Shot One Fighters thinks it has what it takes to go head-to-head with fighting game kings like Street Fighter and Tekken

I don’t think it’s ridiculous or particularly outrageous to say that fighting games are a relatively niche genre. Yes, games like Tekken 8 and Street Fighter 6 have sold millions of copies, but those games aren’t guaranteed to dominate the industry compared to the bigger games like the various FPS and MMO games that dominate the industry. Indie fighting games are made by smaller teams with talented and passionate people, but they appeal to a smaller consumer base. Historically, those games have had to be really good from day one to gain a sizable community.

So, how do you put your hand on the scale of popularity and increase your odds of success? For the team behind Shot One Fighters, the solution fell into the hands of Justin Wong. Even if you’re not a fighting game fan, you probably recognize the name. Legendary pro gamer, influencer, content creator, father, and occasional trash talker. He’s been hired as a consultant for the game, a fact that the Shot One Fighters team has been keen to promote.

“They’ll say ‘try it, break it, check it out, and give us all the feedback.’” That includes the characters, how they feel, how they should move, what they think we should add […] I think that’s really cool because they’re obviously pouring their hearts out online, and I basically have to tell them what it is,” Wong said during a Discord call. The feedback he provided ranged from first-hand impressions to what might be possible for the team Problems encountered provide successful solutions. For example, a character in One Shot Fighters has a low-hitting projectile, and Wong can then point out a similar move used by Kung Lao in Mortal Kombat and why it works. , how to prevent it from being too frustrating, etc. This is great knowledge for teams looking to eventually ship the game.

But let’s talk about the elephant in the room. Is this a publicity stunt? Having pro players test games behind closed doors is not a new phenomenon in fighting game development – games including 2XKO, Marvel Vs Capcom: Infinite, and many in the same genre have long benefited from such testing and feedback periods. For Justin, this kind of public-facing pro player engagement is a sign of the times and makes sense in the current creator economy.

“Yeah, I think it’s been more and more common lately. Shot One Fighters has announced it, but last week I was at the Capcom offices playing Akuma, right? I played it and made a video. So I think content creation It’s becoming more and more common for gamers to get a chance to try out these games early and share their thoughts with the world. I don’t think it’s such a big surprise anymore that there used to be complaints like, ‘Oh, you’re a cheater. Taboo’, but now the content of the game and everything related to it has changed, except for illegal access.”

But that raises some questions. Whereas players before this were brought in purely for their competitive sense—they were able to tear apart a game and find all sorts of broken and damaged things that could cause the game to be unbalanced post-launch—what kind of perspective does Justin Huang bring? From a pro player’s perspective, or from a content creation perspective? Is the feedback he provides based on modern trends and meta, or is it based on his decades of experience with games old and new? According to Huang, the answer seems to be a combination of all of these factors.

“Obviously they want locals to have a Shot One Fighters community or something like that. I don’t think the game is going to be at Evo or anything like that, at least not on the main stage, but it could be one so you It needs to be looked at from the meta-perspective of a professional player.”

“For content creators, it has to be fun! It has to look fun and feel fun. I feel like I’ve played a lot of fighting games in my life, so I thought I’d know what people would find the one thing I’d recommend Thing is fighting games, I’m sure they will try to add parry! If you look at Street Fighter 6, people complain about the way parrying is in the game – so we need to add parrying to not be a button, like in 3rd. The same hit, it’s forward or down, which is exciting and something people really enjoy.”

The biggest question facing the Stop One Fighters team is whether this approach will be successful. Indie fighting games are having a tough time right now, with giants like Tekken 8 and Street Fighter 6 attracting the attention of both casual players and die-hard fans of the genre. The developers of Skullgirls and Them’s Fighting Herds have been fired, and many other games, including Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid, remain on hold. Can an indie fighting game do well enough in this environment to not only keep the studio afloat, but also bring a level of success to the game?

Justin Wong believes that as long as people can see the discussion and creation around the game, even in this environment, players will join in: “I definitely noticed this. Before “Street Fighter 6” and “Tekken 8″ came out, Indie fighting games are growing rapidly. It’s really cool that I’ve played them all! At least for me, I still want to play every indie fighting game that comes out – you’ll have your own. Community. You’re not going to beat Street Fighter 6 or Tekken 8, but you’re going to have people who can play and post the technology online. As long as people can see that and creators try it, we’ll make it happen. They’re involved! When I make a fighting game video, I know it’s going to hit or miss with views, and Street Fighter 6’s videos are always going to be a hit.”

Whether he’s right remains to be seen, but publicly using a celebrity like Justin Wong as a badge of quality is an interesting approach. Shot One Fighters doesn’t have a release date yet, but it’s currently being showcased at various trade shows across the United States. This might be one to look out for!