Free Step Dodge

However, majority of these fighting games aren't big enough, heck, even the big ones don't dare to make that step because they'd be losing a lot of money if the game flops for some reason. I don't see then coming up with a middle solution that's good for everyone for a very, very long time, which is why if you want to purchase dlc you have to be picky with what you want to get.

^ This. DOA5ULR/6 actually did it right by having a free-to-play core fighters version, however, TN can't seem to market DOA properly to save their lives. Promoting the $93 season passes early on for DOA5LR & DOA6 were terrible moves PR-wise. The average mainstream gamer thinks that DOA5LR/DOA6 is a fully priced game + 1.5x the-cost DLC passes. It's a terrible look in itself.

TN needed to promote the free-to-play offerings more if they were to go heavy on the DLC promotion. I agree that FG's are in an awful spot where they're essentially fully priced games with basically expected $40+ season passes at this point. It's a catch-22 level deterrent from attracting more people to the genre.

Do you know how off-putting it is to boot up a fully priced game with 10+ DLC character slots for instance? If I weren't into fighting games already, it would've discouraged me from the genre.

The thing with DOA right now is that I don't think that they are planning a sequel or a reboot anytime soon due to the gacha game doing well and even if they are, it'll probably be treated the same way 6 was or even worse and they'll promote the gacha game using the new DOA in a way or two.

I agree that this monetization scheme that most fighting games are doing as of late end up deterring people from giving fighting games an honest shot (especially after 2015 for like 3-4 years since majority of them barely had anything outside of online mode to show up for themselves), while I don't think that it is the main reason it is definitely one of the reasons.

If you get the game day 1 plus the dlc/season passes afterwards then it is going to cost you more than the majority of videogames that are out on the market, waiting increases the chances of your game not being played as much or it becoming a discord fighter or you get it asap, it'll have far more players but your wallet's gonna take a bigger hit, definitely not a win-win situation for new AND old players alike.

The whole full price games with no so cheap DLC or plenty of Season Passes is Modern Gaming Standards that almost every videogame company would do no matter what players would've felt. DOA $93 Season Passes & Paid V-Stones were very successful practices for Koei Tecmo, part of Season Passes justify a DOA6 (which is something VF didn't have through out the PS4/Xbox One era).

Many companies would want you to spend tons of money via Season Passes & Microtransactions No Middle Solution. Even if a fighting game isn't big enough all they need to do is cater to their target demographic that are willing to fit the bill, for example DOA using sex appeal to give target demographic a reason to spend money on Season Passes or Paid V-Stones (regardless of price tags).