Frosty Faustings XIV finally returns to Illinois next year. Announced via Twitter, FFXIV is set for January 28-29, 2022 at a new venue, the Westin Chicago Lombard.
The Westin Chicago Lombard hosts FFXIV next year. Source: Frosty Faustings
Frosty Faustings is known as a staple event in the Midwest FGC, and the event’s return to offline in 2022 aims for a return to glory. Though FFXIII was online-only, the previous event hosted brackets for 12 separate games. While the Frosty Faustings team made it work, the Midwest community is ready for an in-person event once again.
Community interests shifted since the last offline Frosty Faustings event, with new games and updates releasing since 2019. FFXIV features 25 different brackets, including games like Guilty Gear Strive and Melty Blood: Type Lumina. However, classic games like Street Fighter III: Third Strike and Guilty Gear XX Accent Core +R are also confirmed for the tournament.
Since the initial reveal, Frosty Faustings announced five additional games for the event each day. With such a large anime fighting game community in the Midwest, FFXIV serves as a key tournament for wishful competitors in the Melty Blood and Guilty Gear franchises.
Frosty Faustings and Combo Breaker are two of the most well-beloved events within the fighting game community. Midwest tournaments often features 24-hour gaming spaces for attendees to train hard throughout the weekend, and FFXIV continues this tradition.
The new venue provides 45,000 square feet of floor space for tournament stations. Focusing on attendee experience, Frosty Faustings has a unique COVID policy unlike most other tournaments since the return to offline.
Frostys requires vaccinations, IDs and a limit of 3000 attendees. Source: Frosty Faustings
The offline event caps out at 3000 entrants for the sake of control and organization. While some tournaments required just proof of negative COVID test results, Frostys requires any attendees to be vaccinated. FFXIV also enforces a strict mask policy for tournament-goers.
Though the tournament’s organizers are more strict than some others, they believe these are necessary steps to take during the return to offline. Ensuring community safety remains one of Frosty Faustings’ main goals for 2022.
The fighting game community is in a tough spot right now as events try their best to return to normal. While some tournaments like Summer Jam happen without many issues, Evo recently canceled their showcase event due to international travel issues. Time will tell how events can smoothly transition back to normal, but Frosty Faustings XIV looks to be a bright start for offline tournaments in 2022.
Featured image courtesy of Frosty Faustings
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