In a selfless act of charity following this year’s Capcom Cup, Daigo “The Beast” Umehara chose to donate his $60,000 winnings to the Evo Scholarship Fund. The 34 year veteran Street Fighter player placed second in this year’s Capcom Cup, which was held at PlayStation Experience earlier this month. The Ultra Street Fighter IV tournament featured 32 cream-of-the-crop Street Fighter professionals from around the world.
“Just as you need an opponent in fighting game, the community is equally important to me.”
In an email published by Shoryuken, Daigo writes, “I would like to donate all my prize winnings from the Capcom Pro-Tour Finals to the community. It’s simply because I would not have existed without the community and I owe you. My “professional” gamer life has given me such invaluable experiences. I get to give all myself to fight against top players around the world and meet and engage with fans across the globe. I can express myself through my gameplay to the audience, the community. Just as you need an opponent in fighting game, the community is equally important to me.”
Founded in 2012, the Evo Scholarship offers one applicant per year, with a significant involvement in the fighting game community, scholarships to NYU’s Department of Game Design. Funding is entirely provided by subscriptions to Evo’s yearly tournament stream, as well as generous donations such as Daigo’s.
Fans of the Street Fighter franchise may best recognize Daigo Umehara for his famous 2004 Street Fighter 3rd Strike match against Justin Wong. The video can be viewed below.
Source: Shoryuken
