Australian fighting game event runners and community. Hosts of BAM: Battle Arena Melbourne, Australia's largest fighting game/open entry esports event.
Battle Arena Melbourne 8 stomps into the history books as the biggest fighting game event ever in Australia, breaking the record set last year with 815 attendees and hitting a peak of 14,000 concurrent viewers during the Street Fighter V finals, this was the most viewed livestream Aus FGC event ever.
Thanks to all the CouchWarriors staff, event partners, and especially players from across multiple fighting game communities that once again made this a special event.
Expressive: SANick does not hide his emotions when he plays melee. Photograph ZG/CouchWarriors
IN the shadows of BAM7, with curtains closed on the international saga, Australia’s melee super major ushered in a new storyline this year as the local crowd took centre stage.
There were no ‘gods’ in play, no MIOM top 20 stars, just Australia and New Zealand’s best battling it out for the coveted boxing glove trophy.
In eventual champion Nick ‘SANick’ Siemelink’s mind the script had already been written, all he had to do was follow it.
Forced to ad-lib through the loser’s bracket, following a shock loss to ACT Ice Climber main Wibbles, SANick ultimately arrived at the final act he’d anticipated – a clash of light versus dark – good against evil.
There was nothing coincidental about the South Australian champion’s choice of white when he sat down to Marth ditto Te-Tuhi ‘SIN | Spud’ Kelly in grand finals of BAM8.
As far as he was concerned it was a pre-ordained finale to a story arc harking back two years to when his melee journey began.
“I like my little story arcs in my life. It just felt like it was meant to be I should play the white Marth,” SANick said.
“I spent a lot of time on green and blue Marth and I actually quite like black Marth but I thought at the end of the day there’s going to be a good versus evil battle (against Spud’s black Marth) for the heart of Australia.”
There was never any doubt in his mind as to who the hero of this story was.
CouchWarriors proudly presents Battle Arena Melbourne 8, Australia’s largest fighting game tournament
When:May 13-15, 2016
Where: CQ Functions, 123 Queen St Melbourne.
BAM8 returns this weekend for an exciting weekend of top level tournament play and celebration of the fighting game community. The annual Major celebrates the Australian fighting game scene. The Melbourne community is proud to host a national platform for players across the country to come together and compete.
With international attention from global leagues Capcom Pro Tour, Dead or Alive Battle Royal, or to compete with our massive Smash Bros community, BAM8 will be one of Australia’s biggest gaming events – not just in fighting games but in all LAN or esports events.
After a record breaking 2015, where BAM7 saw 628 attendees play and spectate some incredible moments (BAM7 Results, Photos and Replays), BAM8 is on track to handily surpass it. At the close of early registration, BAM8 has 574 registered players, which will increase with on day signups and spectators.
(Note: Smash competitor signup is closed. Street Fighter V signups close Friday.)
International players are also attending, from 8 top Smash 4 players, and two Street Fighter World Champions, RZR.Xian and EG.Momochi, participating in our Street Fighter V Capcom Pro Tour event.
It’s time to reveal the BAM8 t-shirt design! Designed by our own Kenneth Chan and concept by Daniel Chlebowczyk from the CouchWarriors Committee.
Prepare to battle in style, you can pre-order with your registration here: http://couchwarriors.org/wp/bam8/bam8-registration/ Just mention your size preference in order notes. (Sizing: S, M, L, XL, XXL.)
Big thanks to SpiderCarnage and Jake Lovett aka Naked Jake for running Super Turbo and Marvel at BAM8!
CouchWarriors always encourages DIY tournaments and to reward passionate champions of the game in the community. So if you want to see your game at BAM next year – step up and let us know!
CouchWarriors is proud to announce another international pro tour is joining forces with Battle Arena Melbourne 8 for its event on May 13-15, 2016.
Battle Royal is the official worldwide tournament circuit for Dead or Alive 5 Last Round, in which each event in the circuit offers a major prize bonus and official sponsorship to the Battle Royal world finals.
This is the first time Battle Royal gone global, with BAM8 one of only two international tournaments included in the prestigious circuit. Thanks to the generous prize pool, DOA5LR at BAM8 will be a free entry tournament. Get practicing!
Prizes and International sponsorship
Team Ninja are supporting this tournament with a $1,000 Prize Bonus The 1st place winner of Dead or Alive 5 will receive player sponsorship of flight, hotel, venue and entry to December’s NEC XVIII finals in the USA
Dead or Alive 5 Last Round: Free Entry tournament at BAM8
With such an amazing prize pool and international opportunity on offer, CouchWarriors has made DOA5LR a FREE entry tournament! (Venue entry to BAM8 is still required)
Players of all levels are welcome to experience the fun of competition or just to participate and enjoy the game with a great community.
UPDATE – Ebabil Guney wins DOA5LR at BAM8
Fantastic effort by Ebabil, winning his first major in a huge tournament with the most competitive top 8 in Aus DOA5 history, after fighting through a 41 player pool.
FEBRUARY 10, 2016– Today Capcom, ahead of launching Street Fighter V, announced its Capcom Pro Tour event circuit. CouchWarriors’ eighth annual Battle Arena Melbourne, Australia’s largest competitive fighting game event, and the fourteenth OzHadou Nationals (Sydney), Australia’s longest running competitive fighting game event, will both be Ranking Events on the international esports series, the Capcom Pro Tour, putting Australia’s best fighting game players in the global spotlight.
By earning Ranking Points at BAM8, OHN14 and other Capcom Pro Tour Ranking Events, competitors can qualify for a place in the prestigious Capcom Cup Finals at the end of the year. In addition, winners of Street Fighter V at each event will be sent to the Capcom Pro Tour Asia Finals in South Korea; the winner of this CPT Premier event will earn a direct qualification to the Capcom Cup Finals.
The Capcom Cup, in its fourth year, has showcased the best of the best in Street Fighter, with past champions including renowned players Naoto Sako, Yusuke Momochi and “Kazunoko” Ryota Inoue. All three have made appearances in Australia before, so only time will tell what sort of international talent the promise of CPT ranking points might bring to Melbourne and Sydney this year, and which local champions will rise up to challenge the best in the world.
If you’re looking for your own piece of the action, you can register for Battle Arena Melbourne 8, to be held at CQ Functions in Melbourne on May 13-15, and look forward to news regarding OzHadou Nationals 14 in Sydney, closer to its date of August 26-28.
As part of the wider Australian fighting game community, both CouchWarriors and OzHadou strive to make new players welcome, and host a range of events for players to enjoy and level up their game.
About CouchWarriors: CouchWarriors Inc. is a not for profit association created to energise the fighting game community. Starting in 2006 as an informal community group, it created an event series for social play and ranking battles which serves as the heart of the Melbourne scene. The project has blossomed into large events like the major annual, Battle Arena Melbourne (BAM), providing tournament services, support and resources for industry including major events such as PAX Australia, and ongoing support to community companion events.
About OzHadou: OzHadou is a group passionate about bringing together fighting gamers throughout Australia. Since its founding in 2001, OzHadou has been establishing connections between fighting gamers nationwide. As the chief fighting game body in Sydney, the OzHadou team has developed extensive tournament experience which culminates annually in the OzHadou Nationals (OHN), Australia’s first and longest running fighting game major, where the nation’s best gather to compete for the coveted title of “OHN champion”.
