Update: Street Fighter 6 server maintenance underway for Ed Fighting Pass and Battle Hub makeover
Update: Street Fighter 6's servers are now down for maintenance. You can find how long they're going to be unavailable and new information about what's coming in the update below.
Street Fighter 6 players have been waiting a whopping four months since the last DLC character arrived in A.K.I., and it seems like the countdown for the next addition may be just around the corner.
Capcom announced tonight that SF6 will be undergoing maintenance to end off January / kick off February, which may well indicate Ed's arrival celebrations are about to begin.
The maintenance period is set to begin Wednesday, January 31, at 8 p.m. PT / 11 p.m. ET and run through midnight PT / 3 a.m. ET on Feburary 1, 2024.
Like previous times, all online functionality will remain unavailable during the duration of the server downtime including online matches, the Capcom Fighters Network and mission progress / rewards.
Although Capcom previously stated that Ed will release in February in his teaser trailer, we don't believe they're going to all of a sudden launch him tomorrow night out of nowhere.
Instead, the update will more than likely feature the Ed Arrives Fighting Pass like we similarly received for Rashid and A.K.I. previously.
Server maintenance will occur on Tuesday, 1/31 at 8:00 PM PT until midnight. Thank you for your patience!https://t.co/js3o3m8uXZ
— Street Fighter (@StreetFighter) January 31, 2024
That would mean players would have access to Ed and probably Neo Shadaloo themed gear and accessories leading up to his actual release along with the usual inclusions like an arcade game and classic music options.
Capcom Cup X is also in February, but we already received a Capcom Cup Supporters Fighting Pass this month previously — so the next one will almost assuredly be for Ed boy.
Given the timelines of previous Fighting Passes in SF6, it'll likely expire right around the start of Capcom Cup that'll run from February 16th through the 25th.
This could further point to a launch for Ed coming at the end of the event like we saw a few times with Capcom Cup finals during Street Fighter 5's life though obviously nothing is publicly set in stone yet.
New info: Capcom confirmed that the Ed Arrives Fighting Pass will be added to SF6 with the new update once the maintenance is complete as we suspected.
He won't be releasing as an actual playable character until the end of the month, but players will be able to earn new items themed around him and others he's connected to like Falke in both the free and premium versions of the pass.
On top of that, the Battle Hub will also be receiving a pretty dramatic makeover themed around Capcom Cup X that'll change the visuals in the lobby as well as add more new accessories and activities like victory predictions.
Since we're so close to Capcom Cup, there probably won't be any substantial gameplay adjustments that'll really shake up SF6's current balance, but there could well be some more bugs and issues ironed out before we get to the finals.
