The Arc World Tour is days removed from concluding an exciting season. Fighting game veterans Mocchii and Goichi “GO1” Kishida stood tall at the end of the weekend, having won championships for Guilty Gear Strive and DNF Duel, respectively. However, while the competitors are taking a short break before getting back into the action, there’s no rest for the team at Arc System Works, specifically the esports crew.

Prior to Saturday’s finals, Shacknews recently had the opportunity to speak with Arc System Works Esports Manager Junior Ferreira. We asked what’s next for the Arc World Tour, as well as how esports has benefitted from new console versions, how crossplay helps competitive gaming, and what it takes to succeed in a volatile esports environment.

Shacknews: Coming into the Arc World Tour 2022 Finals, how do you feel about the health of your games and the competitive scenes around them?

Junior Ferreira, Arc System Works Esports Manager: I think we’re coming in very strong, actually, compared to our competitors right now. And we’re in a very competitive space. Before, it was just Bandai Namco and Capcom at it. Now, as an entry level studio, is Arc System Works coming into the fray after Dragon Ball Fighterz, I feel like we’re in a very competitive space and it’s almost like a gut check to these other studios where we’re coming out here and we’re developing great games. Our esports is just as…