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For the biggest fighting game tournament, EVO really has small prize pools.
- Thread starter Becks'
- Start date
This is what happens when you define a core of your genre as requiring mechanical skill with a FGC-legal controller that is beyond the vast majority of the player base you're targeting. Its going to have a hard ceiling on e-sports support.
If you want bigger prize pools, then you need a broader fan base for advertisers and sponsors to target.
If you want bigger prize pools, then you need a broader fan base for advertisers and sponsors to target.
And keep in my these prize pools are likely the amongst biggest they've ever been in the history of the whole genre. Its just that no fighting game will probably ever be as ubiquitous of the likes of League or Fortnite to have those giant, multi-million dollar prize pools.
Tis the sad state of fighting games. The best games on the market with coolest pro scenes, but not enough viewers n money in it to be big time as fuck.
What is particularly difficult about using a DualShock 4 or an arcade stick...
No company is going to run open brackets the way EVO does.
EVO isn't going to be replaced any time soon
Giant prize pools don't appear out of nowhere. Companies only invest as much as they think they can get back out. No fighting game has blown up in a way that makes companies eyes turn to dollar signs and I don't know that their format of fighting games even really allows for it. They're too localized, centered around grassroots communities. Possibly too niche. I'm not sure if the genre itself just doesn't appeal to a huge crowd or if there just hasn't been a game that's "hit" in a way that appeals to a base as big as an LoL.
I get the feeling the FGC also pride itself in being separated from the rest of the Esports scene.
Doing things their own way and having "minimal" corporate influences
Doing things their own way and having "minimal" corporate influences
Sorry, I meant they might run their own tournaments for their game and not support non-Riot tournaments and events after a couple of years like with LoL :P
Oh my bad.
But it's nothing unique though, companies like Capcom have their own exclusive competitions as well. If Riot doesn't want to support EVO then nothing would really change.
I wouldn't be surprised if the technical, fast-paced and 1v1 nature of most fighting games probably scares away a lot of the gambling sponsorship that the eSports world is riddled with these days. Not to mention how spread out the community is across so many games. It is what it is, and should be celebrated for its own uniqueness in comparison to most of the more buttoned-up eSports.
Not sure, but 130 dollars for coming 7th @ Melee at last years EVO (1,353 entrants)
People compete at these games for the love of them. Tournaments are often run at a loss too afaik.
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Remember the people hired at Riot to make the fighting game are the founders and help run EVO. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.
Fighting games aren't really liked by the general public unless it's SF or MK. The fighting game genre just doesn't have that mainstream appeal for companies to go out and add huge pot bonuses.
Many ppl get discouraged from playing due to the execution barrier although fighting games in 2019 have dumbed down their mechanics significantly.
DBFZ is a special case due to the legacy of the dragon ball franchise.
In short fighting games are difficult as well as poverty and not popular enough in the public eye to warrant better prize pools.
Many ppl get discouraged from playing due to the execution barrier although fighting games in 2019 have dumbed down their mechanics significantly.
DBFZ is a special case due to the legacy of the dragon ball franchise.
In short fighting games are difficult as well as poverty and not popular enough in the public eye to warrant better prize pools.
Capcom puts 500000 towards their pro tour (including evo) and then release CPT pack dlc with few costumes and a stage where 80% of the money that comes from this bundle sales go towards the cpt prize pool (more companies should start doing that). Also considering how big is smash without any support from Nintendo, with proper support Smash competitive scene could as big as some of the biggest esport games, but Nintendo is still stuck in 1980s and would never do that.
It's crazy.
Not saying they need to make millions or anything, but winning the biggest fighting game tournament in the world and actually losing money because your flight and hotel was more expensive is just ridiculous.
Not sure how it is right now but I think Xian got 2k or something when he won sf4....
Not saying they need to make millions or anything, but winning the biggest fighting game tournament in the world and actually losing money because your flight and hotel was more expensive is just ridiculous.
Not sure how it is right now but I think Xian got 2k or something when he won sf4....
The Fortnite prize money was a marketing stunt. Look at how it got everyone to talk about it. And despite those large sums, that was likely a fraction of what it would have cost Epic if they'd tried to buy said exposure from every media outlet that spoke about the Fortnite tournament. It was a genius move really.
On the flipside, the news ain't talking about Evo this morning.
On the flipside, the news ain't talking about Evo this morning.
To be honest it would be awkward if they did even though EVO deserves it. "Violent video games" are in the news right now, 8 Chan just got taken down so sadly even though there are some great EVO stories it is bad timing
Could we not mock the disabled, please, and not pretend that controllers and arcade sticks designed for accessibility have previously been banned for the sake of "competitive integrity"?
Speaking personally from back when I was active in the genre, there were events I had to skip out on because wireless controllers were banned over concerns of syncing, as if its really that hard to remove batteries from a Wii Remote. The GC controller is horrible for me ergonomically to the point that I was willing to use a CC/CC Pro back during Smash Brawl and Smash 4, but too bad, wireless interference might slow down or interrupt a match somehow! Thankfully that was a phase that eventually blew over in my local area.
Also, taking my quote in full context, there is a significant part of the fighting game playing base that could be competitive if the FGC core fan base didn't always insist on gatekeeping with mechanical barriers to entry that don't always have to exist. It isn't just the forced controller that I take issue with, but also the core design of balancing around a top player's consistency at executing X string of buttons in a Y frame window.
If a test of mechanical skill is the real goal, then why limit players to tools that intentionally make that goal harder to achieve? Why cause so many players to retire over wrist/hand/arm injuries from using a control device that isn't ideal for their hands?
These are factors that limit the number of players who can realistically compete at a viable level in many fighting games. I'm sure a lot of people are just fine with that, but they need to also be fine with the limited financial backing that comes with playing a more niche game competitively.
Trying to lobby developers to put money into prize pools is the wrong way to go from the start. They don't have anything to gain from pouring tons of money into these events because the product is already being featured front and center regardless of their involvement.
If the FGC communities want financial incentives to grow, they need to find actual outside sponsors and convince them that it's worth investing money into the events.
If the FGC communities want financial incentives to grow, they need to find actual outside sponsors and convince them that it's worth investing money into the events.
It's a chicken and egg situation because o firmly believe of prize pools were increased then you'd see increased exposure.
Nintendo's unwillingness to properly support and nurture competitive Smash Bros is also still the most baffling thing ever. But then it's also Nintendo, who I feel sometimes focus on the wrong things.
Nintendo's unwillingness to properly support and nurture competitive Smash Bros is also still the most baffling thing ever. But then it's also Nintendo, who I feel sometimes focus on the wrong things.
They should use the Dota 2 - TI9 way.
Example with Dota 2:
Valve contributes for $1.6 million, they sell a Battlepass with cosmetics, the players buy the Battlepass and the cosmetic, Vavle keeps 75% of the total sales and 25% will go to the prizepool, result? The International 2019 jumped from $1.6 million to over $31 million and it's still going on.
Capcom, Namco, Nintendo, NRS and everyone can make a $10 bucks bundle or DLC with cosmetics and do the same thing.
Example with Dota 2:
Valve contributes for $1.6 million, they sell a Battlepass with cosmetics, the players buy the Battlepass and the cosmetic, Vavle keeps 75% of the total sales and 25% will go to the prizepool, result? The International 2019 jumped from $1.6 million to over $31 million and it's still going on.
Capcom, Namco, Nintendo, NRS and everyone can make a $10 bucks bundle or DLC with cosmetics and do the same thing.
Is there a good reason crowdfunded prize pools aren't a thing? The Dota compendium style funding seems perfect for helping out the fighting game tourneys
Capcom does a cpt bundle every year to help the prize pool. The difference is that way more people those games and fighting games are more niche. You need millions of people playing there games to get that much help but even tho people buy fighting games people drop them really fast.
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Capcom does usually have a decent prize amount for Capcom Cup it varies though. They had a really large amount when Sony was also giving them money for it too.
The primary issue is that most big fighting game devs are based in Japan and the domestic eSports scene--that is, official events with cash payouts--was not even legal until very recently, and as it exists the only people who can play in sanctioned money tournaments are vetted, licensed players, of which there are only a handful for any given game. (I think Puyo Puyo has the most players, from memory.)
It's absolutely a factor. TOs from non-fighting game backgrounds have complained about this before--they don't like the uncertainty of open pools, they essentially want tightly-run exhibition matches.
SNK is literally China-owned and the publisher of Samsho is another Chinese company.
It's absolutely a factor. TOs from non-fighting game backgrounds have complained about this before--they don't like the uncertainty of open pools, they essentially want tightly-run exhibition matches.
SNK is literally China-owned and the publisher of Samsho is another Chinese company.
It was the same of what is is now. The prize pool was not higher when Sony was sponsoring cpt. It's actually higher now because of the cpt bundle they do.
For EVO it's $90 to enter + $10 for each tournament.
People play 2-3 games except Smash players who focus only on their game.
You need a huge crowd to crowdfund your pool. But the whole FGC is pretty tiny compared to the big esport titles.
Oh my god, I didn't know about this. Lol, just yesterday I was thinking about asking you guys in the EVO thread if guys like Sonic Fox have already become millionaires...I guess not...sheeesh
Stalin would've approved this...competing for honor not for the money.
Stalin would've approved this...competing for honor not for the money.
SonicFox is doing well but he is one of the few exceptions
The guy is an actual prodigy in fighting games.Multiple fighting games
Sponsorship is a huge part of the FGC but it's only really reflected in the players themselves. Hori had a whole ambassador program for Evo this year, you'll regularly see JWong and others take up sponsored posts or gear (nearly every one of Justin's tweets for Teppen was an ad), etc.
But you don't see the sponsors targeting the events themselves. It could be because of the community not wanting to sell out or look disingenuous by tacking on a Presented by Arby's line onto a SoulCal VI tourney.
The payouts are insanely low for the amount of grinding and effort that players need to put in to compete and I have no clue on how to change that.
But you don't see the sponsors targeting the events themselves. It could be because of the community not wanting to sell out or look disingenuous by tacking on a Presented by Arby's line onto a SoulCal VI tourney.
The payouts are insanely low for the amount of grinding and effort that players need to put in to compete and I have no clue on how to change that.