The SXSW Conference in Austin, Texas, is playing host to a "Street Fighter V" Invitational event titled Fighters Underground on March 16-18. Part of the SXSW Gaming event, Fighters Underground will feature a $20,000 prize pool. Its predecessor in 2015, Fighters Invitational, an Ultra Fighter Street Fighter IV tournament, saw Momochi take home the grand prize.
Attendees of Fighters Underground include Yusuke "Momochi" Momochi, Bruce "GamerBee" Yu-lin Hsiang, Ryan "Filipino Champ" Ramirez, Justin Wong, Ricki Ortiz, Du "NuckleDu" Dang, Olivier "Luffy" Hay, Kenneth "K-Brad" Bradley and more.
The event will run parallel to two other events, a Hearthstone major and a Rocket League event, as well as several esports-focused panels centered around gambling, minorities in esports, mobile esports and more.
The conference, which has taken place in Austin since 1987, is primarily known for its focus on music, arts and film, but has pushed into the gaming and esports sphere in the last few years.
In 2016, SXSW and Twitch hosted Battle of the Five Gods, a 16-man Super Smash Bros. Melee tournament that featured the best five players in the game.