Street Fighter 5's Next DLC Character, Balance Update Delayed

A new character and balance changes for Street Fighter V that were intended to be out by the end of the month have been pushed back, as Capcom intends to conduct another beta test for the new Capcom Fighters Network.

In March, the company announced plans to revamp Street Fighter V's online component. These changes were put to the test earlier this month during a PC-only beta, which showcased both these improvements--like a new penalty system for rage-quitters, better matchmaking, and faster load times for ranked and casual matches--and new balance updates. (The latter are detailed here.)

"We are happy to announce the test has allowed us to make further adjustments to optimize the new CFN," Capcom said in a blog post today. "We know you're all very eager for the new CFN but we also want to ensure it meets all of our expectations before it officially launches. In order to help us get the new CFN to where it needs to be, we are looking into conducting an additional beta test soon."

Both the new DLC character (who has not yet been revealed) and the balance changes were set to launch along with the new CFN "at the end of April." However, Capcom stated, "Since both of these were developed under the new CFN infrastructure, they have to release alongside the new CFN when it is ready." As such, there's not yet a new date for when they will debut, but it seems they won't be out this month.

Details on the next beta will be shared "in the coming weeks." Once it's live, it'll be available to all players for free and will provide access to all existing characters, as well as the new DLC character, who will be announced "soon." In the meantime, the classic Thailand stage is coming to the game as DLC.