Ethan Sanchez, Humber's Esports president, is absolutely passionate about gaming, especially fighting games.
Sanchez said his love for gaming and competing continues to grow, and in his first year as president, he is looking forward to expanding the esports community. He was part of Humber’s varsity team for Street Fighter 6 because of his love for gaming and competing.
Over the past summer, Sanchez said Humber Esports joined another gaming platform, Heavens Arena, an online battle site, to create Heavens x Humber, which includes games like Street Fighter 6 and Super Smash Bros.
“Heavens X Humber comes from a partnership with Heavens Arena. (It's) composed of different individuals from different backgrounds and histories with Esports,” he said in a chat interview.
Students have something to look forward to during their hectic semester thanks to events like this, which only serve to build our community at Humber, Sanchez said.
“Especially how big gaming is around the world, it is great exposure to have events like these to show students that there's other folks who have the same interests as them,” he said.
Some still like to think of it as a competition where people can compete and have fun. Mio “Eclair” Koop attended the event as an FGC for Super Smash.
“For me, it's a competition, a hangout, and a chance to see my friends all at the same time. But for this Heavens x Humber specifically, it felt most like a competition for me,” she said in a chat interview.
Koop, who participated in various events for Smash Bros., said her favourite moment from the tournament involved an interaction she had described as a silly moment with another player after a match.
“I beat him in a silly way that he wasn't ready for, and he talked to one of his friends about it, saying Smash Ultimate is just gimmicks now or something along those lines," she said. "And immediately after that, the person I played next used the exact same character he did and throttled me, showing that it is indeed possible to outskill someone in Smash Ultimate.”
Heaven x Humber added Street Fighter 6 to the mix, which opened the door to newcomers attending. In addition caught the eye of a local player, Alessio "CNQ12” Schiavi, who is a part of the GTA fight gaming community for Street Fighter 6.
“That's why I went because they offered Street Fighter 6 to be played. It's just my main game. So that's why I played in it,” he said.
Schiavi said he hopes events like this can continue, and he would love to attend again if they keep Street Fighter 6.
Expanding the event is important because it opens up more possibilities, and Sanchez said a game expected to be released next year would help build the audience.
“Marvel Tokon," he said. "Not sure of the release date, but from the small amount of time I’ve had to both play and watch, it would be amazing to see in our local scene as well.
"It has been a while since the FGC has seen a Marvel fighting game, so having it at any future Heavens x Humber event would definitely scratch that itch,” Sanchez said.
Marvel Tokon is a 4v4 tag-team combat game created by Arc System Works in association with Marvel Games and PlayStation Studios. This game has the potential to be Marvel’s biggest fighting game yet, because this is Marvel’s first-ever 4v4 tag fighting game, featuring a special shared health bar and unique character mechanics.
The game is currently slated for PC and PS5 platforms. This will be the first Marvel fighting game since Marvel Rivals in 2024, and it remains one of Marvel’s popular fighting games.
Rivals currently sits sixth on the Steam Charts, but Tokon is expected to surpass it in popularity. This would be big for Heaven x Humber because it would be the first-ever Marvel fighting game at the event.
Sanchez still thinks some bigger and better things can be done to make the event better.
“Bigger spaces and a more lively setting," he said. "As of the recent Heavens x Humber events, it has been hosted in large classrooms in Humber’s E building. Though with new scenery, like possibly the cafeteria or the Barrett Centre for Technology Innovation, could bring a new, fresh feel to the venue."
