EVO isn't big in the grand scheme of the industry tho, that's the thing. FGC has ALWAYS been basically the most niche competitive scene in gaming. Shooters/FPSes, RTSes, MOBAs have all always eclipsed it, from talent pool/player count to sponsorship, advertising, league circuits, etc. That's not to defend the Dana White UFC level penny pinching they pay their players, $12k for winning the entire tourney is absolutely an unacceptable disgrace, pre AND post Sony acquisition. But FGC diehards have always had an inaccurate, outsized perception of their place in gaming as a whole. Thinking Street Fighter is the end all be all of competitive activity throughout the entirety of gaming... when in reality the "fake" and "party games" Smash and MK eclipse Street Fighter's total sales as a franchise by over 20 million each. And when games like Unreal and Starcraft have had official pro leagues dating back to the 90s... while Street Fighter took until 2014 to get Capcom Cup Pro Tour (which obviously pays NOTHING compared to top MOBA leagues nowadays). EVO's biggest all time viewership and engagement throughout it's 20 year history is a drop in the bucket compared to say the LoL World Championships which has maxed out at
over 70 million concurrent viewers during it's biggest finals.
There's staggering levels to this shyt, and unless you're getting an unprecedented, continuous Saudi backed stimulus over years and years... EVO and the FGC it represents are at or near the bottom level at the end of the day. Sony buying historically low on it during the pandemic downturn was never going to translate into historic new sponsorship and financing for the players like some were holding out hope for.