Multigame esports organization Luminosity has entered the dynamic fighting game community with the acquisition of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U player Yuta "Abadango" Kawamura.
Announced during The Big House 6 in Dearborn, Michigan, Abadango is now part of a quickly growing list of top-10 players who have recently been signed by sponsors.
NEWS: @Luminosity signs SSB4 player @LG_Abadango!
Read More: https://t.co/312tzFm5Vh#GOLG #SSB4 #LGLOYAL #FGC pic.twitter.com/fS2FbLlqLm- Luminosity Gaming (@Luminosity) October 8, 2016
Currently ranked fifth in the Panda Global rankings, Abadango is considered the best Mewtwo and Pacman player in the world. However, due to Japan's strict laws prohibiting prize money from being distributed at tournaments, it has been difficult for him to invest more time into his career. Joining Luminosity should help offset some of those burdens.
Luminosity has its hands in many different games, but is most known for its prowess in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. And while the fighting game audience is smaller than that of shooters and MOBAs like League of Legends, Luminosity Gaming's CEO Steve "Buyaka" Maida thought it was still a scene worth jumping into.
"The FGC community made us want to get involved. It's incredibly passionate and engaging - unlike any other community," Buyaka told ESPN. Buyaka also saw something special in Japan's top Smash 4 player. "The players [and] personalities involved in Smash are quite adoptable and we believe our fan base will take kindly to a genuine, humble talent like Abadango."
Luminosity is based in Los Angeles, which presents some challenges when sponsoring a player overseas.
"The difficulties would be what you might expect - language barrier and expensive travel. Fortunately we are in a position to offer Abadango the resources to travel more and have staff to translate for us," says Buyaka.
This year, fans have been able to see Abadango compete often in multiple large US tournaments like Clutch City Clash, thanks to community support through crowdfunding efforts. Abadango's aggressive playstyle with Mewtwo makes his matches incredibly enjoyable to watch. But now that Abadango has the backing of Luminosity, it should mean even more opportunities to attend US events.
"Contractually we cover the large events but we've given him a competitive salary with the understanding that if he wants to attend smaller events that he has the freedom to pick and choose," says Buyaka.
Luminosity is also keeping its ear to the ground for other potential FGC pickups. "It's very early days for us in Smash. We are just getting our feet wet," the CEO commented.
Fighting games have seen a strong surge of interest in recent years. Super Smash Bros. specifically saw a renaissance thanks to 2013's documentary series on YouTube, The Smash Brothers. Capcom and PlayStation have also been heavily investing in Street Fighter V. This past summer, the Street Fighter V Evolution 2016 championships were aired on ESPN2.
As for Luminosity and Buyaka: "I anticipate our interest and investment [in fighting games] will only continue to grow."