Why Content Creator Tournaments Work

streamed June 14, 2024
*If you care and put in enough thought to make it good.
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Editing/Thumbnail by Magic Moste:
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#FGC #Sajam #SF6 #StreetFighter

[@Soupreme2]

Really should've picked the top 24 streamers who are gonna show up late and still installing the game

[@Yozora_Jan]

Team PhiDX in the last slam is exactly why these things work. It was a group of four individuals who all loved what they were doing and wanted to grind hardcore for the win and they all banded together to motivate each other and keep each other invested in winning and they got second off of being a well coordinated and supportive team. When you have passion like that baked into your tournament its already a recipe for success.

[@pedrobautista203]

Bro you seem similar remind me of a goon

[@carlosaugusto9821]

Before these recent innovations in fg events, that truly pushed the possibilities to the next level, the only "crossover" idea conceivable in the fgc was showdowns with either two famous outsiders or an outsider vs a fgc guy... and regardless they all felt forced even though some projects were well produced. Ideas like those involving Kenny Omega, Shaq and other celebrities, Lupe Fiasco and so on... For their time though they looked interesting of course, as fgs still were and still looked so niche in the SF4 era. But it's interesting to reflect on those past steps of fgc events and realize how they feel obsolete now, how quickly those ideas were surpassed thanks to SF6's and T8's success and the new initiatives of fgc events. Now the fgc has truly reached new standards and higher aims, including the important recent achievement of this Sajam's event which was proving that the CR Cup model in doable to some extent in the western scene (unlike the naysayers' words in the western fgc).

[@bone-a-lisa]

I watched the tourney because of FD Signifier in the tekken tourny, i was a smash person before hand, and watching the tourney got me into tekken

[@GuyWithAnAmazingHat]

Lilypichu sold out the Kitsune in the first 3 streams of Tekken she ever played and then got contacted by Razer for a custom Kitsune next week, these content creators are helping the FGC no matter what the gatekeepers and tribalists say. Sajam Slam probably got more new people into Tekken than any FGC preaching to their own choir, keep doing what you do. SF6 in Japan got so huge because there's so much community crossover from streamers of all sorts of genres, and those new players are all now Master Rank and probably stronger than all the gatekeepers right now. Western FGC keeps talking about "grassroots" when they themselves are stamping out the grass and keeping everyone out of the garden.

[@Dan-Ky-Kang]

Do you realise how correct you are? Cuz you are pretty correct. What damn business do you have being this correct right now?

[@carlosaugusto9821]

One thing is SF6's huge success outdoing SF5 in every aspect. That is fairly easy to happen: a company makes a better sequel. But what made the difference on these new and unprecedented developments in the fgc is that a portion of experienced players started genuinely (and this part is important instead of being fake) getting rid of gatekeeping and elitism traits and being more welcoming. Basically promoting better interactions with beginners, in contrast to that kind of traditional "caste" fgc culture where the high level player will not bother about the low level player's existence (except maybe just to troll them), and beyond a certain skill level the player will only care about people of their own rank or higher ones. So once the communication improved and a real connection of different type of players around the game was formed (and not forced ideas like Daigo x Lupe Fiasco), it's already looking like the fgc reached a different level, including in growth potential. SF6's success was one factor, but the recent changes of behavior in a portion of the fgc is a very important factor too.

[@javiermoreno5898]

Guy with a based hat is what we have here

[@1000Tomatoes]

I can no longer use the category clips section to find highlights from tournaments because now they're full of clips from big streamers. So many people watching fighting games now smh my head.

[@1000Tomatoes]

In case it's not clear this is not an actually complaint.

[@SkimLives]

Suffering from success. Couldn't be me, a real fighting game player

[@Dasaltwarrior]

It is 4 minutes after this vid went live, and the comments are filled with robo ass

[@ckorp666]

they might get more bites with chrome cheeks ngl

[@shmooters5599]

The Slam did as well as it did because of the effort that all parties put into it. The organizers, TOs, sponsors, coaches, and players. All of them worked hard to play to their best ability, and more importantly to have fun. Getting them all to vote for preferred coaches/players I feel was a great move, because it ended up fostering some super cool teams w/ great vibes. It was lots of fun to watch, and I can imagine that it was also fun to play in, so you guys must be doing something right.

[@akosimikeee]

I think what was missing with the OTK event miss for me was the lack of FGC at all. The commentators not knowing the technical aspect of the game or training from an experienced player for the other players was a miss for me. Usually they're entertaining, and i love it if it looks like they're trying to learn. Like, I don't play tekken but loved the sajam tourney.

[@TheBiomedZed]

OTK doing something soulless just for viewership/money/clout? No way ?!😮

[@LyndseyLuvs]

Here soon enough to see bots drop random comments. Anyways Creator Cups are cool only really if the creators put actual effort into it. Sajam Slam is the best personal example: the trip for EVO, training camps, etc. There was a lot that went into it to make sure everyone "leveled up" to a competitive level and created a lot of "aha" or hype moments. Always want to see more Creator Cups as well. Let's see Sajam Slams for future fighting games or competitive games in general!!

[@VVheeli]

You also need the content creators to actually respect the tournament. Thankfully everyone was chill in the Sajam Slam, but we’ve seen Twitch Rivals where streamers just cheat because they can, and even a League content creator tournament going on right now has people talking about cheating.

[@GuyWithAnAmazingHat]

People always have this assumption that creator cups are people in just for money and not people who are in because they are interested. All the Japanese streamers since Raccoon Cup 1 are now all master rank, even vtubers and not just the Esports streamers. Even in the West there's people like Jakenbake who has been playing SF and MK for years since he was invited to Annihilator Cup years ago. And there's also people who think that fighting games are "too hard" for other genres and yet we have first time fighting game players in red and blue ranks in less than a month of playing Tekken for Sajam Slam.

[@theexploderofworlds3855]

My favorite part of that one sf6 tournament was when that one character turned green and went forward fast.

[@kayanims]

I can't lie. I loved Dokibird's soundtrack.

[@The_Nei]

I sense absolutely no bias in this title at all :kappa:

[@666slateran666]

This ain't twitch bro

[@The_Nei]

@@666slateran666 :shocked_face_with_exploding_head:

[@theoya]

Sajam: "Imagine if you're one of these streamers and you wanna play Street Fighter or Tekken. What's the process?" BrawlPro: "Just grip em up."

[@slyrytang]

after watching the OTK event i definitely felt way more appreciation for what you and all the people you worked with to make sajam slams happen, the OTK event felt extremely rushed and it seemed like everyone only got maybe a single day to practice with coaches before going in, and a lot of people basically just ended up becoming lazer focused on picking characters that would win a lot at the level everyone was at. it also didnt help that the only people that seemed to really know anything about sf6 in the tournament were both coaches, as riddles and dabuz were relegated specifically to coach roles and there was nobody at all on commentary who really had any connection to the game. hopefully some of the people from the otk event join in on the next sajam slam.

[@GoudaOnRye]

Sajam Slam 1 was the thing that got me to finally buy Tekken 8 and kinda reignited my love for fighting games after I had been off of them for a minute. Tekken 8 has been my favorite game as of late and I’m not even grinding ranked that hard. It’s just nice to get off work and get a couple of wins or losses with Asuka and King and call it a day. Game is just fun.

[@Metazoa54321]

it strikes me that the most memorable of these "creator cup" type events are the ones where there are explicitly experienced FGC peeps involved in the running of the event, both as coaches and as coordinators. all the grassroots feel with the actual experience to match

[@zex69]

Sajam out here setting the gold standard in fighting games promotion tournaments

[@ArkAynJoel]

I think both the Slams were incredible because it shows what Tekken looks like at different skill levels. As someone who has never played Tekken, I got to see what works and doesn't work, and just saw people adapting, scrambling, and nailing their combos all the time. After 3 years of watching Evo Tekken top 8s and not being interested in trying the series, this tournament made me want to pick up T8 asap because it just looked like everyone was having so much fun! Add in the fact that I was invested in every match because I always wanted it to get to a coaches match (just to see all the players play) means that I was glued to the screen.

[@El-Burrito]

As far as I know, FPS Shaka is an FPS player, but whenever I see him stream, he consistently is usually at the top of the SF6 category with insane viewership. I'm assuming it was some kind of creator tournament that got him into it

[@guilhermeberbert]

Shaka is a bit different because he's in his late 30s (so closer to the ages of the veteran SF pros in Japan) and while he was an FPS guy, he was also a NicoNico Douga kid and NicoNico had TONS of fighting game content back in the day. Back in 2012, 2013, Topanga League was actually one of the few high level tournaments being streamed at all and it had really big numbers and good production for its time. So Shaka "kinda" followed the Street Fighter scene in Japan since SF4, but really got into and decided to LEARN in late SFV. He mained Cody after watching Momochi, thought the character was super cool and learned 2 or 3 combos and played a lot against other streamers who were his friends (and who also are all still playing SF6 consistently), but didn't play a lot of ranked. I remember Higuchi popping up on the comment section of his streams saying "Maybe you should try this instead of that to hit that combo" and stuff. And when SF6 was about to come out, Capcom knowing that he was already into FGs, called him and Stylish Noob (another former fps pro turned into variety streamer that also likes fgs) to play an early version of the game. He just... kept playing and having fun. But CR Cup wasn't one of the reasons why he got super into SF6, it was just a continuation of him being more interested in learning since 5. SF6 just took it to a whole new level, he got to master rank, Shuto became not only his coach but his friend that hangs out at his house, Shaka then started coaching OTHER influencers etc.

[@vdsayf]

I remember playing Warzone during quarantine; the funnest aspects of that game was after dying in Gulag, watching your teammate duel another person in a gladiator pit to spawn again, or fighting in the pit yourself and being watched by an audience in the stands. Also the swearing in death comms. Only more recently in League did they do a Lane vs Lane minigame in a temporary event mode, and THEN they finally made their fighter arena mode because they realized how much fun it was for players. When I think about content creator tournaments/group play for popular games (Valorant, Apex, Mobas etc.), its a lot of action, but a lot of individuality and "streamer fun" gets drowned out by the strategy, call outs, and just the nature of the game. Moments where a player is the last alive, usually the team is encouraged to shut up and not say anything to not be distracting. Usually the talking they're allowed to do is only information. I don't think the fun of a streamer fighting tournament is just being able to see someone train, fail, improve, find a playstyle that is personal to them because all video games have that. I think team fighting tournaments for streamers like this are actually so fun because they recreate the fun of being in a Gulag, or gladiator pit. One fight is front and center. Not just having a team cheer you on, but another side be impressed, another side disappointed in how you play or even booing you, and for streaming, their audiences too, watching you. The fun is "All eyes on me".

[@blue_go]

I think it depends. Content Creator tournaments that have a lot of effort put in do well, and they help the game's longevity, for example Sajam Slam and several of the Japanese vtuber tournaments. However... I won't point fingers (cough cough a recent one) but not all of them are made equally.

[@Raidanzoup]

Haitani is in such a good spot now. And he's been coaching so many streamers in SF6, people (primarily in Japan) actually know of him and know to watch him if they're interested in competitive play.

[@Meowster-np1lm]

The OTK event was so bad Emiru having 20+hrs in street fighter compared to others and not to mention the casters how bad they were

[@habibi_py]

That was event was so dogshit lmao

[@1wakuralain]

You sold at least one copy of Tekken.

[@rdubyeah]

The Slam has been so good for the scene its unreal. People like super, shiphtur, box, scarra, fairlight, eskay, mattman all still being super active in the Tekken scene and streaming their ranked grind all the time. It shows and pulls big numbers for FGs on twitch, and FGs on twitch have always kinda struggled with viewership outside of MaxDood. On top of that, you start seeing streamers being friends with eachother and their coaches. Hosting eachother across other games. More sales for things in the FGs, more people getting into FGs, more eyeballs for twitch viewership -- making streaming a viable path for players. Its what we always needed.

[@Zoth87]

A lesser talked about part is that, after these events, the streamers that participated are much more likely to raid each other, furthering cross pollination even after the event ended.

[@halrin8329]

FYI Haitani has hes own league called "Haitani Ichimon." Basically a bunch of streamers/vtubers that Haitani has coached, and each person are pretty popular for their own even before started playing SF6. Sometimes Hainani will host and cast a event of FT10 between his students, and it always have like at least 10k viewership. Or just casually playing Valorant or some games with his students, and they all just have lots of fun. My favorite part is the relationship between Haitani and his students. Just hearing them saying Haitani-sensei warms my heart.

[@guilhermeberbert]

Haitani-Pururu bond too stronk. Very wholesome relationship. 2 country bumpkins who love to do weird country bumpkin shit. Also the Haitani family streams where he just sets up a lobby and invites all his students are great. Haitani discovered a legit phenom in Takagi.

[@xelasneko]

Sajam Slam 2 is the event that got me to understand Tekken 8 because the CC I followed was the last person I expected to do well in a fighting game. 😅

[@Malfeasance1]

I really liked the format for Slam 2. It was a bit of a bummer going back to watch stuff from Slam 1 and seeing some people not even playing sets during round robin. Also as an off-topic side note that chaps my ass: similar to 0:26, I've seen people on the Tekken sub talking about how clips from streamers like Max shouldn't be posted since he's "not a Tekken player." Not only is that obviously absurd, but wouldn't you want to expose your game to as many eyes as possible in order for it to continue to flourish?

[@Str8EdgeJesse]

So glad to see FD Signifier in the last Sajam Slam. He had talked about playing tekken when he would stream on KZbin years ago but was unsure if people would even watch. The audience he has was built on Leftist media analysis and i guess in some ways disincentivized him to even try and stream it. Once he booted up though, people came on and were ready to support. And i think that was a great benefit for all involved.

[@frankpennachio2901]

Love to hear that a Slam 3 is even in the works. They have been so damn fun to watch.

[@Amaling]

All I know is that we as a community gotta come to a consensus about right way of how to do these creator events come 2XKO's release. Realistically, potential interest in the FGC will probably peak with that game's release honeymoon period so we gotta strike the iron while it's hot and strike it well. Glad to see CRCup and Sajam Slam give a starting template, curious as to how it could improve. Most of all I'm interested to see if the teams behind these events can help the Chinese scene set up a creator event (of like league streamers who're decently interested in fighting games or have played before), there's a possibility for gigantic growth in the scene

[@sloesty]

Riot themselves are pretty good on community driven content. They promote and encourage it.

[@yaboytony3028]

I mean, I think Sajam Slam 2 would probably be the gold standard on how to do an event like this. My only issue is of course teams losing early and leaving the tournament early come bracket day but that is just a side effect of being in a tournament. Of course balancing teams too, cause Mattman being in ss1 was like tossing a bear in a playground and having the kids try and fight it off.

[@librarygary1618]

I really love the creator tournaments. The two Slams you've done were so good that they really made the OTK event look like a complete joke. Esfand was the most knowledgeable about the game on commentary and he didn't even know what a hit confirm was. Hungrybox had very clearly never played the game before and was getting beat up before the event by Sodapoppin who had like 3 hours of play time total. It's absolutely vital that everyone involved is actually passionate and puts some time in beforehand.

[@rbsalmon7895]

Yeah this is actually how I got into sf6 lol. I keep seeing these cc tournaments and I ended up watching some of them, Sajam Slam, CR Cup, and thought, maybe fighting games are worth trying. Then SF6 went on a 50% sale and I just bit the bullet. I also think that part of why almost all the participants tries their best in these tournaments are the time invested with their teammates. Their coach spends a lot of time teaching them, you start talking to these new people and build friendships with them so ig it pretty much makes them wants to get better and win for their teammates. As more of these tournaments goes on though you'll probably be able to get enough players who participated in previous tournaments that kept playing the game to be able to hold an actual 1v1 tournament format. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if CR would hold one like that this year. Seems like a lot of the players in their previous tourneys are around plat to diamond now with some masters already in sf6.

[@flamezombie1]

It's easy to look at casual boxing that does 'creator clash' style stuff and immediately jump to "this is trash these players are trash they're disrespecting my sport" but when you curate your guestlist carefully, you get some people that actually bring charisma and viewership AND a willingness to learn. Best of all worlds.

[@NihongoWakannai]

Most people want to watch someone who's entertaining, not someone who's just good at a game. And being invested in a noob brawl can be more hype than watching pros play optimally. It really helps to have actual experienced people there helping with organization, casting and coaching though so it doesn't feel completely chaotic and disorganized. I've never watched a single match of pro apex but I've watched like a dozen streamer tournaments. But you really do need people who actually want to play the game. Regardless of skill level, the players being invested gets the viewers invested.

[@Rockalanche]

So happy to hear there will be a third one. I can honestly say, I was never really a fan of watching Tekken before the Sajam slam. It's never been a fighting game that I can cross over to as of yet because I am garbage at making guesses. As a grappler main, team brawlpro helped me follow along with all the King representation.

[@pawks5292]

Anecdotally I can attest that they work. when I saw a bunch of my favorite content creators start hyping up playing in the second sajam slam i got curious. I watched every day and saw them learning, adapting, and developing strategies in real time. It made me a fan and got me to buy the game and try it for myself.

[@jgray2718]

One of the best things about both Slams is the team balance. Sometimes the lower level players were the most fun and had some of the best matches. The Slams have been great fun, and I really love the results of all the effort you put into making them great. And it was wild to see FD Signifier playing; I love his videos but they're not at all the same genre as the rest of the Slam participants _(he makes videos about social and political topics, mostly related to how they affect black people; I've learned a LOT watching them)_ and I had a fantastic time rooting for him.

[@ThatRedHusky]

Slam definitely did good because of JACK JESUS. PRAISE BE.

[@RiderOfPeppers]

They don't have The Jack Jesus so why bother smh

[@laxdemon13]

F.D. signifier!?! Omg, I love it when my different worlds of interest collide.

[@dudeglove]

I am so ready to see lazy mattman terrorize tekken 8 pools next month edit: also wanted to note that as a direct result of the first slam I am literally happy to watch people play tekken 8 whereas before i could not tell wth is going on. I have no desire to play the game but the sajam format, with its combination of commentary and the ramp up in skill level in matchups was a delight for the casual spectator. You literally made watching the finals for CB2024 hype af because of these slams.

[@FKATorp]

Vtubers keep the FGC alive

[@spiffythealien]

Sakura Miko supporting Soulcalibur VI more than Bamco

[@PUNCHEDPUNCHEDPUNCHED]

The one thing I love about Sajam Slam is that by the end there's always a number of people who potentially get converted into FG lovers. There are a lot of great fighting games out there but just not enough fighting game players to go around

[@comradetyrone2298]

There's also the bonus perk that if you win one of these, you might get seeded 10th in Evo Japan, even over actual consistent pro players

[@ysshuu]

Ive never played or really watched any fighting game content. Just never really caught my eye. then the first slam happend and i havent missed a brawlpro video, had no idea how electric he is!

[@bogbupog]

What I love about Sajam's videos is that there isn't an ugly intro I have to skip over.

[@axelnoragon7382]

Team Bluntrotation was a match made in hell💀

[@masterofdoom5000]

Sometimes the stars align and you get a team Brawlpro who are a bunch of shitpost gremlins who also have a ton of enthusiasm for the game and it's great to see the story unfold from there, the rivalries get pretty intense when the games come close.

[@JaeLit98]

I think if there were anything Slam related I would wanna see at EVO it would be a Sajam Slam Salty Suite

[@mrpinguimninja]

I'm so glad to know Haitani is showing up more. Here's hoping Makoto comes back and he gets to show us his play again

[@guilhermeberbert]

As we speak, the next big idea running around in Japan for the next SF6 tournament involving influencers and pros is a "Save your Master" tournament that will involve lining up the pros (the masters) in chairs and electric-shock them if their students lose a match. So far, the students love the idea, the masters... not so much. Probably will take place after EVO

[@dareknight]

Yeah, this is cool. Can we acknowledge that Brian F made a whole series out of making Warlord rank with Oro, but Sajam has a running series taking every SF6 character to Master whenever they come out? Can we get some kind of consensus going to have Mr. Stephen Lyon put down the fucking headset and enter a Street Fighter tournament sometime soon? I have no expectations. I just know our pretty-haired dude can do some damage to these scrubs and, at the very least, make short work of pools. Just once. Pick a good tourney, enter that shit, do some damage. Don't give me excuses. I'll settle for a Can Opener appearance or two. I can't be alone.

[@raccoonhatcity7627]

I'm not crazy, you're crazy.

[@frozenravioliii]

Sajam slam for sf6 when? I can't wait for Faye Mata to play AKI there 😄

[@alexonstott4954]

They work cuz literally everyone involved is content minded. As a bigger content creator. The things he was mentioning are all the motivations he knows inspires good content. So you have properly motivated entertainers with chemistry you are going to have gold, most of the creators viewership doesn't matter so long as they are good. It's like the fgc version of dancing with the Stars lol.

[@VinceOfAllTrades]

I remember there was a creator tournament for Call of Duty in the early 2010s. A lot of people were excited for it. The result was...underwhelming. Nobody took it seriously. There were a bunch of silly gags, trickshots, intentional losses, etc. When questioned afterwards, the general answer from the participants "It's a charity tournament, why should we try?" which was infuriating given the artificial beef generatedd beforehand.

[@darkmensag]

Oh that's why i didn't know anyone on those things 😂 I'm not into it but glad its working fine!

[@cynical_perks8725]

I get the feeling 2XKO is gonna be ripe for this sorta content. But is it wrong of me to hope some oldheads will be there to blow up the newbies every now and then? Or maybe even the other way around would be cool to see.

[@PandaXs1]

>But is it wrong of me to hope some oldheads will be there to blow up the newbies every now and then? I don't get this, that's the sort of thing that's to be expected when a new fighting game comes out. I much rather see someone new suddenly come out of nowhere and become a top ranked player.

[@alexandersze49]

The actual catalyst for growth of the game. Other large games like has slowly pivoted toward pro tournament focused. And look at the community, just toxic gatekeepers.

[@SM-tc3yb]

Get Maximilian involved please. And Aris!!!!!

[@Fr3shboi99]

The same reason why wwe works

[@joedelafro4629]

I'm sure there are issues with integrity if you're to do guest teams but it would be nice to include a team or two thats no name streamers as well. Giving that level of exposure to someone with little to no viewers can be a rewlly good thing. However I do understand how badly such a thing could backfire if not planned out carefully.

[@maxlimit9129]

bots, bots everywhere

[@dudevinci]

I wish sajam was streaming when I go to bed. I could fall asleep so fast listening to him explain simple shit in the most round about boring way possible

[@specter_of_thestars2500]

Creator events work in JAPAN, not over here lol.

[@GeebusCrust]

I missed the part where sajam slam 1 or 2 "didnt work"