Hi everyone,

Today we have some updates to share about the Capcom-Unity website and some upcoming changes to the platform on May 6^th.

A lot has changed in terms of available social platforms and trends since Capcom-Unity started in 2006, and with those changes, we’ve found new ways to connect with Capcom communities. With that in mind, we’ve also reevaluated how to focus our efforts on the best and most efficient ways to communicate with you all. This means that the site will evolve into something a little different than what we have now. Keep on reading to get the full details.

Background

Capcom-Unity started as just a message board back in 2006, and in 2008 quickly grew into something more akin to what we have today: a blog for news and updates, forums for discussions, and various other ways for fans to connect with us at Capcom and with each other. That was, and still is, the primary goal of this whole endeavor: to connect the Capcom community with all things Capcom.

Over the past few years, as time has gone by and Internet-based communication systems have evolved, new communication tools have been created and more options are available now than ever before. People’s habits and preferences have started to change, too. We’ve kept a close eye on social media channels and saw our news spread far and wide, reaching more Capcom fans than ever, as they connect with each other in Twitter replies, Facebook and Instagram comments sections, and Discord servers. Discussions are carried out and friendships are formed, just as they have been here on Capcom-Unity. The key difference is folks are not required to sign up for another account. That makes these platforms a lot more accessible and more inclusive, and allows the conversations to carry on more smoothly on each given platform, which we believe are huge benefits for the entire community.

Upcoming Changes

As a result of the shifting landscape above, we’ve carefully evaluated the priorities for the Capcom-Unity website, and have decided to sunset our Forums and the User Account system on the site.

I’ll explain this further in a bit, but first, I want to outline our focus. For now, we’ll be looking for ways to improve our communication and community connections by:

• Continuing to focus on news, updates and discussion points via the Capcom-Unity blog;
• Improving navigation and discovery on the Capcom-Unity blog;
• Continuing to run social media channels for our games & communities;
• Continuing to work with sub-communities and Content Creators focused on Capcom games;
• Further developing our Discord server to make it easier to find other likeminded Capcom fans.

What this means to you

First up, it’s important to note that we will be moving to a new backend platform to support some of the improvements we have in mind. However, this new system will not support User Accounts. This means we won’t have a direct means to host discussions (Forums) or any other content created by you (User Blogs, User Groups, Media Uploads, etc.) directly on the website. As we’ve discussed above though, there are ample options available where fans can and have already been gathering to have similar discussions. Also, to start, our blogs may also not feature a way for you to comment on them, but we’re looking to add this functionality as soon as possible.

On a personal note, I joined Capcom-Unity back in the Capcom BBS days, curious and eager to get as much info as possible on the PS2 and PSP Monster Hunter games at the time, and that sent me down the path I am on today. I’ve made friendships along the way and discovered tons of new ways to play and enjoy Capcom games. This was an experience like no other, and while this aspect of Capcom-Unity will be changing quite a bit, we’ll still be looking to improve where we can and offer as many paths to the original goals of connecting the Capcom community.

What you need to do

Since User Accounts will no longer be a feature of the new platform, there is no required action from you.

However, the lack of User Accounts does mean that all features related to that will also disappear. This includes Private Messaging and all user created content (e.g. Forum posts, Blog posts, Groups, Media uploads, etc.). If you want to keep any records of existing posts, conversations, media, etc. we suggest archiving them manually. There are various ways of doing this, including screenshots, using your browser to save a copy of the page, printing a page to a PDF file, etc.

If you’re looking to stay connected with fellow Capcom-Unity members, we’ve created a forum thread where you can share your social media and Discord account info. Click here after reading this blog to share your info.

Estimated Timeline

Things are moving behind-the-scenes already, and we’re targeting the full transition to the new platform to happen on May 6^th. Until then, the current version of Capcom-Unity, and all its content, will still be live. This gives you 40 days to archive any content you may want to keep.

Starting on April 15^th, we will be locking all Forum spaces (except for the social connections thread listed above), which will prevent the creation of new forum posts or threads. You’ll still be able to create your own archives of threads via the methods outlined above.

Final Thoughts

Before we go, I wanted to say that we know change can be a bit of a surprise, especially when you’ve been with something over so many years. We know very well that Capcom-Unity has a special place in all your hearts (as it does in ours!) and this upcoming update will change how you visit and use the site. We will continue to take your feedback to heart and do our best to offer ways for you to connect with Capcom fans and passionate fans like yourself.

And finally, on behalf of everyone here at Capcom, thank you so much for being a part of this community. We hope you stick around for what’s to come.

All the best,

Yuri