Esports hype is dying, but events like Evo hold the answer: stop trying to be mainstream

I’ve been one of the haters booing Evo‘s expansion. After Saudi Arabian company RTS took control of Evo and announced a bunch of tournaments, I was pretty bummed. Like Arslan Ash, I felt this would ruin the prestige of the cumulative event in Las Vegas.

However, there is a lot of nuance in the discussion as to why I am not a proponent of Saudi Arabia taking control of another corner of the esports industry. And it’s not really the idea of fighting game players having more events in general. In fact, I think we need more big events like Evo, and not just for the FGC.

There has been a lot of talk lately about esports needing to be “saved.” While we all love to say things are “dying,” I’d moreso argue that esports just isn’t thriving. Most mainstream esports titles are not seeing massive growth in viewership or money. Sponsors, investors, publishers, and tournament organizers are all struggling to even see how esports can become viable, especially since it’s free to watch the events online.

And if any esports even dare to charge a measly $10, the fanbase will boycott it.

The League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational saw 2.3 million peak viewers in 2023, 4.8 million peak viewers in 2024, and 3.44 million in 2025. There is no real pattern of growth here. Nothing points to League of Legends, arguably the most popular esports title in the world, becoming massively bigger as time goes on.

The International is Dota 2‘s biggest event each year. In 2023, it had 1.44 million peak viewers. In 2024, that crept to 1.51 million. Then, 2025 had around 1.79 million. Again, esports isn’t dying. It’s just… Existing. The fans stick around for a while. But there aren’t many new fans. I’d still count esports as a pretty niche interest.

Ask most people what esports is and they’ll think it’s their younger cousin playing Fortnite or mention some annoying streamer on Kick. Most people are not watching high-level pro players on a stage. I’d argue that this will always be the case, and that esports will never be mainstream. You’re not going to see a Street Fighter 6 or Apex Legends pro flossing at the Macy’s Day Parade on television. And honestly, thank god.

However, the real issue is that the hype is dying down within that existing esports fanbase. A few years ago, you’d hear people discussing team rivalries a lot more, maybe even see that trash talk play out all over social media and in the sky. You’d see non-stop memes flooding your timeline. You’d see matches being dissected on Reddit. You’d see people arguing who the GOAT is.

The last few years, it’s felt almost forced. The broadcasts aren’t spicy. The drama is formulaic. The fanbase isn’t passionately arguing about anything. Sometimes it’s hard for the writers here to even find a good story to dive into. A lot of things are surface-level.

I’ve seen a few arguments as to what could “save” esports from this continued decline in hype. What will keep the fans invested? Passionate? Some have said to embrace mobile games more. The fanbase over in South Asia is pretty big, and there are entire countries obsessed with mobile esports. I don’t know if that can be recreated in North America and Europe, however.

I think the real answer lies within the fighting game community.

Don’t kill me for saying this again, but the fighting game community is built on grassroots passion. Grit. Determination. There’s no money on the line. Maybe a few thousand if you’re lucky. There’s no fame. You’re not going to be well-known outside of the FGC. Most people outside of the FGC don’t know what’s happening over here.

But they keep grinding, 10 hours a day for years on end. They fly to tournaments they can’t afford to attend. They are obsessed. It’s that kind of spirit that the rest of esports needs to embrace.

Esports has been fighting to become mainstream, taking inspiration from traditional sports. The organized seasons. The franchise teams. But again, it all feels manufactured. It all feels stale. Forced. Corporate.

Over in the FGC, there is chaos, lore, salt, rivalries, mayhem. The fanbase may be small, but they are mighty. They are invested.

How can we recreate that kind of spirit with Counter-Strike 2? With League of Legends? These games already have a lot of fans, more viewership than the FGC can dream of. But how can they have hype?

I think they need more events like Evo.

Evo is a celebration of all things fighting games. Almost every existing fighting game scene competes at Evo, all gathering in a massive convention center to grind together and watch matches on dozens of screens. While these fighting games are usually treated as outsiders at other events, they are beloved and respected here.

Every fighting game has a distinct fanbase. They are all different. Some smellier than others. Kidding. Sort of. But at Evo, they all come together to celebrate fighting games as a whole. Even if you came to watch Tekken 8, you’ll check out Guilty Gear -Strive-. You’ll cheer for Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves. It creates a sense of camaraderie.

Mainstream esports used to have that with the Major League Gaming (MLG), back when it used to run LAN events for shooters like Call of Duty and Halo all in the same building. This was not just an esports tournament. This was a gathering of FPS sweats who wanted to feel they belonged and to see nerds being cheered on stage.

I think we should drop all the theatrics and bring back these genuine community events. That’s why I fear Evo’s purchase. The desperation to reach a larger audience by having streamer showmatches and the like just doesn’t feel as true to the nature of the FGC. Of gaming. Remember back in the day when everyone lugged their computers over for a LAN? Or you’d have to hack the high school’s firewalls to play StarCraft while in the library? Back in that time, esports was like a celebration of the dorks that used to get made fun of. It was a way to feel a sense of community.

Now, we get streamer showmatches. We get teams walking on stage with fog machines and rap music. We get massive productions with live performances between matches. It feels like we are trying to fit in with mainstream folks again. Look, we are having so much fun over here! Look, we are successful and cool! Why not just accept that we are all nerds? Why not just focus on what esports is all about: talent, passion, grit. Who cares about all this other stuff?

Super Smash Bros. event Supernova gets it. It announced a return this year at a larger venue. Twice the space. But instead of selling out with random mainstream titles or other attempts at appealing to the masses, it announced even more stuff that Smash players like. Supernova is a celebration of the Smash community. There are major tournaments, yes, but also arcades, old-school tournaments, the Smash 64 Combo Contest, The Smashies award show… This is a way to bring all of the Smash communities together, even if they normally don’t all get along.

If esports organizations and tournament organizers can stop trying to appeal to the masses and bring esports back to its roots, I think the hype would be saved. None of the Chipotle ads or crypto sponsors have won over more fans. The viewership is stagnant. Let’s just focus on the true esports fans and give them what they want.