Originally posted on madcatz.com…

Just over a month ago, tropical storm ‘Haiyan’ devastated Southeast Asia as it ravaged through several countries while taking thousands of lives and causing over $5.8 billion in damage. Our thoughts go out to everyone affected by these recent acts of nature.

To put it in perspective, Haiyan is the strongest storm ever recorded at landfall and unofficially the 4th strongest typhoon ever recorded in terms of wind speed, with peak speeds clocking in at just under 200 mph.

As you can imagine, the impact was catastrophic. The Philippines was hit the hardest, notably Eastern Visayas where cities and towns were greatly affected. Our goal at Mad Catz is to help build awareness for a charitable cause and fight for relief.

Mad Catz is teaming up with Capcom to create an amazing piece of gaming history: The Capcom Cup Arcade FightStick Tournament Edition 2. The Capcom Cup TE2 is an extremely limited collectible that will only be awarded to the top placers at this year’s Capcom Cup, and also to 12 generous humanitarians who help support Mad Catz & Capcom’s efforts in our fight for relief.

Click the thumbnails below for a larger view of the Capcom Cup TE2:

Mad Catz will be listing 12 of these exclusive Capcom Cup FightStick TE2s on eBay for just a little over a week (the auctions will go up 4 at a time, each day following Saturday, Dec. 14) and a portion of the proceeds will go towards the Philippine Red Cross relief efforts for the Haiyan Typhoon disaster. Auctions are open internationally so please bid with confidence.

For more information on our charitable institution, please visit their site here: http://www.redcross.org.ph/about

The auctions are open to worldwide bidding, so best of luck to everyone! I know I’ll be trying to bid for my favorite number (#23)! So see you on the virtual battlefield. You can view the auctions below or on our eBay page when they go live:

[ ALL AUCTIONS ARE LIVE! Please visit our auction page here: ebay.com/usr/madcatzauctions ]

• 4 stick auctions to go live on Saturday 12:01 AM – #13, #14, #15, #16
• 4 stick auctions to go live on Sunday 12:01 AM – #17, #18, #19, #20
• 4 stick auctions to go live on Monday 12:01 AM #21, #22, #23, #24
• All auctions will last for 7 days exactly

Here are some additional details on the Capcom Cup Arcade FightStick TE2:

• Exclusive Electroplated Platinum Tournament Edition 2 Casing
• Compatible with Xbox 360
• Laser-etched Mirror Finish Top Panel
• Individually Numbered out of 24 (#1-12 awarded to Capcom Cup top placers, #13-24 will be auctioned)
• Auctioned Capcom Cup FightSticks will include a ‘Thank You!’ note from Mad Catz & Capcom
• Sticks will ship to top placers and auction winners in January 2014

From a community standpoint, we feel very strongly about this project. Not only is this partnership a great way to do something cool for the community we love, it is also a vehicle to help build awareness for those in need. Here are some personal thoughts from Capcom’s Combofiend & myself (MarkMan):

MAD CATZ’ Mark ‘MarkMan’ Julio

“The older I get, the more I think about life and how much we take it for granted. Everyone here at Mad Catz feels devastated by the recent losses in the Philippines. Being Filipino myself, and having family and friends affected by this disaster, this experience was extremely nerve-racking for me. In 2011, the Fighting Game Community banded together to help the relief efforts of the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan, raising over $32,000 within a short time frame. We did a great job and I know we can do it again. I would like to ask my beloved community and all communities around the world to help take the time and support a needed cause. Once again, let’s fight for relief!”

CAPCOM’s Peter ‘Combofiend’ Rosas

“When those less fortunate than ourselves are in need, especially those devastated by disasters beyond their control, it’s up to us to do our part and help them rebuild through these difficult times. The Fighting Game Community has shown that when a worthy cause for those in need presents itself (Evo Breast Cancer Drive, Fight for Relief, Fight for Youth) there’s no limit to what we can achieve. Once again, the time to help out those in desperate need has come, and I have no doubt that the FGC will step to the plate and show why we’re the strongest, yet most compassionate community out there.”

If you’d like to own a piece of gaming history that commemorates Capcom Cup & the essence of the fighting game community, please bid with confidence knowing that you’ll get an amazing item and that your purchase will go towards a great cause.

Mad Catz would like to thank Capcom and everyone for the support. Even if you can’t bid/support directly, just letting people know about the auction and spreading the word is help enough. Keep fighting the good fight!