Sorry I'm off work sick and sore and looking for some feverish ranty catharsis...
Core Values was a great meme. But ultimately EVO has built a model and if we want to enjoy the benefits of it we have to do so on their terms - however hypocritical they might seem - it's a business. Core Values was just Wizard tripping up and laying that façade bare for a moment... and it was funny.
It's not news but DOA mostly has a bad or confused reputation outside of it's own fanbase in average Joe Gamer circles, so those gamers are not a massive concern for EVO and their growth. I think there's probably a bunch of high level EVO faces who would jump in and EVO know this and aren't really sure if that's a good or bad thing, because of our mixed brand perception and EVO's own brand... hate to say it... values
. EVO might proclaim they represent the FGC, but mostly EVO represents EVO and DOA
is problematic.
I suspect we might have become a consideration but that horrific EVO Japan display gave them an excuse to revert to their historic position and shoot for easy kudos points with S.Showdown instead (which i assume would have been our slot). There is an argument it shouldn't have mattered... but in the real world of course it bloody does.
The root of our problem is a thin broad spectrum fanbase that is somewhat divided with, at one end, a very sensitive extreme of fanservice ideologues for whom a fleshy hill is one worth (DOA) dying on. TN/KT struggle in accommodating both ends of this spectrum (and by virtue, everyone in the middle) and perpetuate the issue with conflicting brand messaging of DOA's fighting credentials vs fantasy stylings, it's offshoot game, and DLC - all the stuff EVO is assessing alongside raw stream and ticket value. For every Stream Master does, there's a new trailer of DOAX3 or whatever it is. This all pulls on the brand.
It's entirely possible to get a decent balance though with very little of the compromise that's apparently overwhelming and toxic to some. The overly salty narrative leading up to launch and now the failed EVO pitch demonstrates the failing of this balance imo. It seems to be a lose/lose - and I don't think it has to be.
We have the fantastic core game we've always had. We have what looks like one of the most accessible tutorial and learning systems possible in a challenging genre. And we have great cast of characters and content that we know will be built on (and possibly ring-fenced) in DLC. And it all looks great. This shouldn't be a hard sell - it shouldn't even BE a sell. That said, it does become a harder sell in a world where every meaningless voice is a gospel; journalists pander to outrage and what gets clicks; and everyone is scared. But even considering that...
I saw many tweets today almost claiming this EVO fail as a victory for fan power and a lesson for TN to not ignore the real fans. That, in a nutshell, is just what keeps this franchise on the fringe and undermines the investment of all the offline players who are the REAL heroes of the game's competitive worth. Its TN/KT marketing team's responsibility to manage this though, and they need to do better. It would be unfair to lay it
all on a few angry T&A fans, most of them didn't just wake up angry. It really should have been clear at the start of the marketing there would be plenty of pink in the game and especially the DLC - it just wasn't going to be the focus of the launch. This is not a nuanced audience to talk to.
That said though, I wish the type of twitter DOA fan who's REALLY worried about SJW's stealing their boners could understand that the game, and thus the fanservice, just goes away if it can't suckle on the titty of the wider FGC just a little bit... I wonder if that's an analogy they might understand? The sticky dollar won't float this boat alone, so I credit TN for having some ambition even if they made some mistakes with EVO this year.
We need to support DOA's own and existing offline opportunities of course, but why compromise and settle? I'm fed up with compromising, DOA6 should be loud and proud and EVERYWHERE. Lets also get some juicy EVO action for our best competitive representatives on what is the biggest available stage next year by taking it beyond the whim of Joey Cueller's core values.
/cough sorry splutter dies