The FGC must transition out of grassroots if it wants to survive

The FGC prides itself on being uncooked. In actual fact, one of many group’s principal gripes concerning the Daigo vs MenaRD match just a few months in the past was that a few of the moments felt compelled. It’s a far cry from the out-of-nowhere, great moments reminiscent of Evo Second 37 and Hayao’s air parry at Evo Vegas 2024, also called Evo Second 38.

It additionally prides itself on being a grassroots esports scene, with tournaments often led by passionate gamers and volunteers.

Nonetheless, the issues of being a grassroots group are already exhibiting themselves. Gamers have been complaining about setups, banned individuals exhibiting up at main tournaments, and varied different issues that will’ve been addressed if the group had a governing physique. As such, I sincerely imagine that it’s time for the FGC to transition out of the grassroots scene and into conventional esports.

Genuinely spectacular moments can nonetheless occur in tournaments produced by the bigwigs, consider the Esports World Cup or ESL. The latter, for instance, is behind the Intel Excessive Masters (IEM) occasion, the place the enduring Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev’s falling AWP occurred. What modified is the manufacturing, how the stream is dealt with, and the general simply how skilled the whole lot seems.

I’ve lamented about this in my piece “Loss of life, taxes, and technical difficulties: Evo Japan shouldn’t be an Evo occasion.” There, I discussed that the FGC deserves higher manufacturing. The entire occasion (which was one of many largest of the yr) was stuffed with technical issues, one thing that will’ve been fastened if the occasion had correctly skilled organizers and manufacturing workers.

Not simply that, however this is able to additionally pave the best way to standardized event setups, one thing that gamers reminiscent of Victor “Punk” Woodley and Kevin “Twin Kevin” Barrios have beforehand complained about. Twin Kevin put it in an excellent method:

And it’s true. The gamers should not combating for peanuts anymore. The prize cash in tournaments has ballooned lately. Capcom Cup has a $1 million take-home cash for the champion and an egregious unfold for many who positioned second and under. To qualify for the Capcom Cup, gamers must win main tournaments across the globe.

The principle downside with that is that every event makes use of a special setup, making it troublesome for gamers to regulate to the sport. Totally different setups imply completely different responsiveness in-game, making it simpler for gamers to overlook essential movement inputs, reminiscent of dragon punch or a wake-up tremendous.

My suggestion is to cut back the $1 million first-place prize to $500,000 and use the surplus funds to assist the grassroots scene degree up their manufacturing and setups. Capcom, the developer of the biggest combating sport, Road Fighter 6, must step up and let its esports division take over how Road Fighter 6 tournaments ought to be performed. They want standardized setups, correct manufacturing, and an overseer at every main event to make sure the whole lot is adopted to a T.

Higher but, an FGC Esports Committee is an actual chance. This takes the esports divisions of all the most important publishers and builders of combating video games and turns them right into a single committee that may oversee main tournaments throughout the globe. This may seem to be a lofty aim, but when you consider it, it’s the absolute best final result.

See, most combating sport tournaments characteristic a plethora of combating video games. It’s nearly by no means a single sport at majors, not like in Counter-Strike 2 and Dota 2 tournaments. Due to that, I imagine it is perhaps simpler if combating sport builders had a committee to make choices. This doesn’t simply stabilize event high quality for large video games, but additionally ranges the taking part in discipline for different video games not referred to as Road Fighter or Tekken.

Apart from that, I imagine the committee additionally wants to have the ability to deal with cheaters and participant bans. Sadly, the FGC has had a historical past of points relating to sexual harassment and admittedly unsavory conduct. I’ve talked about this in my piece “Combo Breaker 2026 was a tragic reminder that the FGC can nonetheless be uncomfortable for ladies,” the place there are nonetheless outliers in the neighborhood who should be banned and monitored to make sure they’re not getting into main tournaments anymore.

For instance, Joseph “Mang0” Marquez has allegedly entered the Rivals of Aether 2 event at Evo Vegas 2026, regardless of being banned from Tremendous Smash Bros. Melee brackets as a consequence of his previous behaviors. Whereas there’s an argument that his ban will probably be lifted within the subsequent month, this month is NOT subsequent month. As such, that is primarily ban evading since he’s allowed to simply swap video games to nonetheless attend tournaments.

Lee “Infiltration” Seon-woo, a six-time Evo champion who was banned as a consequence of home violence allegations by his spouse, has been attempting to hitch the group once more. That is truly an excellent instance of how a governing physique would work: Capcom banned him from collaborating in any tournaments the developer is concerned in, which is just about the whole lot. Till now, he’s been attempting to rejoin the group, however Evo has been agency in refusing to confess him.

Now think about a gaggle tasked with doing this persistently. The bans would’ve been carried out throughout tournaments, and people who find themselves attempting to keep away from them can be reprimanded pretty. Not simply that, however this additionally protects people who find themselves uncomfortable with sharing an area with individuals who have carried out unhealthy issues up to now.

Moreover, the group may even have the bandwidth to totally examine bans to ensure they’re truthful to all events. It simply makes issues simpler for gamers who need to have enjoyable with out worrying about assembly unsavory individuals within the bracket.

Combating video games is perhaps one of many first esports scenes earlier than esports was even a factor. The primary S-tier Counter-Strike event was the 2000 CPL Europe Cologne, whereas the primary premier StarCraft event was the 1998 PGL Season 3. The primary huge Road Fighter event? Road Fighter II Turbo Championship ’93, a 7,000-player event held on the Ryogoku Kokugikan Enviornment, the identical venue the place the Capcom Cup is being held. Not simply that, however the event’s organizer? Capcom themselves.

This might’ve been the beginning of a wave that will’ve elevated the scene into conventional esports. Even sooner than StarCraft. However for some motive, the group appears to have taken a step again and stated that they’ll deal with issues on their very own. Due to this, I imagine that the expansion of FGC as an precise esports league has been stunted.

It’s puzzling to consider why the scene continues to be not as huge because it’s speculated to be, as a result of the FGC has each potential ingredient to make it an fascinating esport to comply with. We’ve got storylines reminiscent of Daigo Umehara’s legacy and a Tekken area, Pakistan, that all of the sudden appeared out of nowhere and dominated everybody. To maintain it just a little related with the FIFA World Cup season, it’s like if Cape Verde simply popped up within the event after which dominated Argentina within the finals.

Now, that’s a head turner, isn’t it?

With Capcom and Bandai Namco getting concerned as soon as once more, there’s a actual probability that we’re heading within the conventional esports route. Capcom has the Capcom Professional Tour, Bandai Namco additionally has the Tekken World Tour, and even Arc System Works has the Arc World Tour.

However I imagine Capcom is doing issues the improper method. As I discussed earlier, the Capcom Cup has one million {dollars} in take-home cash for the winner and an egregious prize pool unfold for the remainder of the members. I imagine that the builders are doing this for the headline of “Participant wins $1 million taking part in video video games,” hoping to entice new gamers to attain that lofty aim.

Nonetheless, we don’t want that. 1,000,000 {dollars} taking part in isn’t a uncommon factor anymore. For instance, Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok’s wage is estimated to be much more than that. League of Legends gamers, particularly, have fairly excessive salaries relying on their groups, and I’d imagine Counter-Strike 2 prime gamers can be the identical. Remember that’s simply their salaries. That doesn’t embrace their event winnings

Because of this I firmly imagine that the Capcom Cup ought to have much less prize cash and as an alternative use the surplus to develop the grassroots scene and switch them into tournaments with correct requirements.

I do know that the whole lot I discussed right here appears just a little too optimistic. Not simply that, however it may additionally take a very long time. Nonetheless, I imagine that the present state of Evo is perhaps step one to it.

Proper now, Evo is owned by Saudi Arabia’s very personal RTS. That is essential as a result of Evo is receiving funding from them, which they’ll use to enhance the standard of their tournaments.

This then implies that Evo proper now is not only Evo Vegas. Evo Japan and Evo France are actually a factor, with Evo Singapore and others arising inside the subsequent few years. It’s going to primarily turn into a circuit in its personal proper, just like what BLAST and IEM do with their Counter-Strike tournaments.

I do know lots of people are saying that this takes away the status of Evo being probably the most legendary event sequence within the FGC, contemplating that it’s the place a whole lot of moments had been made. However I imagine Evo’s growth to completely different elements of the world will truly shine a light-weight on the lesser-known areas of the FGC.

This, in flip, will foster higher competitors within the nation and may even produce world-class gamers in time.

So, what does this imply for the FGC? One of many complaints I’ve seen about huge companies being concerned within the manufacturing of tournaments is that it could finally result in a “clear” atmosphere the place trash discuss is frowned upon. They don’t need to be held again by tips on what they’ll and may’t say.

Nonetheless, we’ve truly been “clear” for fairly a while now by way of broadcasting. When was the final time you heard of a commentator at a big event simply let go of the F-bomb on stream? It’s simply not a factor anymore. We’re even overwhelmed by Counter-Strike 2 casters who sometimes curse throughout Main tournaments, not like ours, which appear to have been eradicated.

Relating to trash discuss, different esports have trash discuss! League of Legends gamers have trash discuss, Counter-Strike additionally has trash discuss, you title it, they in all probability have a persona whose principal factor is speaking trash.

Take Faze on the CS2 Austin Main, for instance. s1imple is yelling at his opponents to not push, Finn “karrigan” Andersen is making ambulance noises after every spherical win, and David “frozen” Čerňanský is instructing his opponent the way to shoot utilizing the right-click. That is the Main, they usually truly made the playoffs!

One other instance, similar Main: Dan “apEX” Madesclaire gave the viewers an enormous center finger. He even recorded himself whereas flipping off everybody within the venue.

Should you ask me, the FaZe one is much more disruptive than the trash discuss now we have within the FGC proper now. As soon as individuals sit and begin taking part in a set, they go silent. Now think about if each single spherical your opponent received, they acquired near your face and instructed you that it is advisable press mild punch and lightweight kick collectively to interrupt throws, simply since you died to a throw loop in Road Fighter 6. How about in case your opponent began dancing like what Jake “Boaster” Howlett did at VCT Champions 2025?

I do know the groups are ft aside, but when I do know my opponent is twerking each time he lands a seize, my psychological can be damaged.

With all of that being stated, I imagine that the FGC is ripe for the selecting on the subject of the following huge factor in esports. Combating video games are getting fashionable every day, with Road Fighter devs claiming most of their gamers are new-gens and studios cranking out new combating video games on a regular basis.

The celebs are slowly aligning, and once they do, I sincerely imagine that the group must take the chance to lastly elevate the scene to the heights it deserves.