Brawlhalla boasts "largest fighting game prize pool" with $1.3 million

Fighting game competitions have rarely been enticing to players for their large prize pools, with the scene still very much finding itself described as a grassroots movement rather than full-fledged esports. 

Enter Brawlhalla, the small free-to-play platform fighter developed by Blue Mammoth Games that has shocked the FGC by announcing a $1,320,000 pot, the "largest fighting game prize pool in the world," according to the developers.

Brawlhalla Esports Year Seven

The announcement was made via social media, with a quick article breaking down what fans can expect from Brawlhalla Esports Year Seven. 

"The Brawlhalla Esports 2022 season features a total prize pool of $1,320,000 across all regions. Throughout the season there will be four Seasonal Championships, the Omen Oasis Championship, a Crew Battle Invitational, the very first Japan Invitational, the Midseason Invitational, and the Brawlhalla World Championship 2021."

The prize pool received a substantial increase from Year Six, or 2021, which had a pot of $1 million. In turn, last year's pool saw a 50% increase from Year Five, so it's safe to assume Brawlhalla's fanbase and viewers have kept the game more than alive during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Each of the four Seasonal Championships will boast a $100k prize pool, meanwhile, the biggest event of the year, the Brawlhalla World Championship, will have a $500k pot.

While many detractors mention that Brawlhalla isn't "a proper fighting game" and don't see the platform fighter as part of the FGC in the same way Smash titles have always been sidelined, you can't deny that developer support goes a long way when it comes to helping competitive scenes thrive in the long run. 

Of course, it's not the end all be all to get developers on board, take for instance Smash and Nintendo's relationship. The Japanese company has seldom helped the community with any of its major tournaments, let alone in a meaningful way.

Despite the aforementioned, Melee's Smash Summit 11 broke past $150k for its prize pool in July, the biggest the community's ever seen.  A month later, Ultimate Summit 3's prize pool surpassed that amount. 

All we have to say is congratulations to the Brawlhalla community and good luck to all the competitors looking to get a piece of that sweet prize money.

• Read more: Smash major Genesis 8 delayed due to Omicron, organisers to lose money in the "six figure range"
  

Featured image via Blue Mammoth Games.