The Pro Gamer License

In late 2017, just before the new year, the legislative powers-that-be in Japan issued glowing news about a new license system for professional gamers. This new Japan Esports Pro License would be awarded to individuals who play competitive games for a living.

Following this new legislation, in early 2018, the Japan Esports Union (JeSU) was formed. It is a merger of the eSports Promotion Organization, Japan eSports Federation, and most importantly, the Japan e-Sports Association (JeSPA.) JeSPA is the sole regulatory body which can award pro gamer licenses in Japan, which provides players with the necessary credentials to satisfy that clause regarding "compensation for work."

An individual whom is officially recognized by JeSPA and subsequently JeSU is no longer subject to the ¥100,000 cap on prize pools. For all intents and purposes, pro gaming is their job, and there are tests and requirements associated with maintaining licensed status.

So how does one get a Pro Gamer License? Either by having a sponsor organization that is well connected enough to secure a license on your behalf, or, ironically enough, through the very competitions that JeSU oversees. For individuals without formal sponsors, there are an EXTREMELY limited number of these licenses award to fighting games annually, with TGS being one of the main conventions that has license-awarding events.

As expected from news of this system, the response was not entirely positive from the fighting game community in particular. From the very first issuance of this new pro license media cycle, Momochi was an outspoken critic of the system, taking directly to his own website Shinobism to shed light on the proposal. Momochi's issues could be boiled down to: