Fighting game community rallies behind Ludovic Mbock after ICE detention

The fighting game community has rallied in support of one of its own after news broke that longtime member Ludovic Mbock had been taken into ICE custody. Players from around the world quickly united in condemnation of the government agency and in solidarity with their comrade-in-fisticuffs.

Based out of Maryland, Ludovic has been a recognized figure in the fighting game community since the era of competitive Street Fighter IV. His primary focus is Street Fighter VI, but he also competes in Tekken, The King of Fighters, and Melty Blood: Type Lumina. Ludovic was sponsored by The Hiero Group, an esports community organization based out of the Washington D.C./Maryland/Virginia area.

Ref54, a longtime friend of Ludovic, said:

Lud has been in the FGC for as long as I can remember, dating back to the Street Fighter IV days, and a constant presence at both large events and locals.

He's always been a friendly face in the community, always down to chat and play with folks. He forged some real tight bonds within the community, never heard a bad word about him.

Ref54 added that he learned of the detention around 5PM EST via Discord, with word spreading quickly through local FGC servers.

His friends weren't about to sit on their hands, and immediately leapt into action, launching a GoFundMe to help Ludovic secure legal representation. At the time of writing, the campaign has raised over $63,000. An update posted on February 19 outlined the latest developments:

A habeas corpus petition was filed on 2/19 and a judge signed it, meaning the court is now requiring the government to justify Ludovic's detention. In addition, a G28 form was submitted so his lawyers will be officially notified of any movement on his case.

"Being able to quickly obtain a lawyer and proceed with paperwork has made a huge difference for Ludovic," the update adds.