Will the FGC and esports ever fully embrace? Hear the debate at #ESINYC

Start / #ESINYC / Will the FGC and esports ever fully embrace? Hear the debate at #ESINYC

February 26, 2019

ESI New York is fast approaching, with the blockbuster one day event to take place at the Tribeca Rooftop on 23rd April 2019.

#ESINYC is an event focused on networking and business development in and around esports and is set to welcome one of the best speaker lineups of esports B2B conferences yet.

200+ Delegates
40+ Leading industry speakers
5 Engaging panel sessions
4 Roundtables
One on one matchmaking opportunities
1 Extravagant networking after-party at Jay Z’s 40/40 Club

To purchase tickets, and for more information click here. For sponsorship queries and further questions, please email [email protected].

We’ve previously highlighted the speakers on our opening panel, “from basement dwellers to global superstars” here. Here’s more detail on our second panel “FGC and esports: a rocky relationship” – and why we decided it was a pertinent topic to be discussed out in NYC.

The fighting game community, or FGC, is to many a great source of entertainment with top players competing across a plethora of titles in short, engaging tussles with personality aplenty.

FGC events are the epitome of community-driven events. Taking EVO as an example, thousands of people flock to the event to compete in an open bracket. Little Jimmy that’s played six hours of Street Fighter V can compete against the world’s best and have but a small shot at greatness. There’s very little barrier between the professionals and the community – which is arguably what makes the FGC so very tight-knit.

Although the appetite for fighting games has never been in doubt – and viewership is solid across multiple titles, other aspects have been lagging behind bigger, more supported esports titles for a while – and this has rightly caused debate in the industry.

Esportsearnings.com shows that EVO had a total prize pool of $186,365, with over 10,000 entrants across the eight tournaments. Contrast that with ELEAGUE’s Street Fighter V broadcast which put up $250,000 in prize money under just one title. The competition didn’t attract as much viewership as an EVO, but the FGC also had mixed reactions to the broadcast – departing from the traditional open feel and adding in the more “corporate” esports vibe through the ELEAGUE setup.

There’s clearly nothing wrong with the FGC wanting to keep the unique drama of a large open bracket – but at the same time, for sustainable esports – and professionals to be able to fully commit, invitational tournaments with bigger prize pools may well become more eminent. There’s undoubted potential with the FGC, but its relationship with esports remains a little tetchy.

We’re delighted to welcome an esteemed panel to discuss and debate the interaction between the FGC and esports and whether the future could see the two more finely intertwined.