BetSpider is the best betting tool and your go-to place for electronic sports. Today, we will talk about one of the often-overlooked genres of e-sports: fighting games. In this category, few can rival the prominence of Street Fighter and Super Smash Bros. In fact, both boast some of the highest prize pools in the genre’s history.
Although they don’t match the massive prize pools of e-sports giants like League of Legends and Fortnite, fighting games still offer significant rewards. So, let’s discuss the top 5 fighting games with the largest cumulative prize pools in e-sports history. Here they are.
Street Fighter IV
Street Fighter IV, the electrifying fourth installment of the franchise, dropped in 2008 and instantly won fans' hearts. Right from the start, tournaments sprang up everywhere! The game evolved through several versions, culminating in Ultra Street Fighter IV in 2014. When you tally up all the prize money from its various versions, Street Fighter IV has dished out around US$1.2 million. A standout moment was the Capcom Cup 2015 , where a whopping US$250,000 was up for grabs, and Japan’s Ryota "Kazunoko" Inoue emerged victorious.
Super Smash Bros. for WiiU
Super Smash Bros. for WiiU, the fourth in the series, launched in 2014 and quickly became a hit among veterans of Super Smash Bros. Brawl while also drawing in tons of new players. Though it faced some balancing issues towards the end, it remained a lucrative game until Super Smash Bros. Ultimate debuted in 2018. With prize pools totaling about US$1.5 million across over a thousand tournaments, it certainly made its mark!
Tekken 7
Tekken 7 hit the scene in 2015 for arcades and expanded to other consoles by 2017, becoming the franchise's most celebrated e-sports title. With a vibrant and ever-growing competitive scene, Tekken 7 attracts new players and boosts prize pools worldwide. By early 2020, nearly 200 tournaments had doled out around US$1.6 million, dwarfing Tekken 6’s US$120,000.
Super Smash Bros. Melee
Super Smash Bros. Melee, released back in 2001, is the granddaddy of this list but still kicking in e-sports! Its devoted community keeps the competitive fire burning even after almost two decades. With over 2,000 tournaments under its belt, Melee has surpassed US$3 million in prize money. The biggest payout was at Smash Summit 5 in 2017, where more than US$80,000 was at stake, and American Juan "Hungrybox" Debiedma took home the grand prize.
Street Fighter V
The fighting game that has won the most awards in e-sports so far is Street Fighter V. Launched at the beginning of 2016, it made a big leap compared to its predecessor in terms of awards. Additionally, the game received a second version, Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition, and continued to be very successful in competitive play. Notably, it excelled in the Capcom Pro Tour circuit and the Evolution Championship Series (EVO). Combining both versions, Street Fighter V has currently distributed more than US$ 4 million.
Summing up, these are the Fighting Games that have paid the most in e-sports history. While the genre is a niche, it has avid followers and a respectable pay history overall. And that is great, but there is more than one way to make money with e-sports, and our favorite way is with betting! So, if you want to bet in e-sports like a true champ, open a BetSpider account right now and secure your place among the winners!
