As the esports industry crumbles, the FGC has become a refreshingly real escape to what esports used to be

The fighting game esports scene is growing, defying the whole “esports is dead” discussion.

As sponsorships and Saudi Arabia fuel the general esports scene, esports fans are chasing that authenticity that’s been lost over the years. And they’ve found it in the FGC. The proof? Combo Breaker‘s massive attendance.

Combo Breaker is a massive fighting game event taking place this weekend. There are over 20 fighting game titles with tournaments spanning three days, from popular games like Street Fighter 6, 2XKO, and Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves to retro titles like old-school Mortal Kombat.

This year, nearly 6,900 fighting game competitors and fans are in attendance. For an independently-run event put on by local orgs like TheHadou and Gaming Generations, that’s huge. A Reddit post also showed the growth over the years. In 2025, there were 5,899 attendees, 4,525 in 2024, and 2023 had 3,426.

The jump in recent years seems to be directly correlated with the esports scene losing its hype. As games like League of Legends, Call of Duty, and Counter-Strike continue to see a lack of news, exciting moments, and meaningful growth, the FGC is rapidly growing. Why is this?

The FGC isn’t like the rest of the esports scene. While mainstream esports is largely fueled by overhyping events with smoke, dramatic entrances, massive broadcast productions, merch, and sponsored activities, the fighting game scene has remained pretty separated from this world.

There are big events like Evo, of course, but the FGC doesn’t have as much organization and support leading up to those. Tournaments are largely independently run, there is no publisher-funded circuit, and players are often not sponsored. There are no theatrics. It’s not meant to emulate a traditional sports match.

The atmosphere at fighting game events is different. You feel the passion, grit, and raw intensity on stage. You can watch players practice and compete in brackets right in front of you on the main floor. Some pros will even do money matches with fans. This is a community-run event and you can feel it.

“I remember when Combo Breaker was only confined to a one-size hotel ballroom for 400 people,” recalled one fan.

But you don’t need to be an old-school competitor or fan to have fun at a tournament. The FGC has become very welcoming to newcomers. Games like Street Fighter 6 and Tekken 8 offer beginner-friendly controls and plenty of training modes. Pro players are available to coach you in games like Super Smash Bros.

Said one fan ahead of Combo Breaker: “I’m going, will be my first tournament ever (I’m a fairly new Street Fighter 6 player). Pretty excited to see the whole spectacle. I fully expect to go 0-2, but I’m just going to be happy to be there.”

Plenty of older fans told them that going 0-2 is part of the initiation process, a right of passage, if you will.

While the FGC can be very gatekeepy when it comes to expansion, heartfelt new-gens are not the problem. No, the FGC fight against content creator showcases, expensive skins, corny advertisements, and Saudi Arabian purchases. Seeing Evo expand to a circuit after it was purchased by a Saudi Arabian company has been a huge wake-up call. The over-the-top production of the Beast’s Path was a disappointment, detracting from the event’s old-school seriousness.

That grassroots feeling is disappearing.

But meanwhile, you can cling to events like Combo Breaker and Port Priority to experience what the FGC is all about. To escape all the over-processed hype.