There is a problem prevalent in the modern fighting game landscape, especially in bigger fighting games, and I wish it wasn't.
Stagnation. If it isn't an over-reliance on a few established brands over others, then there's also a heavy leaning towards licensed product. And while relying on established brands is not necessarily a bad thing, there is also something else just as important that major developers seem to neglect.
The importance of new original IP. Now, before I get ahead of myself here, I am not saying that new fighting game IP is non-existent. One of Nintendo's early offerings for the Switch was Arms, which attempted to bring creativity and colorful aesthetic to a boxing game while offering customization, and indie developers have also been busy bringing in new IP with titles such as Pocket Rumble and Them's Fightin' Herds. The Smash community has also been granted new blood in the platform fighting subgenre with Rivals of Aether, Brawlout, and Brawlhalla.
However, while these developers are hard at work bringing their new creations forward, the genre's big five of Capcom, SNK, Arc System Works, Bandai Namco, and NetherRealm seem completely unmotivated to bring about fresh IPs of their own, despite having the resources and marketing strength to potentially make a new IP as successful as their established names like Street Fighter, King of Fighters, Guilty Gear, Tekken, and Mortal Kombat. And even when they do branch out beyond their traditional core titles now, it is typically through a crossover title like Marvel Vs. Capcom or SNK Heroines, or through utilizing a licensed IP for something like Dragon Ball FighterZ or Injustice.
Now, I understand that a new IP is not necessarily guaranteed for success, and I'm sure the big five know this, too. However, we have seen newer titles such as Skullgirls(I am aware of the controversy surrounding one of its developers, but bear with me here), Rivals of Aether, and Them's Fightin' Herds enjoy success in recent years, without any sort of preceding brand history as a crutch. If the big developers remain complacent and continue to ignore the importance of new IP, they may eventually find themselves in for a surprise.
To conclude this discussion, we know already that there are developers out there willing to bring new blood to the fighting game landscape of the big five aren't interested, and from the looks of it, the big five don't seem to be interested. These developers also have the resources to realize their visions in a space that could definitely use them.
The last new original IP from the big five was BlazBlue in 2008, and since then, neither Capcom, SNK, Bandai Namco, NetherRealm, or Arc have created a new franchise not based on a previously popular brand following it. Some food for thought.
