The FGC Doesn't Want To Be Esports - And That’s Okay

Evo 2024 achieved a historic milestone by becoming the largest physical esports event in history based on competitor numbers, boasting over 10,000 entrants, and even more attendees. Excitement is at a fever pitch for a renaissance of the genre of fighting games, which has not only seen multiple new incredible titles emerge over the past 18 months, but a resurgence in its classics, such as Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike. It was an incredible event, and a milestone for the Fighting Game Community and esports.

But many dedicated FGC fans and competitors would turn their nose up at accepting that Evo was an esports event. To them the FGC and esports are antithèse. 

Perhaps because the FGC has done all the things esports hasn’t: It’s spent years fighting off direct control by developers, built a strong grass-roots scene where anyone can play local events and find themselves competing at the international level, and has successfully avoided the balkanization of its fanbase, combining as a whole into the mighty Fighting Game Community. FGC is everything esports is not, and that’s good.