Any idea why main FGC Pro Players haven't picked up KI?

Just wondering your thoughts - I love watching Excellent Adventures and watching fighting game tournaments but there seems to be so few players that try out/play KI.

Any idea why that might be?

Hmm good question. KI is a rather intense game based on a risk/reward system that can be very brutal at a high level. The fast-paced matchups and extremely read focused styles can seem like a likely determinant. However, I digress. I don’t know what FGC pros think and why they feel that way, I only know that some people gave up on it for reasons that weren’t truly justified or substantial enough. Nonetheless, it was their choice and it continues to be their choice as to why they resist trying their luck.

They jump ship to newer games, to make bigger profit.

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Because SFV just came out and people are focusing on that. Playing KI would be learning a new game that would hinder their SFV experience.

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Season one saw Justin Wong playing KI, among others. Season two had Rico Suave and CD Jr, who are pretty good at other fighting games, too. Season three has its own pros now, like Sleep or Bass, and I don’t see Rico going anywhere, either. It’s just a matter of preference. And sponsorship. It’s a matter of preference and sponsorship. And prize pools. And…

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I honestly think it’s due to their own interest and prize pools. CD Jr was basically Mr.KI IN 2014, 2015 he hardly placed at the top of any KI tournament. He qualified for the world cup though. He went off to play MKX. I don’t blame him or anyone for that. Sometimes they do it for bigger prize pools, sometimes they do it because the game changed (Justin wong), sometimes something better comes along (SFV,TEKKEN7,ETC.). I think the KI competitive scene will be okay. We already have our main stays like LCD, BASS, SLEEP, and Rico don’t seem like he going anywhere. I wouldn’t worry about it because our community is growing regardless.

I think we’ll end up seeing a few more notable names in the near future - lots of cats are trying Season 3 and digging it. Seeing a lot more KI talk among SF/MK players on twitter lately, most of it is positive or inquisitive.

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Because its from the western hemisphere.
Well, I’ve heard that at least, not sure how true that is…

Had Season 3 come out as the initial release it’d be more like a bomb dropping but it was a slow build up to get where we are now. KI has been kind of in the background for a couple of years now so it’s almost like an old game.

It ought to be said that Capcom players rarely play other stuff competitively (what they play for fun is anyone’s guess). Sure Justin Wong played KI but he plays everything.

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I think its becasue they are scared of change. We all are. They aren’t as good as they are in SF or MK so when they get their asss handed to them they give up much quicker than normal. If they would just invest some time and get the hang of it they would enjoy it more IMO.

Some are die hard loyalists that are going to ride and die with their main game and never waver…just like some of us are with KI.
If they truly wanted to play they would…but unfortunately they love SF.

I would hazard a guess that the longer the season is out, the more exposure it will get. Particularly when we get the reveal for Shadow Lords; the game seemed to get a fair amount of attention when Shadow Lab was released, and new characters, tournament play, and other events can bring in FGC vets who haven’t kept up with the game as well as new fans.

As others have said as well, KI has its own current pros, and I don’t think it’s a huge problem if pros from other games don’t decide to dabble in KI as well.

How old are you, again? :smiley:

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Some old KI players are coming back (or seeming to) like Justin Wong and CDjr.

The community is going to keep growing, so who knows what will come and what won’t.

Too old to be posting on an FG forum, and honestly not old enough to be using that antiquated colloquialism. :persevere:

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Not enough fame or money this why ki wil never be at sfs level

They don’t like the combo break system very much.

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Yeah that too. They don’t like ppl getting out for free.

“They don’t like people getting out for what they mistakenly feel is free.” seems to be a bit more of an accurate explanation, to me.

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Pros that play the combo game well would be more dominant, because they’d have great footsies and they would hit you for huge damage every time they hit you.

There’s nothing free about combo breaking. It has variance (both for higher and lower damage), but it’s not free.

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To paraphrase the SF player Mago when he was introduced to the game by Tokido: putting in a lot of work to open up your opponent and not getting rewarded when you do so can be off-putting to some players. So preference and having a dislike for how the battle system rewards can be a reason too, IMO.

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That’s what I was trying to say.