheless, we specify that LADOSE does not have the ambition to become professional. It can bring personal experience to get the job of your dreams, as was the case for me, but our ambition is not to live from our activity within the association.

esports

Our roundup of champions heading to EVO continues. Today Super Akouma, which has dominated the European scene on Tekken 7 since the game was released, took part in the question and answer exercise, without ever backdashing.





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