As the title suggests, this is just something I was thinking about. A good chunk of the Street Fighter pros did play KI when it first came out. Unfortunately, they have left because, as Keits said, you can’t really succeed in multiple games anymore. If Street Fighter has bigger winning purses, you probably go with Street Fighter if you can.
A new Killer Instinct would be a good jumping-on point. But would Microsoft be willing to help with funding? Do tournaments help with marketing and sales to make it worthwhile to support? Killer Instinct has done pretty well for itself considering its budget, and so does the tournament scene even register to a company like Microsoft the same way Street Fighter does for Capcom?
I’m just trying to imagine some of those guys with successful careers and streams picking up the game. What would a SnakeEyez do with Raam for example (even if he didn’t make it to a new KI). Could KI “steal” some of this talent? Would someone like PR Balrog come back to our side and have more fun with TJ Combo instead of Balrog? What would that mean for the game?
I don’t want to sound as though I advocate ditching our current game. We probably still have a few years left in it. Seeing what the game is like now compared to its initial release in what players do on the screen is pretty amazing. But it does feel as though some of the hype surrounding the tournament scene is fading. And that is natural given time. Just ruminating because I love the game and property so I would like to see it continue to thrive.
EDIT: Also, I don’t want to suggest that the big Street Fighter players are better than our players. Our players are incredible and the number of decisions they have to make is overwhelming. My hope is a larger player base and the audience that comes with it.
Honestly… Nope. I don’t think that would be enough. Quite frankly its difficult to know exactly what it would take to increase exposure.
How did Overwatch & LOL do it ? I think if you can figure that out then you can yank Fighting Games up there aswell… as it is right now we are the red headed step child of E-Sports.
No offense to any actual Red Heads… I think yall are amazing.
There have already been multiple events I’ve seen where Killer Instinct had the highest prize pool but had the lowest number of attendees…
So unfortunately no.
I’m no expert on such things, but my guess is if they want to give KI exposure they would have to go the route of Minecraft and make a sequel that is available for and compatible with all platforms. Because if KI stays exclusive to one system, particularly the least popular one, you can pretty much expect to see it passed over for something more people can play.
As of today, Sony doesn’t support cross-platform play with Minecraft. If we are to assume that this will change in the near future, then I agree, it can’t hurt a KI sequel. But then again … isn’t the lack of cross-play Ranked the biggest complaint with the Steam release (along with the price)?
Who can remember the large influx of new players with the Windows 10 release? You would find Ranked matches instantly. That died down naturally in a few months, but no systems were in place to convert these players into tournament entrants. The Capcom Pro Tour, and all of the marketing systems it entails, kept Street Fighter successful in terms of tournament entrants and viewership interest.
The KI Community prides ourselves as having some of the best net-code in any modern fighting game, but no systems are in place build upon this experience.
The first improvement that I would suggest is that the online lobby system get a rematch option. Currently, it is worse experience than the that is used in SFV tournaments.I admire the players that can spend 5+hrs taking part in an online tournament. The big issue with spectator lobbies is that a lot of time is wasted when players return to the lobby/character select/stage select. This may not mean anything for someone that is knocked out early while in private Exhibition matches, but it is a pain for those that are playing on stream.
For a future KI update/sequel, I’d like Microsoft to really invest in making the online experience surpass what current generation of fighting games are doing. Online tournaments for KI currently have higher entrants than offline events, but we haven’t attempted to improve on it. I have heard of ‘Xbox Arena’, which seems to be an attempt to improve things. However, I tried it once, and it didn’t work, so I haven’t tried it since. Putting systems in place to allow pool runners (if they aren’t replaced by AI/bots) to easily communicate with players rather than having to scroll through a long list of Xbox friends, etc, would be a big improvement for streamers. The biggest hindrance to online tournaments is poor coordination.
For tournaments that will be streamed to a live audience, they should require that players have a webcam. The only visible difference between an offline and an online tournament is that we see who is playing; their reactions to certain events during or at the end of a match. The casters/commentators can get a sense of what they are thinking, and it improves the viewing experience to hear them speculate. I believe Microsoft is experimenting with 3rd party webcams on the Xbox.
I’m sure others have thought of other things, but those are my thoughts. For those waiting for a PS4 port: how will KI separate itself from the various fighting games that will be on the market at the time?
Looks like Japanese or players from Asia aren’t big fans of Western’s fighters. If the competition is based on “beating the mighty Eastern players” it does look like no Western figthing game will ever succed in such popularity.
Street FIghter seems the way to go if you want to be pro, or other games that concentrate most of the playerbase.
So sad.
Or…You can play shooters. Lol? mmmh, don’t know the scene honestly…
Yeap, it doesn’t help much considering how unpopular Xbox is in Japan. Something similar happened in my country, where Sony is king. Still, MK and NRS games are in PS4 and it’s not like they are super popular either.
KI had better changes for the base the game has. At least there was a scene, even it was small, we got to see some players from Japan.
EU has a small scene too. Same with Latin America.
US is the biggest one without doubts.
If there’s a new KI, launching it in PC early may help a bit more.
Some said that the combobreaking game turned ppl off , mehhh
If that’s the case and you don’t like the idea that your combo may get broken you are playing the wrong game.
By the way, you could guess a lot in KI2 and there was no penalty for mashing the wrong input xD
LoL… Yeah I’ve noticed that turns some types of player’s away. They just aren’t cut out for perpetual mind games.
Dead or Alive 4 had a similar issue… you could perform the incorrect Hold and come out of Hit stun at a significant Advantage. Holds were then given an extra 5-10 Frames of recovery in Dead or Alive 5…
that is used in SFV tournaments.I admire the players that can spend 5+hrs taking part in an online tournament. The big issue with spectator lobbies is that a lot of time is wasted when players return to the lobby/character select/stage select. This may not mean anything for someone that is knocked out early while in private Exhibition matches, but it is a pain for those that are playing on stream.