New Street Fighter 2 SNES Cart Being Released, But It Could Catch Fire

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Street Fighter, Capcom has teamed up with iam8bit to release a working SNES cartridge for the classic fighting game Street Fighter II. That's pretty cool and a nice way to celebrate the series, but there is something you need to be aware of: the game could cause your SNES console to catch fire. Seriously.

The iam8bit product page contains the following scary-sounding warning: "Use of this reproduction game cartridge (the 'Product') on the SNES gaming hardware may cause the SNES console to overheat or catch fire. The SNES hardware is deemed a vintage collectible, so please exercise extreme caution when using the Product and make sure there is fire extinguishment equipment nearby. Use of the Product is at the sole risk of the user."

You read that correctly--you are advised to have a fire extinguisher nearby. To play a video game.

The warning goes on to say that iam8bit and Capcom are making no "representation or warranty, express or implied" that the cartridge is safe to use. The text says iam8bit and Capcom have "no liability for damage to property or persons arising from use of the Product." It also states that Nintendo is in no way involved with the 30th anniversary Street Fighter II SNES cart.

The 30th anniversary cart costs $100, and only 5,500 are being made. The color of the cart is randomised with your order between Opaque Ryu Headband Red (4,500) and translucent glow-in-the-dark Blanka green (1,000). Shipping starts at the end of November. You can visit the iam8bit store page to learn more.

The store responded to the fire warning on Twitter, writing, "We're only selling a cartridge. We can't be responsible for the state of the hardware it is being played on."

In a statement, iam8bit said it understands that the fire warning "may seem extreme." However, the company said it cannot anticipate the state of the SNES hardware people might use to play the anniversary cart, so the warning is a "necessary precaution."

"We understand that the warning may seem extreme, but the reason for it is logical," iam8bit said. "We hold consumer safety in the highest regard. We are releasing a new cartridge for SNES compatible hardware, but we are NOT releasing a new console.

"As a result, we cannot be responsible for--nor could we possibly anticipate--the state or condition of vintage SNES compatible consoles on which this cartridge may be used. The warning is a necessary precaution due to these unknowable factors surrounding aging hardware. While this is a functional game cartridge, first and foremost we consider it to be a collectible item."

In other news, Capcom is releasing 30th anniversary costumes for Street Fighter V. You can see a roundup of them here in GameSpot's previous coverage.