In what can arguably be considered the biggest acquisition in competitive fighting game history, Echo Fox has signed seven of the most established players in titles such as Street Fighter, Marvel vs. Capcom, and Mortal Kombat.
The list includes former Evil Geniuses fighters Justin Wong, Yusuke Momochi, and Yuko “Chocoblanka” Momochi, who were dropped by the organization on Jan. 1 due to internal restructuring. Additionally, Echo Fox has also signed Dominique “Sonic Fox” McLean, who earned close to $200,000 in 2016 alone, as well as veteran Japanese Street Fighter player Hajime “Tokido” Taniguchi.
This isn’t the organization’s first move into the fighting game community, as it signed top Smash Bros. Melee player Jason “Mew2King” Zimmerman last year.
The fact that Echo Fox has recruited SonicFox in particular means that the organization now also houses one of the most successful fighting game players of all time. At only 18, SonicFox’s dominance over competitive Mortal Kombat is already puts him in consideration as the greatest player of all time in that game. His achievements include victories in all three season of ESL’s Mortal Kombat Pro League.
Despite SonicFox’s tenure, perhaps the biggest name among the new recruits is Justin Wong. Considered to be one of the most legendary fighting game players of all time, Wong has been the centerpiece of the North American fighting game community for over a decade, and has won Evo multiple times in the Marvel vs. Capcom franchise.
Echo Fox founder Rick Fox told Yahoo Esports that the FGC move “demonstrates our willingness to think big, think global and execute a strategic battle plan,” something that definitely rings true given the global nature of the roster.
If you happened to be an Echo Fox fan with an interest in fighting games, 2017 looks to be a great year.
