I previously argued against Avatar Legends, I’ll admit it. I said they’re just turning anything into a fighting game these days. It’s just the easiest, cheapest option, but most of these games are slop. I’m not taking that back, but I do think Avatar Legends may be a special case. And it may even save the FGC.

Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game got a new trailer at Evo Japan, and it looks really fun. Coming July 2nd, it’s a 2D fighter with a single-player story, arcade mode, training modes, and online lobbies. There is rollback netcode and crossplay support. It has all of your favorite Avatar characters, including the recently revealed Azula.

The fighting itself looks fluid, straightforward, and satisfying. It’s nothing super fancy or creative, but I think that’s exactly what the FGC needs right now.

The FGC is in a strange state right now, and I believe Aang can save it. In all seriousness, it’s tough to know what the FGC even needs right now to grow. What will keep the core community engaged and passionate? What will help bring in the money? I think Avatar Legends could be the answer.

On the passionate-but-broke side, we have Super Smash Bros. The community is going strong, though we are seeing smaller and smaller turnouts due to funding constraints. Tournaments are fading away, prize pools are not worth flying for, pros are retiring to get real jobs (their partners are probably sick of them spending eight hours a day labbing just to get $100 at a tournament).

While Smash has always struggled financially, it has showcased the true grit of this niche esport genre. It has continued to thrive despite never getting any mainstream support.

On the finally-some-funding side, we have Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8, and 2XKO. Street Fighter 6 made the entire FGC angry when it announced a pay-per-view format for Capcom Cup 12. Viewership and hype were significantly reduced.

2XKO tried to be mainstream, with Riot hoping it would work out like League of Legends. I don’t think they understood the FGC at all, relying heavily on skin sales and mainstream marketing that didn’t pan out. Massive layoffs followed.

Tekken 8 keeps making massively unpopular gameplay changes, and the developers won’t listen. The scene is dwindling, and frustration is growing.

But it all left me wondering: How does the FGC plan to make money then? It doesn’t want to pay to watch streams. It doesn’t want to pay for skins. Heck, it also doesn’t want Saudi Arabia to take control of Evo, even if it means more tournaments. In fact, they don’t want more; they say it ruins the prestige and what makes it feel special.

The solution? I think the scene has to remain grassroots and stop trying to be bigger than it is. It’s not going to happen.

And that’s where Avatar Legends comes in. It’s a simple, fun game that seems easy to pick up and enjoyable to watch. While Tekken and 2XKO keep trying to complicate the gameplay, Marvel Tokon wants to bring in teams with 230948 heroes, and Smash keeps finding new drama to focus on, Avatar Legends offers an uncomplicated and exciting experience for everyone. I can imagine Avatar Legends tournaments being quite hype. I’d love to see it as a side event at Evo even.

We just don’t need to keep complicating everything. No more Chipotle collaborations. No more muddled, ruined gameplay. No more million-dollar tournaments with pay-per-view. The fighting game community wants grassroots fun. They want realness. They want rawness. They want passion. They don’t want gimmicks and massive tournament series and fighting game tourists.

Let’s go back to basics. Let’s just have some fun Avatar Legends tournaments. And it’s only $30. I think the FGC just needs something not to be angry about. They just want to have a good time. It’s all about support, rivalries, passion, skill, and authenticity. Let’s not complicate it.