Now that the hype of IEM Sydney 2018 has faded, all eyes are on Australia’s biggest fighting game tournament – Battle Arena Melbourne (BAM). Celebrating its tenth year, BAM10 returns to the Melbourne Convention Centre this weekend and will feature over 20 fighting game titles, as local and international competitors  compete for a share of the prizes on offer. If you don’t know what BAM is or are new to the FGC scene, here’s some key highlights you should keep an eye on at the event.

Watch the BAM10 event trailer created by Couchwarriors:

Australia’s Biggest Tekken Tournament

BAM10 will play host to two major tournament circuits: the Tekken World Tour and the Capcom Pro Tour. The Tekken World Tour stopover will be a ‘Master Event’, featuring a $5,000 pot bonus as well as being confirmed as the biggest Tekken tournament in Australian history, with over 200 players registered. With ranking points up for grabs, the event will see a big attendance from the international scene, with top ranked players travelling down to Melbourne to secure points in order to secure their position or move up the leaderboards.

Echo Fox’s SAINT & JDCR will be attending BAM10 (Credit: Tekken World Tour)

Echo Fox’s player, Hyunjin ‘JDCR’ Kim, is currently sitting first on the Tekken World Tour leaderboard with 635 points, which is 225 points ahead of 2nd place Mu-jong ‘KKOKKOMA’ Kim’s 410 points. JDCR will be looking to hold his first place position at this event where KKOKKOMA could possibly take the lead. Other players such as Rox Gaming’s Bae “Knee” Jae Min (who is currently 3rd) and Chanel (the 2018 EVO Japan Grand Finalist) will also be attending the event to secure points. For the local players, it will be their first chance since OzHadou Nationals (OHN) last year to be able to compete live at an event, as well as allowing locals a chance at securing points on the board for this year’s circuit.

The event will also see superstar commentary talent attending, with Reepal “Rip” Parbhoo, Mark “Markman: Julio, Steve “Tasty Steve” Scott and Andrew “Jiyuna” Fidelis commentating the Tekken event at BAM 10.

Dragon Ball FighterZ at BAM 10

Bandai Namco and Arc System Works’ fighter, Dragon Ball FighterZ, has been gaining lots of traction lately between the casual and competitive levels of the game. The 2D fighter has been added to EVO and many other major tournaments internationally, so it’s no surprise to see it become a platinum title at BAM 10 with an added $1,000 pot bonus by RAZER. This will be the first time that the title will be involved in a major tournament in Australia and a good opportunity to see some competitive Dragon Ball FighterZ locally.

Popular fighter, Dragonball FighterZ makes it’s BAM debut with $1,000 pot bonus

EVO Champions grace BAM

If you’re keen to see some top international players in action, BAM 10 will feature three EVO World Champions at the event: Adam ‘Armada’ Lindgren (Super Smash Bros Melee EVO 2017 World Champion), Hyunjin ‘JDCR’ Kim (Tekken 7 EVO 2017 World Champion) and Hajime “Tokido” Taniguchi (Street Fighter V EVO 2017 World Champion).

Armada, regarded as the best Peach player of all time, was last seen in Australia back in 2014 at Shadowloo V, where he won both  Melee singles and doubles. With points, rankings and money up for grabs – we’ll get to see these players compete on our home soil in-person.

Hands-on with unreleased fighting titles

Attendees heading to BAM this year will get an opportunity to go hands-on with two unreleased titles: Bandai Namco’s Soul Calibur VI and Arika’s Fighting EX Layer.

Bandai Namco will be showcasing their upcoming fighter Soul Calibur VI with an Australian first hands-on experience. 14 stations will be set up with the game, giving attendees a chance to come and have a go. There’s no release date for Soul Calibur VI yet, but people will get a chance to experience the game and the addition of Geralt of Rivia from The Witcher series.

Bandai’s Soul Calibur returns this year with an Australian first hands-on at BAM 10

Fighting EX Layer will also be on show from the Arika studios. If you don’t know about Fighting EX Layer, it’s from the same guys who brought you the Street Fighter EX series. Running on Unreal Engine 4, attendees will get hands-on with their upcoming fighter at BAM 10, which is due for release on PS4 sometime this year.

The highlights above are only a brief of what BAM 10 has to offer. There’s many other titles and activities on show such as an artist alley, cosplay competition, indie showcase and more. The organisers have also added a PC LAN area where you can compete in PC tournaments such as CSGO and Rocket League. If you have never attended an FGC event before and want to experience a more community level of competitive gaming – you definitely should check out BAM.

For tickets and more information about BAM 10, check out their website here. Look out on Respawn Ninja for upcoming BAM 10 content.