But I believe Aang can save FGC: We need light entertainment, like Avatar Legends

Earlier I objected Legends of the AvatarI will agree. I said they just turn around anything else in the middle fighting game these days. It’s the easiest, cheapest option, but most of these games don’t play. I’m not taking that back, but I think Avatar Legends would be a special case. And it may save the FGC.

Legends of Avatar: The Fighting Game got a new trailer at Evo Japan, and it looks really exciting. Coming on July 2, it’s a 2D fighter with a single-player story, arcade mode, training modes, and online entry points. There is rollback netcode and crossplay support. It features all your favorite Avatar characters, including the newly revealed Azula.

The combat itself seems fluid, direct, and satisfying. It’s not the most beautiful or creative thing, but I think it’s exactly what FGC needs right now.

The FGC is in a weird situation right now, and I believe Aang can save it. In all seriousness, it’s hard to know what FGC needs right now to grow. What will keep a critical community engaged and passionate? What will help in bringing in money? I think Avatar Legends could be the answer.

On the loving but broken side, we have it Super Smash Bros. The community is getting stronger, although we are seeing less and less people leaving due to financial problems. Tournaments are ending, prize pools aren’t worth flying, pros are quitting to get real jobs (probably their partners are sick of spending eight hours a day on a label to earn $100 in a tournament).

Although Smash has been struggling financially, it has shown the true potential of this niche esport. It has continued to develop despite never gaining mainstream support.

On the other-side-of-funding, we have it Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8again 2XKO. Street Fighter 6 angered the entire FGC when it announced the pay-per-view format for Capcom Cup 12. Views and chants were greatly reduced.

2XKO tried to stand out, Riot hopes it will work like League of Legends. I don’t think they understood FGC at all, they relied too much on skin sales and general marketing which didn’t work. Massive layoffs followed.

Tekken 8 keeps making unpopular gameplay changes, and the developers won’t listen. The situation is getting worse, and the frustration is increasing.

But it all left me wondering: How does FGC plan to make money at that time? It doesn’t want to pay to watch the stream. It doesn’t want to pay for skins. Heck, it also doesn’t want Saudi Arabia to control Evo, even if it means more races. In fact, they don’t want more; they say it destroys honor and what makes you feel special.

The solution? I think the scene should stay low and stop trying to be bigger than it is. It won’t happen.

And that’s where Avatar Legends comes in. It’s a simple, fun game that seems easy to pick up and fun to watch. While Tekken and 2XKO keep trying to make the gameplay difficult, Marvel Tokon wants to bring teams with 230948 heroes, and Smash keeps finding new drama to focus on, Avatar Legends offers an easy and fun experience for everyone. I would think that the Avatar Legends tournaments are quite the hype. I would like to see it as a side event in Evo even.

We just don’t need to keep complicating everything. No more Chipotle collaborations. No more muddled, spoiled play. No more million dollar pay-per-view tournaments. The fighting game community is looking for grassroots fun. They want the truth. They want green. They want love. They don’t want gimmicks and big tournament series and wrestling tourneys.

Let’s get back to the basics. Let’s have some fun Avatar Legends tournaments. And it’s only $30. I think the FGC just needs something not to be angry about. They just want to have fun. It’s all about support, competition, love, skill, and authenticity. Let’s argue.