Stefan's weekly rant

Isn't it amazing that Delta Red Cammy remains one of the most popular characters? She first appeared in Super Street Fighter way back in 1993 and she immediately caught the imagination for millions of fans around the world. SSF2 revolutionized gaming, and Cammy was the fan-favorite character. So why has Delta Red Cammy disappeared from Capcom's games?

3 years after SSF2, fans finally got to see Cammy in another game, but this time it was Shadowloo Cammy. Shadowloo Cammy was really expanded Cammy's character by giving her a cool new costume and a ton of insight into her mysterious past. But Shadowloo Cammy is almost the exact opposite of Delta Red Cammy as far as storyline and personality goes, and I think the people at Capcom did that on purpose. Shadowloo Cammy wasn't the kind of character that could become a star... she was an almost mindless puppet of Vega (aka M. Bison). Delta Red Cammy's style, personality, and storyline had almost unlimited potential.... but Shadowloo Cammy, despite being a great character, had very limited potential.

Saying that Capcom made Cammy 'worse' on purpose might sound like a crazy conspiracy theory to you, but there a conversation I had a few years ago that makes me believe it's very likely. In college, I used to test games for Capcom in Santa Clara, California, and when I tested Street Fighter 3, I asked one of the the Japanese guys from Capcom what happened to Cammy?! At that time, not even Shadowloo Cammy existed. He told me that she was too popular. She wasn't meant to be the star of the game (that's Chun Li & Ryu's 'role'), so they stopped using her. That stunned me! I couldn't believe the arrogance. Capcom should follow the fans' lead, not go against them and try to tell them what they should like. I wish I woulda known exactly who it was I was talking to! I don't know if I talked to somebody really big with inside info, or just some average employee with his own opinion, but it made sense. Not using such a popular character didn't make sense... there had to be some kinda reason. Most companies don't put their successes on a shelf to collect dust, so there had to be some other motivation.

In 2000 Delta Red Cammy almost made a comeback! Delta Red Cammy strapped on some kneepads, rocket roller skates, and a whole buncha guns and became Anti-Robot Special Forces Cammy in the game Cannon Spike. A lotta fans were really excited with the updated Cammy, but the game wasn't really pushed, and there really aren't a lot of copies in the US or Japan. To be honest, I'm stunned that the new ARSF Cammy wasn't bigger than she was, but I guess people can't become fans of something they haven't seen. Nevertheless, regular old Delta Red Cammy continues to be one of the most popular characters.

Although Capcom hasn't used Delta Red Cammy since Super Street Fighter 2, many other companies have! In the past few years, there have been many Delta Red Cammy action figures. And in just the last few months, there have been 2 new Delta Red Cammy action figures made in Japan, and that's a pretty big deal. It's even a bigger deal considering the fact that Delta Red Cammy hasn't been in a game in close to a decade. Cosplayers continue to dress up as Cammy, and artists are still inspired to draw pictures of her. With all the new games and other popular characters, that's a real honor! And that's all just Delta Red Cammy. Shadowloo Cammy and ARSF Cammy have had their own toys, cosplayers, and fanarts as well. It's ALL Cammy, but at the same time, they're like 3 different people from 3 different worlds. I think Delta Red Cammy still remains the one with the most potential, and fans seem to like her the most, but for some reason, Capcom continues to deny her. Delta Red Cammy is already a star, but she's still got SOOOOO much left in her... will we ever see her be all that she can be?

Delta Red Cammy, Shadowloo Cammy, and ARSF Cammy will always be great characters, but she'd be nothing without of the support of her fans. In fact, almost everything she has is thanks to her fans! Capcom sure hasn't done much to help. Chun Li has the biggest push of any character by far, and yet Cammy still comes close to her in popularity! Sometimes I worry that since Cammy's not getting used in many games, people will start to forget about her. But that's not happening at all. She still has lots and lots of dedicated fans! You guys are definitely some of the best fans in the world! Please keep supporting Cammy and having fun, and eventually you've gotta believe that Capcom will see the light and give Cammy what she deserves.

Thank you very much for supporting Delta Red and all the Cammys!! You guys are the ones who cosplay, make the art, write the fanfics, buy the toys, etc. And you give me a 'job' here at CammyFan.com! ^_^ Thank you very much! I can't get enough of Cammy, so I'm more than happy to have all that 'work'. It's my pleasure, and I hope that you're having fun too! Although Capcom doesn't give me much hope, we fans can keep things going for as long as we want. We'd love to have Capcom support us, but we've proven that we don't 'need' them to have fun. It's their loss... either they make games with Cammy so we can buy 'em, or we just let our imagination go, and enjoy Cammy for free!