The end of an era: Singapore’s fighting games hotspot closes down

Businesses shut their doors every day in Singapore, but this one will be special. Tough Cookie Gaming Cafe, more commonly and affectionately known simply as Tough Cookie, was a console rental cafe better known as home to the console gaming community in Singapore. More specifically, it was the home base of the fighting game community here.

It first threw its doors open in early 2012, and slowly grew from a mere fighting game player’s hangout to a hotbed of competitive console gaming activity. Halo and FIFA players were often seen there, and all kinds of competitions were run. Tough Cookie organized events for clients, and played host to everything from official competition qualifiers to casual weekly tournaments. Who could forget the attempt at forging a proper Street Fighter league, or the weekly Battlefield Fridays?

With the freedom of choice that console gaming afforded its customers, Tough Cookie quickly bypassed the fabled Bugis TKA Arcade as the go-to place for fighting games. And even the international community knew; not just because 2013 EVO Championship Series winner DM MCZ Xian worked there; but because whenever a visitor to Singapore asked where he could go for some good old fashioned fighting games beyond Street Fighter, he was pointed to Tough Cookie.

Tough Cookie also played host to guests from the international fighting game world. The Murderface Tokido has set foot in that little store in humble Park Lane Mall, as has Daigo ‘The Beast’ Umehara. Even Katsuhiro Harada, rockstar producer and godfather of Tekken has paid it a visit. International communities aren’t to be forgotten, either. Advance Guard have visited, as have the guys from ShadowLogic, organizers of the Shadowloo Showdown in Australia.

Closer to the end of its life, Tough Cookie began running regular streams, even rearranging the shop’s layout to accommodate a full backdrop for live streams. Tough Cookie changed its staff and its layout often, and occasionally changed its prices, but there was one thing that always remained a constant.

Tough Cookie has always had a dedication to the community. Be they the fighting game community, for whom the shop was set up, or the FIFA or Halo or even StarCraft II or Blackshot players, all were welcome there. More than that, all were welcome to host their own community activities, and to grow their little groups. After all, eSports is a community effort; it must be created by the people, for the people. It’s a competitive channel born out of sheer talent and passion. Tough Cookie cradled that passion, and nursed it.

Still, all good things must come to an end. DM MCZ Xian finally took home the gold at the EVO Championship Series this year, and immortalized himself in fighting game history. Communities have sprouted, grown, and evolved. The FIFA players have been picked up by gaming events specialists Rapture Gaming, and people actually come on time for Battlefield Fridays tournaments.

But Tough Cookie itself isn’t moving on. It will close its doors for the last time today, November 11, 2013, following the Capcom Cup Asia Finals. A post on its Facebook group, written by co-owner DM MCZ Xian confirmed it.

[…]I am very sorry to [say] that we will be officially closing Tough Cookie on Monday 11th November after Capcom Asia Cup […] We will be trying our best in the meantime looking for investors because [S]$5000 losses every month is way too taxing […]

With the release of Ultra Street Fighter IV so close, it’s hard to believe that the local fighting game community will no longer have somewhere to go to for its console fix. The general buzz on the ground is that the beloved blue-walled console rental shop is merely taking a break, and that it will return with all guns blazing when the time is right. What these optimistic folk have not considered, though, is that Ultra Street Fighter IV or not, Tough Cookie will still cost S$5000 a month to run, and that is the one wakeup uppercut it cannot block.