Iconic fighting game Street Fighter 6 has announced a collaboration with K-pop group aespa.
While officially revealed today, the project was already leaked on June 4th, when an ‘unexpected costume’ appeared to Sim Sim: Juri in V-Rivals.
To address the accidental reveal, Street Fighter 6 temporarily disabled the selection of Sim Sim: Juri in this mode. Judging by this incident, fans can assume that aespa-inspired costumes for certain characters might be part of the upcoming collaboration. However, the franchise has only shared a teaser image so far.
K-pop group aespa made waves in 2020 with its debut single ‘Black Mamba.’ The group is also known for popularising the metaverse concept and hyperpop in its industry. Despite its consistent commercial success, this is aespa’s first collaboration with a game franchise.
Meanwhile, Street Fighter 6 has had numerous crossovers in the past. Building upon a legacy of 37 years, Capcom’s fighting game franchise has partnered with the likes of Mega Man, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Monster Hunter.
Most recently, Overwatch 2 launched eight hero skins inspired by iconic Street Fighter characters.
Esports Loves K-Pop
Although this is an unprecedented opportunity for aespa, esports has welcomed the influence of K-pop for many years. The most notable development in this regard was, arguably, Riot Games’ K/DA initiative in 2018.
K/DA is a fictional K-pop band consisting of League of Legends champions Ahri, Akali, Evelynn and Kai’Sa. Each band member features the voice of a real-life musician including two singers from the K-pop group (G)I-dle.
The music video to K/DA’s debut single, ‘Pop/Stars,’ surpassed 100 million views in one month, proving that the intersection of K-pop and gaming may help esports reach a broader audience. Moreover, the music genre emerged from Korea, a country where esports has already achieved mainstream recognition.
Since then, Riot has implemented more K-pop elements into its esports content. For instance, the 2023 LoL World Championship anthem was performed by K-pop group NewJeans.
However, other publishers have also capitalised on the global popularity of the music genre. In 2025, PUBG Mobile and Overwatch 2 have collaborated with BABYMONSTER and LE SSERAFIM, respectively.
