Just my point that even if we did get a sequel, people will continue to play KI3.
Nope. We need seasons for Killer Instinct for as long as the Xbox One is supported. More Shadow Lords, more modes, more monsters, more awesomeness. It’s like the developers keep saying, they’re going to keep adding on to KI for as long as there’s people playing the game. (I just hope they keep that promise!)
Fight On!
-Zenek
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So just to start with, “I know X number of top players who have quit and stream/tournament numbers are down” is a very poor way to actually answer the question “is KI doing well”. Many top players quit in S2 as well, and by golly, new top players replaced them in time. That’s what happens over a game’s life cycle. And many, many KI S2 tournaments had absolute crap attendance as well. KI S3 has tended to see higher overall numbers at the bigger tournaments (CEO, EVO, CB), and you can’t really convince me that the smaller tourney numbers are all that much worse than they were previously.
And on the stream thing particularly (because this is the more interesting topic to me personally), I don’t watch KI streams anymore because I don’t want to spend my free time listening to people complain. It is not an enjoyable way to spend my time, and I’m frankly not going to put up with ■■■■■■■■ for 1.5 hours as “entertainment.”
I spent my last night in freaking Japan, not sightseeing or touring Tokyo Bay, but meeting up with Japanese players to play KI, because I really love this game. I’ve participated in more tournaments and KI events this year than any other, and even I can’t be bothered to interact with our stream community, because by and large it’s negative and unfun. It’s amazing to me that a group that is so welcoming and open here and in person (the “KI community”) is so crappy on Twitch, and I’m just not going to deal with it.
Just wanted to pull this part out because I think it’s very important. Streams are supposed to be entertainment, which is precisely why I don’t spend my time in them anymore: watching someone complain about the game they are playing is not fun. It just isn’t, and a Twitch chat full of ■■■■■■■■ does not improve the potential fun quotient to be had. I watch Beatdown’s in full screen as a rule now because I just don’t want to be bothered with it. Someone’s going to be (wrongly) arguing about how counter breakers don’t work, Hero of Time is going to be complaining about how everyone guesses correctly “all the time” against him and how he actively avoids as many of the game systems as possible, someone is going to call anyone who disagrees with them a member of “the IG Defense Force”, and Infil (bless him) is going to be arguing vainly with someone about how them consistently leaving damage on the table is not, in fact, optimal play. It’s just a morass of bickering and complaints most of the time, and I’d rather just watch some exciting high-level KI.
It is not my job, and certainly not that of someone new to the KI scene, to fix other people’s toxicity. Sure, it’d be nice if they did, but most people aren’t going to bother. I have an actual job - I’m not going to spend my free time either fixing or indulging in random internet people’s negativity and stupidity. You (generic you, btw) want me to actually stay and enjoy your stream? Then actually act like you’re having fun playing the game.
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They’ve been awfully quiet though. I have no idea when we could get any updates as to whether KI will have a season 4 or something else.
Thank you for correcting me. I guess I just assumed.
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That’s ok in the short term- We’ve got a “November Update” (pending a cooler name!) coming soon, a shark-dude (hopefully!) coming eventually, and more merch on the way. It’d be nuts for them to pivot to a new game at this point. Let’s keep building on the Killer Instinct we know & love. 
-Zenek
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Oh and there’s these 2 also:
Sabrewulf’s stage in UE4
Thunder’s stage in UE4
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Oooh. Thunder’s Stage looks awesome.
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Personally to me they all look technically spectacular, but aesthetically boring. But that’s just me.
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Kraig said we’re getting a textual stream tomorrow.
God I’m sorry man, can you remind me? I don’t remember where this came from. Is it that LCD wants a sequel instead of season4?
I’m glad other people are bringing this up. It can feel like it’s just you sometimes, ya know? I don’t want to crap on anyone’s work, because I do think it takes skill, charisma, and real effort to be good at streaming for a community, but here’s the thing… As a viewer, I don’t need to do anything other than enjoy what I’m watching and maybe talk a little if I feel compelled.
It’s not my job to fix a broken streaming community. I feel no need to wade in to the drama of strangers or pick fights just so I can correct someone and get jumped on by all the bees buzzing in the hive. I don’t need to be called a fanboy, a cheerleader, an IG toadie or anything else just because I’m not doing my standup comedy routine over how broken the game is. I’m also not entertained by that routine. I don’t care if it’s intended to be good natured or if it’s “look at me plz!” type stuff. It’s tiresome.
Sure, no one’s obligated to make me feel welcome either, but if I don’t like this stuff and this is what it is? Well okay then. Enjoy the pile on. I’ll go find something else to do. No problem.
But if this place is the main " KI is too far gone, make a new game" support section, then I tend to wonder if these people will ever be happy, and how worthwhile it is for IG to even try, or whether a new KI would even help, or if they’d just set their hair on fire and pick that game apart too.
As for this game, I will say that I really hope they put some substantial effort in to polishing this game. Fix as many glitches as possible. Make sure that things are working as intended. Polish animations where needed. Smooth out any rough character textures and fix character faces and hair. Update the retros that need it. Streamline the fonts. Optimize the character select screen. Improve the “fight on” screen and redo the checking DLC screen.
I know that’s an enormous effort. Monumental. But maybe some can be done before season 4 while some can be done during.
I say all of this because I love this game, and I think that a vast majority of the issues people complaining have with the game can be fixed and should be fixed, and it’s time that takes precedence over huge new modes, even if they’re awesome (and they are).
If we got the stuff above, I’d be more than happy with six characters, four stages and a season 4 updated shadow lords story and nothing else. No rebalance. No new mechanic. I don’t need ultimates, though I’m sure others would disagree.
This game is amazing. One of the best fighters I’ve ever played and like many others here, I’ve played most of them. I believe in this game and it’s long term potential to go down as one of the best ever in the genre. I’d love to see this game reach that level, rather than have them call it quits and fold up shop so we can all wait for a sequel that may or may not arrive.
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I like you mr lago407. u seem to be a pretty ok individual 
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Joanna Dark HYPE!!!
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You too man! Much appreciated.
LOL well he did say it wasn’t anything huge, but if they do give us another guest at any point, she’s at the top of my list too. Agree 100% on that!
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Couldn’t have said it better myself! Did we buy season one because it was so ramed with features? No we brought it because the fighting was TOP NOTCH and the characters were interesting.
Nail at least one thing. Don’t do lots of things just ‘good’
Tbh I hate the unreal stages they are so generic I prff the way KI looks now…
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Unreal stages: Good looking, but doesn’t feel alive
It’s funny, most people agree that KI has the best stages among the fighting scene, but this still surfaces
People can’t just be happy
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*shrug * People are people. I think the Unreal stages are kinda dead myself, and I think KI in general is a beautiful game. I like the art style, and the way it lends itself to some seriously cool and diverse characters. Some characters have some animation tweaks that could be made, but on the whole I think the game is very pretty to look at. It has a certain vibrancy that I like, without going into the cartoony extremes of an SFV or Guilty Gear.
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Let’s be honest the backgrounds and stages in Killer instinct are fantastic.
Unreal doesn’t always offer the best option and it does look dead in my opinion. it’s shiney and platic.
Microsoft and IG should spend more time on animations. Because if you look at Street Fighter 5 you can really see some fantastic animation with exaggerated movements. although Street Fighter is more like a comic book or animation some of these wild and exaggerated kicks punches and spins would look amazing in killer instinct.
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Actually, which animations do you think that could have more work on them?
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I feel at this point your posts are getting predictable enough that I’m developing some mild psychic ability to know what your post is gonna contain before I read it. Talking about declining player numbers, assuming it MUST be because of your personal issues with the game, and stuff like this:
Attributing this to failings with the game, and not the community. Talking like people not wanting to watch streams couldn’t possibly be because nobody wants to watch someone whine for an hour about things in a game they like. Talking like horrible immaturity in stream chats isn’t pushing people away from tournament streams.
KI is a game with problems. These problems can be discussed reasonably, without getting to a level of vitriol and immaturity that pushes players and even the developers out of the community. But people don’t do that, instead they spend an hour on stream ■■■■■■■■ about ■■■■■■■■ and they sit in the tourney stream chats making sure they’re as unpleasant to be in as possible.
If anything kills KI that isn’t natural declining interest after years of play, it’s not gonna be changing game systems, bugs, the visuals, or any of that. It’s gonna be all the toxicity from people that apparently haven’t done any mental aging since middle school pushing away potential new players. Honestly, who wants to bother with that garbage when there are plenty of other good fighting games with communities that are much more welcoming?
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