Modern esports has undoubtedly been facilitated by the developers of esports game titles. Some games are entirely reliant on their developer, such as League of Legends, while others have a more hands-off approach, as with Counter-Strike and Dota 2. However, the latter still receive significant financial contributions, and also have the developers act as a kind of governing body. While events like the Saudi-backed Esports World Cup offer an alternative to developer reliance, the new source of money comes with its own set of issues and caveats.
Conversely, the FGC has had an often contentious relationship with the developers of their games. As recently as last year, there were calls to as the latest huge fighting game titles, Street Fighter 6, Mortal Kombat 1, and Tekken 8, were released. While there are developer lead leagues in FGC, such as the CAPCOM Pro Tour and Tekken World Tour, numerous other events operate outside official competition, relying on local organizers for seeding and competitors.
Within this relationship though, there’s more substantial levels of resentment that occasionally manifest. In 2022, CAPCOM released their Street Fighter V Community License . Within the , the charging of spectator fees was forbidden, there were hard caps on prize pools, restrictions on how the SFV logo could be used, and it even prevented merchandise and drinks sales. This was eventually after CAPCOM were convinced of the huge threat it presented to grass-roots organizers, although it still gave organizers some hoops to jump through, such as proving entrance fees were used to cover event costs.
But perhaps no FGC versus developer battle is more notorious than the one between Super Smash Bros. players and Nintendo. Smash Bros., like esports, has a contentious place in the FGC, with some saying the game . But with its multi-year presence at Evo, and numerous appearances at other tournaments, it certainly moves in the same circle. Still, when it comes to developer relations, Smash Bros. really does stand out from the crowd.
Nintendo has often treated Smash Bros. esports with a mix of deliberate distance, and aggressive litigation. The company , and after years of issues. But the climax of the issues was the shuttering of the independently organized Smash World Tour. In what is probably the biggest blow a developer has ever handed down to an esport event, the 2022 Smash World Championships .
In the wake of the cancellation, Nintendo found near universal condemnation. Additionally, a rival event, the Panda Cup, , as they had allegedly , while obtaining Nintendo’s blessing. The fallout saw the dissolution of both competitive circuits, and one of the most dramatic blows to any esport scene ever.
With this history of battles with developers, it makes the fighting game community’s burgeoning relationship with Riot Games seem like a huge red flag. The League of Legends and VALORANT developer is set to release 2XKO next year, with a preview of the game even playable at Evo 2024. It even emerged this past week that Riot had a but canceled it because of backlash to Warner Bros. Games MultiVersus. This has primed the FGC to be ready and willing to accept Riot Games.
But Riot Games has had a sordid history of imposing its will on the communities of its games, something the FGC may not take kindly to. When League of Legends esports was in its infancy, Riot Games . This led to the creation of ESL One events, as League of Legends was at Intel Extreme Masters. Just a few months later Riot Games pulled all external tournament organizer support, and brought their entire LoL competitive scene in-house. Only recently has the company allowed third-party organizers to hold events with its teams.
Riot Games might find much more significant backlash if it attempts to force its competitors out of Evo, or other events for that matter. The company has long operated a strategy of “if you can’t beat them, copy their game and market it better” which has been the case with Dota, Auto-chess, and Counter-Strike. It remains to be seen if fighting games will be the next frontier, and if the FGC will allow it.
Ultimately, the FGC might be right to be suspicious and contentious towards Riot and other developers. After all, this is the company that rolled out a kernel-level anti-cheat system that , despite . The developers haven’t given them any reason to trust them. And given all it takes is a single legal challenge to bring your community to its knees, it’s good that the FGC isn’t fully beholden to them.
