Blazblue Centralfiction & Cross Tag Battle adding rollback netcode in 2022; CF test starts Dec. 6

It finally happened: Arc System Works has announced at CEO 2021 that both Blazblue Centralfiction and Cross Tag Battle will receive official rollback netcode updates in 2022. The public test for the Centralfiction update is starting this month! Read on for full details and where to get started with Blazblue.

Schedule: CF testing starts this month, Tag in 2022

The time frame provided by Arc System Works for the updates is as follows:

• December 6th, 2021 at 3 PM Pacific: Centralfiction public testing begins on Steam.
• February 2022: Official release window for the stable Centralfiction rollback netcode update on Steam.
• Sometime in 2022: Blazblue Cross Tag Battle rollback netcode update for PS4 and Steam will release. No details on public tests for this update yet.

The Centralfiction beta test will be open to all owners of the game. For those interested in buying the game to take part in the test a 50% discount will be available on Steam. Additionally, the Basic Edition of Cross Tag Battle will be 50% off with the Special Edition at 75% off.

You all asked for it and here it is!
We are proud to announce Rollback Netcode for #BlazBlueCentralfiction and #BlazBlueCrossTagBattle ! #CEO2021 pic.twitter.com/jA9bBnRghH

— Arc System Works America (@ArcSystemWorksU) December 6, 2021

Modders step up at Arc again

Following the success of the rollback update for Guilty Gear XX Accent Core +R, it seems Arc System Works was content to extend the collaboration to Blazblue modders. The developer of the BBCF Improvement Mod KoviDomi has announced they are working with Arc System Works officially to implement rollback netcode.

KoviDomi has announced via Discord that this will mean the end of their official maintenance of Improvement Mod, but others may pick it up as it is open source code.

I never thought I'll see a day like this where a work of mine will be enjoyed by thousands of players. It has been a lot of fun and hard work, with everyone involved in the project doing their best! Hope all of you will enjoy it!

See you in the BBCF rollback open beta tomorrow!

— KoviDomi (@kovidomi) December 6, 2021

Need a Blazblue refresher?

If the delay-based netcode has kept you away from the series or you’re just interested in trying a new game with great online, the Blazblue community has you covered. Here are a few handy Blazblue resources for learning in 2021:

• Dustloop Wiki for Blazblue Centralfiction and Cross Tag Battle
  • Thanks to the efforts of community member Towito, the CF wiki is better than ever as of 2021!
• The Azure Grimoire is a compendium of Blazblue community links maintained by Chickzama.
• Keeponblaz.in is a match video database for Centralfiction.

If you’re looking to watch active players or take part in a bracket with your rusty Hazama, Boston Blue Beat Online for East Coast Centralfiction action is going down December 11th:

Whether you're snowed in or wanna play games under the blankets, we'll be here with December's online monthly for +R and CF! Spread the cheer of mashing!

⚔️https://t.co/DBaIqhPRD8
📺 https://t.co/v4olhCCYbr#BBCF: https://t.co/QJQ6WK4dY0#GGACPR: https://t.co/yMOgDW8GWg pic.twitter.com/nd8zuLyTpa

— BostonBlueBeat (@BostonBlueBeat) December 2, 2021

The announcement of both current mainline Blazblue titles receiving rollback netcode follows months of campaigning by fans. The #BBCFrollback hashtag was trending earlier in the year and several community combo video campaigns were driven to promote the demand.

This fervor isn’t out of nowhere: Blazblue’s international presence has persisted in the ongoing pandemic thanks to multi-regional online tournaments such as World Serpent Champsionship, where the TOs worked around netcode limitations to deliver hype.

I’m so glad to see the dream made reality.