Story mode doesn't attract fans to the game, it's the fighting mechanics that do at the end of the day. Is Story Mode a nice distraction for the casual players? Yes, it is. But to majority of people who play fighting games, they love the genre because of the mechanics, point blank. I'm not saying Story Mode isn't important, but to say that it's the sole reason why people are attracted to the genre is puzzling. If you want story, then go play an RPG.
Warning Short Rant incoming:
I'm saying you need
BOTH present to appeal a wider range of audience these days. You alluding that VF is better off not having a story mode is nonsense because there is little if any benefit of omitting the mode. Only valid excuse would be if Sega didn't give the game a high enough budget for anything beyond the bare essentials. Is the actual fighting mechanics an important aspect for a fighting game? Of course it's important there is no debate for that. Is the fighting mechanics all you need for a fighter? Maybe if this was still the 90's - early 21st century sure when the expected bar for fighting games hasn't been raised that high yet.
If this was 2014 though? That won't slide anymore in this fighting game boom we are currently experiencing where the expected bar has been raised much higher and even Capcom is finally starting to realize they can't follow that dated formula anymore of just making the bare essentials and calling it a day. Is story and other single player content the most important thing for a fighter? No not the most important thing since building the actual fighting game aspect needs to be created first to get the structure set at least since it IS a fighting game in its core and not a visual novel, but it's not something insignificant either that can be casually ignored. The argument of "Good no story mode/single player modes means they can focus on the actual fighting game more" is a silly excuse because...
1. There have been plenty of good quality fighters that haven't been degraded because god forbid they decide to tell a story to explain why the hell these characters are fighting in the first place to generate interest.
2. Typically they would have a separate team anyway that handles stuff like story mode so it wouldn't hinder the gameplay aspect anyway.
Telling me to play a RPG if I only care about story is a silly illogical statement because just like fighting games the RPG genre has a significant gameplay aspect too. If the gameplay is bad and story is good then that is a hindered game. If the gameplay is good and the story is bad then that is a hindered game. The reason for that is because there are fighting games/RPG games in the market that surprise surprise deliver both good gameplay and good story. As a consumer I would be more inclined to invest my time and money in a game that delivers both great gameplay and story/single player content so I get more bang out of my buck.
I disagree with you saying the "majority" enjoy fighters solely because of the fighter game aspect. I also disagree with what you thought I assumed about how the "majority" care about story/single player content in fighter games. What I
ACTUALLY ASSUME is that the "majority" wants
BOTH of those things in fighters in this day and age. I'm not even talking about solely casuals either because again surprise surprise you can actually care about the lore/character development/extra fluff modes while still playing this game competitively. I'm just one of those examples that enjoys both and I sure know I'm not alone in that regard. With DoA 5U I'm glad there is stuff like a Story Mode/ Team Battle Mode/ Tag Mode/etc while
STILL having solid game mechanics because all that means is the game will generate a higher attraction rate to casual and competitive players alike. I can't say the same for VF because no matter how solid the fighting game is, if there is no extra incentive to invest more hours into the game after a few arcade mode runs and a couple training mode sessions then it's being hindered. No excuse to release bare-boned fighters outside of budget related issues in this current fighting game market and it shows for those still stuck in the old era way of thinking.
Also the DoA story was far from spectacular imo, but it's still a big step up then not having the mode at all because it gives TN and us more to work with when trying to attract others into the game whether casuals or competitive players since either would bring benefit to this player-base.