2015’s best fighting game stories

The fighting game community has traditionally thought of itself as a grassroots movement separate from the giant productions of other esports, but the line between the two sure was blurry in 2015.

Capcom recently completed its third-annual Capcom Cup series, which added $500,000 in pot bonus to Ultra Street Fighter IV tournaments around the world. Nintendo continued to embrace the competitive scene for Super Smash Bros., while publishers like NetherRealm Studios, Microsoft, and Aksys Games added extra prize money to both EVO 2015, the fighting game’ largest event, and other venues. Sponsors are also growing more ambitious. Red Bull not only backed Darryl “Snake Eyez” Lewis, arguably America’s best USF4 player, but it also produced a video series about his upbringing in Compton, California and trip to Japan.