You probably barely remember that the Capcom Cup 12 happened earlier this month. That’s because it was hidden behind a pay-per-view format that barred content creators from co-streaming and fans from watching. The hype was sorta killed.

Ever since Capcom announced the pay-per-view format, the FGC has reacted with hostility. Even changing the payment to just $10 came at a time when the competitive Street Fighter 6 fandom was already too angry about the concept, calling Capcom greedy and accusing them of not caring about the community.

Capcom killed Capcom Cup 12 excitement with PPV format

That community aspect is huge. After Capcom essentially announced that there wouldn’t be any co-streaming during the event itself – since it cost money to watch – the Capcom Cup 12 hype immediately died. To the FGC, it became more than an act of greed. It now felt personal.

Most people watch fighting game tournaments through co-streams, getting commentary and insight from popular players and content creators in the fighting game scene. These streamers are often smaller than streamers in other esports, making these larger tournaments a great opportunity for them to get views and build a community. To the FGC, it felt like Capcom cared more about money than creating a space for the fandom to thrive.

There were also free ways to watch after all, like the in-game Battle Hub. But this removed all commentary, meaning casters would be getting even less exposure than they normally would. This felt like another hit at the community. A community that’s already struggling to make any money.

The Top 16 popped up on YouTube a while after the event, but most of the comments were focused on Capcom’s decision to implement pay-per-view and delay the VODs.

• “Great that we can watch this now, when the hype level is at about 2%.”
• “Damn pay-per-view killed all the hype and interest.”
• “I already know who won, so it’s kinda spoiled already at this point.”
• “Hype level over -9000.”
• “Crazy people had to wait two to three weeks for this… Yet since the same day we knew who won… This is by far the BIGGEST L the FGC has ever taken.”

How can the FGC make money then?

The pay-per-view was clearly not a success. The fighting game community is notoriously cheap. A lot of the pros are broke. The tournament organizers are struggling to keep events afloat. Saudi Arabia most definitely sensed the desperation and swooped in on Evo.

But what are the solutions? How can the fighting game scene make any money? Most tournament broadcasts are free. This means there is no revenue from that end. The FGC is also not invested in skins, which is one of the reasons 2XKO suffered so severely. Riot really thought the FGC would obsessively buy skins like League of Legends players do, which ultimately led to mass layoffs when that didn’t happen.

The pay-per-view was one idea to counter the issue, but the backlash was quite severe. FGC members outside of Japan didn’t even want to pay $10, and hearing who won weeks in advance killed the hype and excitement.

The other idea is to leave the FGC alone. Just let it be broke. More and more esports organizations will drop players, more tournaments will be discontinued, and more pros will struggle to make prize money that even covers their flight. But it would give them the grassroots feeling they like. Maybe the FGC thrives when it’s broke. Maybe we don’t need pay-per-view, skins, or mainstream collaborations.

How did that rap song go? Oh yeah: Don’t save her, she don’t want to be saved.