Three Years of XBF

virobloc

The year was 2019. I had recently started my “Fighting Games journey”. After Many years of playing them, I finally understood what they were about, and I got hooked.

Up until that moment, I had been playing on PC. But a special game made by SNK had been announced: Samurai Shodown. It was to be released on both consoles and PC, but only at a later date for the latter. I was so eager to play it that I decided to buy a console. I got My Xbox One S All Digital the same day Samurai Shodown came out and I started playing.

This was the context I was in when I came across a certain Reddit post. Somebody wanted to start weekly Samurai Shodown tournaments. Another user asked what console the tournament would be on. And after the disappointment of knowing it would be on PS, the joke that would be the foundation of this discord materialized. A user by the name of LemmyHawkins said:

- “Doesn’t mean the Xbox players cannot put together a small tournament ourselves. All 4 of us.”

I was quick to answer with a joyous and encouraging “Let’s do it!”, but that was the extent of it. little did I know what was in store for all of us.

That user called LemmyHawkins didn’t wait with folded arms for others to do the work. He didn’t keep daydreaming about a tournament for Xbox players. He didn’t simply tell a joke and forget everything. He did what we all wanted.

A few days later Lemmy put up a post encouraging all the Xbox players to join an online event to enjoy Samurai Shodown together. He mentioned the possibility of setting up a Challonge and creating a Discord if there was enough interest. Once again, he delivered.

Three days later another post by The Commissioner himself announced the first XBF tournament, the Challonge page and the XBF Discord server.


It’s been three years since that day. Three years full of tournaments, Xbox Parties, Twitch streams, discussions, Tweets, endless lobbies. Three years sharing clips of our favorite moments, discovering new games, watching events and presentations together.

Today the Discord has many members from all the corners of the world. It’s filled with world class players, not-so-much world class players, and all the levels between that. All of us enjoying the same thing and having the same amount of fun with respect and cordiality.

I want to thank you all for the good moments we’ve had and have yet to come. Fighting games are something special and shared with good friends like you they’re even better.

Lastly, I would like to heartfeltly thank Lemmy for creating this Discord. Not bad at all for something that came out of a joke.

Thanks Lemmy! Long Live the XBF Discord!


  virobloc

Omega MAD

It’s hard to believe XBF is celebrating it’s 3rd anniversary. Whilst I hadn’t joined from day one I joined shortly after searching for a good group to play Samurai Shodown matches with and XBF provided that in abundance with it’s evening lobbies are regular Thingie tournaments. I’ve always been a fan of gaming tournaments so being able to help organise and play in them regularly was a god send to me. Being invited to join the mods was an honour gladly accepted and gave me the experience of joining the tourney commentary team which was way harder than I’d have thought before! I’ve really enjoyed my time in XBF and thought the active players changes often, I’ve had loads of great games and a bunch of excellent party chats. It’s been great seeing players level up too over the time, with first time fighting gamers like Kelly evolving greatly and Krissrock’s rookie SFV Gief turning into the nightmare he is today to name but a few. It’s a pleasure being part of the mod team for you XBF guys and I look forward to chatting and playing with you guys in the future.

Erected Unicorn

Fighting games have always been a part of my life since I was a wee kid. I’ve been playing video games since I was a toddler, seriously there’s pictures of me with a NES controller in hand before I could walk. Between me and my myriad cousins, fighting games have always served as the common language with which we express our love of each other, of gaming, of competition, of failure, and of success.

I was born in the early nineties, so I caught a glimpse of the heyday of arcades in my native New York. Before I had learned of continents or long division, I was taught how to input a Raging Demon and how to select Roll in Marvel vs. Capcom. And before I could ride a bike, I was executing Iron Man infinites and negative edge cancels. Fighting games in arcades were my school of hard knocks, and the people I met there remain with me decades after we last met.

In complete transparency, Samurai Shodown 2019 was not even on my radar. Life had taken over as I jumped from school to work, dating to marriage and moving half-way across the country. For me, fighting games kinda fell by the wayside. Sure I had played Street Fighter IV, King of Fighters XIII and others, but not enough to consider myself part of the fighting game community.

The only reason I picked up SamSho was due to the gameshare I had set up with my cousin Sick Ipe. June 25, 2019, I get home that evening and hop on for my first online match against Sick. And suddenly I’m hit with wave after wave of euphoria, of nostalgia, of excitement, and more. I was hooked, and for the next few days I played for hours on end, online in ranked and offline with family and friends. Now in my thirties, it’s hard to remember at times to remember what childhood wonder really felt like, but the closest I got so far were the first few weeks with that game. It’s still in the top 3 of all time for me, not only for the gameplay, but for the people it brought me in contact with, all y’all. I remember the first post on the game’s subreddit, of Lemmy, Krissrock, Viro,, Warriorshift and TD, of the first tournament we ran and how I started my 2nd place runs (always the bridesmaid, never the bride). I remember, as a socially awkward person, being quite nervous just posting in discord to ask for games, and how welcoming, honest, and chill you all were. I consider all of you friends, and even some of you family, and I mean that. We went into 2020 with a horrible mess of netcode and bugged lobbies, of rage quits and upsets, and we loved it all.

As the discord grew, so did the need to expand the roster of games we played. With that new legends arose, as Street Fighter, Killer Instinct, Tekken, and more brought into the group a more diverse and inclusive crowd. At a time when we were being asked to shelter in place, I found solace in a group of friends from far-flung places like Spain, Germany, and Japan, as well as close to home in states like California, Pennsylvania, and even back home in NY. Ironic that the most sociable year of my life began from a quarantine. And even now, as we return to some semblance of normalcy, I find myself remembering the days of midnight lobbies with you all in Samsho. The tournaments we ran were the ways in which we celebrated each other, regardless of skill, we would come together as a group and let stories unfold. Perfect parries, sudden issens, ultra combos and crush counters, through this common language we became more than the sum of our individuals.

As we continue to grow, it may become a bit more difficult to hold on to the way things were, of half the discord in a single lobby of a single game. Many names and gamertags I don’t recognize, and games I don’t play. Part of the growth for me is being happy that I got to see the early days, and to be happy and excited for where this discord will go. We’re on the precipice of so many great things and I cannot wait!

I want to wrap this up by celebrating the newer members of the group as well, players who , like me, came to look for something more. A place to learn, to challenge, to grow. In the case of players like Mantan or Sorrow, to dominate. If you stick around for a while, you’ll see these natural narratives develop, like a subset suddenly loving a certain grappler to an entry-level player quietly and arduously grinding to become one of the best players I’ve seen. You may join the lobby of acurrent EVO champion for your favorite game, and catch your match streamed by the first lady of it. You’ll find true acceptance for who you are and develop a passion to be better than what you once were. Or maybe, it’s just a place where you can ask for a match and be on your way. I feel lucky that it can be both. That I was both a part of it and still belong to it to this day. Fighting games will always be a part of my life and I hope to continue fighting alongside and with you all for many more years to come.

Ke11y Ann

My Husband and I own most gaming platforms and XBOXFIGHTERS is our GO TO Discord. I find it refreshing to be a part of a well-organized, friendly, worldwide Fighting Game Community focused on bringing players together ONLINE casually and competitively in all Fighting Games no matter the Country and no matter the platform. It is truly a pleasure being surrounded by intelligent and considerate people, many of whom realize that it is worth it for a Fighting Game enthusiast to own or experience fighting games on each of the various platforms. XboxFighters impressive accomplishments include hosting worldwide community Team Events, Single Lobbies, FTX’s & Tournaments (since 2019 and on multiple platforms, with KOFXV and Samurai Shodown Enhanced monthly Tournaments on the Xbox Series supported by SNK.

Tournament players set the standard and intelligent players upgrade to modern technology!

I am sincerely grateful to Lemmy Hawkins, virobloc, KrissrocK, Omega MAD, for starting up and keeping the Xbox Fighters Community alive! Also, for their efforts to keep everyone safe by tracking everyone in the Discord and relieving us of the Toxic ones.

Special Thanks goes out to:

ThrustyZol, well known in the SamSho Xbox Community as ‘President Thrust’ for his continued efforts to bring players together, weekly streaming of Xbox Fighting Games, and for his 3 year commitment to Samurai Shodown which kept the game alive on the Xbox, especially throughout the struggle when Xbox One and Xbox Series Samurai Shodown versions were found incompatible with one another.

Sorrow for always beating people up and repping XboxFighters at Offline Locals, for his continued support, tracking most channels, and for his knowledge about various games and gaming platforms

Blaze187ace for his continued support, also tracking most channels, and for his knowledge about various games and gaming platforms

Shout outs to XboxFighters:

Friends who play

Friends who compete

Friends who commentate

Friends who try to help others find games, teach tech, and stream Xbox Fighting Games!

THANK YOU XBOXFIGHTERS! Happy 3rd Anniversary!

The Asian Viking

Thanks to Lemmy and XBF I can always spread terror… uhhh meant recruit people to Church of Clarksson.. But Lemmy and the others moderator is always straight and strict when people getting out of hand. I commend XBF to be a good place for Xbox players who love fighting games and other games. Im blessed to be part of this.

- Lemmy