The fighting game landscape is looking bleak. Just yesterday, Riot Games pulled the plug on 2XKO, their League of Legends spin-off fighter, after just one year. While not entirely unexpected given previous layoffs, this latest blow adds to a growing list of promising titles that have failed to live up to expectations, leaving fans wondering about the future of the genre.
The Rise and Fall of Fighting Game Hope
Marvel’s Tōkon: Fighting Souls, despite its core strengths, was immediately hampered by a disastrous PC port. Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game, while possessing solid foundations, has been plagued by controversy and criticism for feeling unfinished. Invisible VS is a prime example of a game that “came and went,” with the majority of staff at developer Quarter Up reportedly laid off after failing to find a wider audience.
This string of disappointments raises concerns within the fighting game community, not necessarily about the genre’s overall survival, but about the willingness of new studios and projects to invest in it. Will established giants like Street Fighter continue to dominate, or can other titles find their footing?
“This is all to say that Fighting Games may be absolutely cooked both in indie and in AAA/AA,” writes one redditor following Riot’s announcement about 2XKO. “Now I’m not saying we’re doomed, but we’re basically stuck with what we have for a while. The market is somewhat locked. Major failures like 2XKO and Fatal Fury will basically drive away nearly all new investment for a AAA scale title. Not to mention the lackluster staying power for things like Avatar Legends and Invisible VS basically mean the indie/AA market is also somewhat cooked.”
Of these struggling titles, Marvel’s Tōkon likely has the best chance of maintaining a long tail, thanks to the backing of both Sony and Marvel. The game already has a planned first year of new fighters in the pipeline, although Sony has previously pulled the plug on projects. My gut says Tōkon will have greater staying power simply based on the strength of its characters alone. Early Steam numbers haven’t been great, with daily players declining to four figures just weeks after launch, but it also sounds like the game has sold significantly more copies on PS5, which makes sense considering the negative word-of-mouth surrounding the Steam version.
The fighting game community is currently navigating a challenging period. The scene’s biggest tournament has been bought up by Saudi money, new games are struggling to gain traction, and established classics are experiencing fluctuating popularity. Whatever the future holds, it’s disheartening to see so many promising titles fail to reach their full potential. There should be more than just Street Fighter thriving, and I sincerely hope that Arc System Works can get Tōkon back on its feet.
Source: Kotaku
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