SonicFox, JWong give their take on Riot Games’ Project L

One of the biggest reasons that the fighting game community put Street Fighter IV on a pedestal was the fact that it rejuvenated the entire genre from obscurity. It brought every major player group under one umbrella and ended what many dubbed as the “dark ages” of competitive fighting games. Since then, there has only been growth in the scene as evident from the overall larger prize pools and the shift from ballrooms to convention centers for major tournaments like Combo Breaker or the Evolution Championship Series (Evo).

Despite all of that, the FGC continues to drag behind its mainstream gaming neighbors in terms of popularity and visibility. Whether the issues can be attributed to the reputation of a hostile environment or the tough skill barrier to compete at a high level, the growth has plateaued. But with Riot Games deep in development on a fighting game codenamed “Project L,” there might finally be a title and a publisher willing and popular enough to send this beloved genre beyond its niche audience.

Buoyed by its overall positive reputation, Riot Games’ development and careful planning toward its titles’ competitive potential are second-to-none. If Street Fighter IV was the beginning of the biggest fighting game renaissance the community experienced, Project L might just be the catalyst the genre needs to rocket to the top of the esports food chain. Project L’s November update video on Riot Games’ YouTube channel has over 3.2 million viewers, second only to the 3.3 million that watched Riot Games’ video revealing Project A, aka VALORANT.

Arguably the greatest fighting game player today, Dominique “SonicFox” McLean could barely hold their excitement when discussing the future of Project L. A master of every genre in the fighting game library, but a vocal champion of their beloved versus game Skullgirls, they were excited that this game appears to cater to their strengths.

“It reminded me of Skullgirls and Marvel vs. Capcom 3 as well as Street Fighter X Tekken, but it mostly just looked like Skullgirls because it is horizontal,” SonicFox said. “There are re-stands, mix-ups, wave dashes, hits and tag outs from Marvel vs. Capcom 3, and it’s a lot of versus things that excite me. I want to see the defensive mechanics and what creativity you can get with the characters.”

Why lowering the barrier to entry is key

SonicFox was quick to add their thoughts on how the game could learn from past fighting game titles in terms of single-player content, multiple modes for competitive play and the addition of a truly intuitive and educational tutorial system. They were adamant that teaching players how to play a general fighting game within a tutorial is key for creating new fans of the genre. As someone who came into the competitive scene at a young age, they understood that the barrier could be daunting when given no clear direction.

“They need to pay attention to some of the modern fighting game titles and not have a bare-bones game. ‘Them Fighting Herds’ comes with a different single-player game mode that is geared toward fun. You can do a story mode experience or a role-playing game, there’s so much room for innovation. I’m hoping they add a lot of fun things in it like a party mode where everyone is on screen,” SonicFox said. “There needs to be a tutorial and all the tools to understand the game. Something to teach people how to play a fighting game, not just fundamentals, but frame data or advantages or footsies.”

Justin “JWong” Wong immediately said that this game was his style and genre. But the versus game champion, with his identity steeped in the history of Marvel vs. Capcom 2 and 3 and everything in between, voiced his worry that the game looked like it could be a little too advanced for people that have never played a fighting game.

He said the game’s trailer left him with impressions of Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite and Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid -- two games that are not the most beginner-friendly. He specifically mentioned that the trailer was not a casual game trailer and that it was for the FGC. His primary concern with the barrier of entry is whether the game will feel like a first-person game to someone who has never touched a fighting game before.

“The execution aspect for fighting games do not really exist for many other genres. It’s a different priority than strategy or accuracy and it may just be the hardest part for players to master. I wonder how simplified the inputs will be and whether it will still be a lot,” JWong said. “It will sound weird if it gets to be keyboard notations and it could look like coding to unfamiliar eyes. It’s worrisome, but if we have good videos or tutorials and welcome new people in the community, it’ll be very good. No one wants to say they suck at a game, and it’s easier to blame the genre instead of yourself, but in fighting games it is your fault if you lose.”

SonicFox competing at Red Bull Final Summoning. Photo credit: Red Bull

Putting trust in Riot

JWong and SonicFox both put a lot of trust in Riot’s ability to develop the game and appeal to everyone. It’s trust in the directors and long-time fighting game figureheads, Tony and Tom Cannon, who delivered with their previous title, “Rising Thunder,” and launched Evo. And it’s trust that something as incredible as the League of Legends competitive leagues could be a part of the game’s ecosystem to truly create that last “oomph” the scene needs to break through to the masses.

“I do want it to be one of the biggest esports out there, and I do hope it brings it along with the biggest games out there. I felt like the FGC was near the peak and steadily growing,” SonicFox said. “They can support a fighting game for as long as they want, and there’s no way it won’t explode for the fighting game community. It’s a lot of trust in the company, the Cannon brothers and the fighting game community.”

For both SonicFox and JWong, the League of Legends’ characters and lore were not an important factor to the game. They looked at the trailer as fighting game players excited for a tag fighter game that was in development by one of the best gaming companies in the world. Others will look at the trailer and see their favorites like Darius or Ekko duke it out on a horizontal plane, and that may be what will hook them.

The goal won’t be to rope in the competitive fighting game fans despite their unfamiliarity with League of Legends, but whether those who play Riot Games’ other offerings will take up something as intimidating as a tag fighter.

“I think it looks gorgeous, and I think a lot of people’s appeal toward Project L was also from the look of the game. You have no choice but to play it because it’s League of Legends,” SonicFox said. “I think it will be free to play, and there’s no way it can’t be huge because it’s Riot Games and League of Legends, and the only way it can be bad is if the gameplay is bad, but even if it’s decent that’s enough to make the game explode.”

It goes without saying that both players will put their efforts behind the game when it releases, likely through a combination of streaming, content creation, competing and teaching newer players. It’s an exciting time for the fighting game community’s future, and another renaissance may be on the horizon.

“This could be the game-changer. Content-wise, this game will be good for blowing up views for streamers or creators. You will have more views on it than your other main games and with possible collaborations and you can play it with potential influencers,” JWong said. “My whole focus will be around streaming and content, so I’m excited about it, and I hope Project L will keep that up.”

Project L has no release date yet, but the devs did promise at least two updates in 2022. SonicFox, JWong and the entire fighting game community are surely eagerly awaiting more information later this year.

Lead image credit: Riot Games