ABOUT COMBO BREAKER 2023

COMBO BREAKER is the largest fighting game convention in the American Midwest. Featuring open-bracket tournaments, exhibitions, auction events, vendors, artists, and more, COMBO BREAKER is a home for fighting game fans worldwide.

When Is The Event?

May 26-28, 2023, over Memorial Day weekend.

Where Is The Event?

COMBO BREAKER 2023 will take place in the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center, Schaumburg Ballroom, Utopia Ballroom, and connected foyers. The convention occupies 140,000 square feet at the Renaissance Schaumburg in Schaumburg, Illinois.

What Are The Event Hours?

COMBO BREAKER 2023 will open Friday, May 26, 2023 at 9am CDT and be open 24-hours a day until Sunday, May 28, 2023 at 10pm CDT. The event registration and badge pick-up desks will open Thursday, May 25, 2023 at 6pm CDT.

What Is The Event Schedule?

Due to COMBO BREAKER 2023’s 29-plus tournaments being open entry, a detailed schedule is not available until closer to the event. Please check back May 1, 2023 for a comprehensive event schedule. 

REGISTRATION AND BADGES

Attendees of COMBO BREAKER can pre-register on our our start.gg page. Online registration will be open from January 16, 2023 at 10am CST (10:00 UTC-6) until May 5, 2023 at 11:59pm CDT (23:59 UTC-5). On-site registration for attendees will be available starting Thursday, May 25, 2023 at 6pm CDT. There will be no on-site registration for COMBO BREAKER 2023’s tournament competitions.

How Much Does It Cost?

Registration for COMBO BREAKER 2022 varies in price based on when you register and what type of badge you purchase. COMBO BREAKER 2022 currently has 2 badge options available. Both options include access to the venue, a COMBO BREAKER 2022 badge, lanyard, commemorative coin, and 60-page Program Guide.

Competitor Badge
This badge allows the registrant to enter the tournaments COMBO BREAKER directly hosts. Tournament entry costs $10 per game.

• Early: $90 until January 29, 2023
• Standard: $105 until April 21, 2023
• Late: $120 until May 6, 2023

Spectator Badge
This badge allows the registrant to enjoy COMBO BREAKER venue activities and exhibitions.

• Early bird: $55 until January 29, 2022
• Standard: $60 after January 30, 2023
• On-site (Single Day): $30 from May 26-May 28, 2023

Both the Competitor Badge and Spectator Badge are subject to additional Amusement Taxes from the Village of Schaumburg and Cook County.

Is Registration A Ticket?

When you complete registration you will get a confirmation email. This confirmation email is not your ticket into the convention and must be used to pick up your badge at the Registration desk on-site at the event. You will need your physical badge to gain entry into the venue. For an additional fee during registration your badge can be mailed to you before the event.

Who Needs A Ticket?

All attendees must have a badge to attend COMBO BREAKER 2023. Children under the age of 13 when accompanied by an adult and adults over the age of 65 may pick up a free badge on-site at the event. 

REFUND POLICIES

Convention Refunds?

COMBO BREAKER 2023 offers refunds until the close of the Standard Registration on April 21, 2023 at 11:59pm CDT (UTC-5). After this date, all registrations are non-refundable. 

Cancellation Refunds?

In the event that COMBO BREAKER 2023 is cancelled due to a pandemic or other act of god, you will automatically receive a full refund for your registration (minus local tax fees). 

Webstore Refunds?

ALL SALES ARE FINAL. NO RETURNS.

EXCHANGES ARE ONLY AVAILABLE WHEN PURCHASED AT RETAIL PRICE AND THERE IS STILL STOCK OF THE PURCHASED ITEM AVAILABLE. 

Exchanges are only available within 7 days of shipment receipt. all discounted items or collaborations are final sale. no exchanges or refunds when purchased at discount. No exchanges on products not in new condition. We are not responsible for the shipping costs back to us or the shipping costs back to you. 

Please check that your chosen product size and shipping address are 100% correct. We cannot guarantee that they can be modified or canceled. 

If an item arrives damaged, we require visual proof of damage within 7 days of receiving your order. For all requests, please contact customer service at [email protected] with photos and your order number. Your refund will be processed to your credit card or original method of payment within a reasonable period. We will not issue credits or refunds for any difference in price on items purchased before the start of any sale.

HOTELS AND TRAVEL

COMBO BREAKER wants to make it as easy as possible to attend our 2023 convention. We have secured hotel blocks at the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel and nearby hotels for you.    

Hotels

Hotel rooms for COMBO BREAKER events sell out quickly. We recommend booking as early as possible if you want to stay at the convention center hotel. Since the convention center hotel will sell out, we have secured additional rooms at hotels close to the convention center. We additionally have an ARES link available that will help you search for additional rooms in the area once our hotel blocks sell out.

• BOOK THE RENAISSANCE SCHAUMBURG HOTEL
• BOOK THE WYNDHAM GARDEN SCHAUMBURG HOTEL
• BOOK THE SPRINGHILL SUITES MARRIOTT SCHAUMBURG
  
• BOOK THE RESIDENCE INN CHICAGO SCHAUMBURG
• BOOK THE COURTYARD MARRIOTT SCHAUMBURG
• BOOK THE HILTON GARDEN INN SCHAUMBURG
  
• CHECK NEARBY ROOMS AVAILABLE VIA ARES

Parking

There is limited parking on-site at the venue. There is reserved parking for Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel guests. Street parking is not available at this venue. 

Travel

COMBO BREAKER recommends flying into O’Hare International Airport (ORD). O’Hare will be the closest airport to our venue, the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center. O’Hare will have taxi and ride-share app services available to help you reach the venue.

Venue address:
Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center
1551 Thoreau Dr N, Schaumburg, IL 60173
847-303-4100

TOURNAMENTS

COMBO BREAKER is first and foremost a place for fighting game players to gather together and compete in open-bracket tournaments. Our events feature tournaments for a variety of games each year, celebrating as best able the breadth of the fighting game genre. Attendees can compete to earn medals, trophies, and monetary prizing. Tournament champions of COMBO BREAKER events also earn special recognition in the community for their accomplishments. More information on prizing can be found in the Event Rules.

Tournament Formats?

COMBO BREAKER’s open-bracket tournaments feature Double Elimination brackets. Double Elimination is a format requiring a participant to lose two matches in a competition before being eliminated. As a competitor, you will start the tournament in the Winners Bracket and then advance towards Grand Finals with each victory. Should you lose, you will find yourself in the Losers Bracket; a second chance area of the bracket where victories can still lead to Grand Finals. You can find more detailed information about the bracket format in our Event Rules.  

Select exhibitions at COMBO BREAKER events may feature Single Elimination brackets. This format eliminates players after only one loss. 

Who Makes The Brackets?

COMBO BREAKER brackets are developed by our Competition Director CurlyW, with assistance from trusted community representatives. COMBO BREAKER’s bracket development team is trusted by many of the world’s most notable fighting game tournaments.

Tournament Live Streams?

COMBO BREAKER tournaments are broadcasted for the world to see via partnership with independently owned and operated channels on Twitch. A list of broadcasters on-site at each event will be posted on the event page.

VENDORS AND ARTISTS

During convention hours you can find vendors and artists throughout COMBO BREAKER’s venue. While many of these vendors and artists accept credit cards, others might not. We recommend bringing cash as we cannot ensure that ATMs will be available at the venue.    

Vendors?

There will be a variety of vendors on-site at COMBO BREAKER 2023, including Gaming Generations, Paradise Arcade Shop, The Popcorn Baron, and many more selling products and collectibles. Vendors set their own hours and may not be available at all times during the show. We will release a full list of vendors closer to the event. 

Artists?

COMBO BREAKER 2023 will have a curated Artist Alley during the show. Artists featured will specialize in fighting game characters in a variety of styles and media. Artists will be selling prints and collectibles featuring their work and may be available for new commissions. Artists set their own hours and may not be available at all times during the show. We will release a full list of artists closer to the event. 

MEDIA RECORDING

COMBO BREAKER events are public events with large media teams on site. They often attract local, national, and international press. You should expect to have your image captured via photography or video while you are on site at the event and in registering will have consented to this activity. Knowing this, attendees are welcome to take pictures and videos of their experience at COMBO BREAKER events. Attendees do have a right to their privacy, if you are asked not to take a picture or video please respect that request. Attendees that cause a disturbance in their attempts to capture photos or videos will be asked to leave the event space.  

Photography

Attendees are not allowed to create stationary photography setups within the venue spaces. This means no tripods or other out of hand gear. Attendees are also not allowed to use flash photography or utilize hand-held, mounted, or stationary lighting. Please refrain from blocking walkways or line of sight to stage experiences.

Videography

Attendees are not allowed to create stationary videography setups within the venue spaces. This means no tripods or other out of hand gear. Attendees are also not allowed to use flash photography or utilize hand-held, mounted, or stationary lighting. Please refrain from blocking walkways or line of sight to stage experiences. If you are recording interviews please utilize the edges of the venue.

Notice of Filming and Photography

When you enter a COMBO BREAKER LLC (“CB”) event, you enter an area where photography and audio and video recording may occur.

By entering event premises, you consent to interview(s), photography, audio recording, video recording and their release, publication, exhibition, or reproduction to be used for inclusion in websites, social media, broadcast and any other purpose by CB and its affiliates, representatives, promotional partners, sponsors, agents, and anyone else authorized by CB. Images, photos, and/or videos may be used for any and all promotional and commercial purposes.

You release CB, its officers and employees, and each and all persons involved from any liability connected with the taking, recording, digitizing, editing, publication and use of interviews, photographs, images, video and/or sound recordings. By entering the event premises, you waive all rights you may have to any claims for payment or royalties in connection with any use, exhibition, streaming, web casting, televising, or other publication of these materials, regardless of the purpose or sponsoring of such use, exhibition, broadcast, or other publication irrespective of whether a fee for admission or sponsorship is charged. You also waive any right to inspect or approve any photo, video, or audio recording taken by CB or the person or entity designated to do so by CB.

You have been fully informed of your consent, waiver of liability, and release before entering the event.

BRING YOUR OWN CONTROLLER

COMBO BREAKER events require competitors to supply their own controller for casual and tournament play. This means you will need to bring an arcade stick, leverless box, console pad controller, or other inventive gameplay solution compatible with whatever platform your tournaments are hosted on. if you have questions about controller legality please review the event rules page.  

Controller Converters

Controller converters are allowed at COMBO BREAKER events but limitations may apply. COMBO BREAKER recommends Brooks Converters for most needs. Please review event rules or reach out to COMBO BREAKER directly if you have converter questions.

Controller Modders

COMBO BREAKER will have controller modders and repair people on-site at the event. Availability and supplies may be limited but you should be able to get button swaps, multi-console mods, and other extravagant modifications or repairs to your controller at the event.

LOST AND FOUND

Please bring all Lost and Found items to the Command Center located in the middle of COMBO BREAKER’s vendor village in the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center. If you are looking for something that you lost, please check with the Command Center to see if someone has turned it in.

SECURITY

What To Expect

The safety and security of event staff, attendees, exhibitors, and guests is our priority. COMBO BREAKER works with our venues, attached hotels, licensed security, state, local, and federal law enforcement to develop security plans for our events. We have hired security during event hours and put policies in place to help keep everyone safe. 

What If I’m Harrassed?

Harrassment including, but not limited to, deliberate intimidation, unwelcome physical attention, physical assault, physical battery, and stalking will not be tolerated at COMBO BREAKER 2023. We are committed to COMBO BREAKER events being safe, open, and accepting environments for players and fans. If you find yourself the victim of harrassment at an event please report the incident to the Command Center and someone will assist you.

Are Their Quiet Places On-Site?

There are multiple locations at the venue away from the general convention that can be used as quiet spaces. A dedicated space with general public access is not provided by the event. In the event that you need a volume controlled space due to personal preservation, social anxiety, or health issues, please inform the Command Center.

LEGALS NOTES

On Badges and Free Will Attendance

Except when otherwise stated, all badges for our events are non-refundable and non-transferable and cannot be reproduced or resold. The unauthorized resale or attempted resale of a badge is prohibited and will constitute a forfeiture of the badge without compensation. Each badge must be used by the same person for each day of the event. The event’s operating hours, schedules, and activities are subject to change or cancellation without notice. Each badge is a revocable license to attend the event. You are not guaranteed access simply by having a badge if you fail to meet other entry requirements or social standards. We are not responsible for lost or stolen badges. There are hazards and risks of physical injury or illness in attending the event and not all such hazards or risks can be fully eliminated. By attending the event you are freely and voluntarily agreeing to assume the full risk of bodily injury or property damage, regardless of severity, or death, that you may sustain as a result of attending the event, whether or not caused by the negligence or gross negligence of COMBO BREAKER, LLC.