Is North American FGC Actually Dying?

An eternal topic of discussion recently emerged on Twitter. Not a month goes by without someone talking about the lack of money in the FGC, or how FGC is somehow dying.

This time it comes from a more notable source than usual. Instead of a disgruntled player or spectator, it's DFF123, a person who has some first-hand experience with esports dealings. So, in a way, you could call this insider info.

He presents an argument that whenever he is in talks with people who are looking to invest money into the scene, he has to sit them down and explain a few things about how FGC differs from the usual esports scene.

By all means, none of what he says here is outrageously wrong or unfair. Most of the FGC would absolutely not stand for entry fees for a simple online tournament. As a whole, even those who wish for the fighting game pro to be a viable career, would not agree to the commercial aspect that permeates the structure of other esports.

The only issue with the statement is the frame. To say that North American FGC is dying is a fairly absurd statement to anyone who is actually familiar with the community. Year after year we see more people getting into fighting games, more people making fighting game content on the platforms of their choice, more people are coming to their locals and signing up for bigger tournaments.

FGC is doing fantastic, especially in North America. This is a common issue with people saying that FGC is dying. In this case, what they actually mean is that FGC is almost immune to being monetized in the same way as traditional esports. For the vast majority of us, it's a hobby that doesn't need to be stained with the pursuit of growing profits.

We've all seen past attempts to bring over the traditional esports experience into fighting games, and it consistently backfired. If the FGC ever does manage to become more profitable, it will have to happen in a far more organic fashion, because the community will not support anything less than that.