Does the FGC Still Need EVO?

The resurgence of fighting games in the past decade has been nothing short of amazing. From the revival of Street Fighter to Guilty Gear and the longevity of Tekken and Smash Bros, these communities prove the FGC is more than just a niche segment. Like everyone else, I was excited for the EVO 2020 announcements. Then I saw the snubs, as Mortal Kombat 11 and Cross Tag Battle were unceremoniously dropped after a year on the main stage. I reflected a little and after watching Mighty Keef’s EVO announcement video, I thought to myself, “Do we still need EVO?”.

Now, before I get flamed to a burnt ash, I am not advocating for the end of EVO. My goal is to illustrate that games should not live and die by EVO lineup announcements. The FGC is changing, and EVO just means something else now.

“Seriously Guys here me out“

The Place to Be

Originally started as Battle by the Bay, EVO managed to combine several small pockets of communities into a grand event in 1996. In some ways, you could argue that EVO helped birth the gighting game community as we know it now. It’s where people learned the names Daigo Umehara, Alex Valle, and John Choi. EVO Moment 37 provided a level of hype so high that it brought many people into the FGC. That happened even though there was no other way to witness it other than 144p YouTube videos.

Today technology has changed how we consume and interact with our favorite pastime. The FGC on the whole has proliferated and is now more than a once-a-year event; major events are not only held at a hard to reach destination for more than 50% of competitors. The scene has grown to over 100K viewers on Twitch, and robust communities are now spearheaded by the developers of your favorite games themselves. That is a key difference. I’ll come back to that later.

Prestige and Visilbilty

EVO’s main bragging points have always been that it was the first, only, and biggest. If a player won, it was known that they were the best. Here is one of the major differences now: with Pro Tours on the rise, I’d argue that the ability to be consistent and earning more points over the course of a year signals your dominance as a player more than only winning EVO. The Pro Tour offers visibility of players like RobTV in Street Fighter, and HookGangGod in FighterZ, which are becoming household names. Could those players had made a name for themselves at a once a year event?

With the Intel World Open on the horizon, Capcom is giving an opportunity for other countries and players to display their ability and shine. In addition, with talk of esports at the 2024 Olympics, there would be another level of prestige EVO could compete with, especially if it’s held every 4 years like the Olympics. Ultimately, the FGC has changed and will continue to do so in ways that would make EVO mean something different.

Corporate Influence

Companies like Capcom, Netherrealm and Bandai Namco all have their own Pro Tours each lasting 6-8 months, allowing lesser names their time to shine. Besides highlighting titles, these tours are giving a longevity to games that we haven’t seen before. Whereas with EVO, we’ve seen otherwise. Marvel vs Capcom Infinite was dropped due to corporate influences, and core values now dictating what games make the Big Nine. So, let me ask the readers this question: do we need a 3rd party company like EVO hosting tournaments and acting like a corporation when they produce no games?

What About Thuggery?

I firmly believe thuggery has a place in the FGC. Rivalries between KBrad and Krone have shown that it can lead to truly exciting moments. Punk’s trash talking is highly entertaining while getting washed by the calm Samurai. One of my personal, favorite pastimes was watching Mai Neenja salt vids (R.I.P. my Mai Neenja).

EVO possesses the opportunity to pivot into an event where anyone or anything can happen. For example, think of when the random crowd member ran up on ChrisG after his Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 victory. What if Chris gave him that first to 5? We could have been looking at an EVO Moment 148.

“I can’t leave or I’m not done until I beat him.”

Again, I think EVO has a place in the FGC. However, as companies pour more money into eSports, those will eventually host the preeminent spot of their respective games. Ultra Street Fighter 4, Injustice 2, and DoA are all gone due to corporate influences or agendas. EVO’s announcement of MvC2’s return has many people excited. I hope they’re able to bring that energy to other games, as well. Until then, I be playing Tech Romancer, waiting for my chance to shine on the EVO main stage.

February 25, 2020

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