SonicFox

Last updated

SonicFox
SonicFox at Combo Breaker 2019 - Loser Finals.jpg
SonicFox at Combo Breaker 2019
Personal information
NameDominique McLean
Born1997or1998(age 26–27) [1]
NationalityAmerican
Career information
Playing career2012–present
Team history
2014–2015Revolution Gaming
2015–2016Critical Reaction
2017–2019 Echo Fox
2020–2023 Evil Geniuses

Dominique McLean, known professionally as SonicFox, is an American professional esports player of several fighting games. They [lower-alpha 1] have topped many tournaments, including six Evolution Championship Series (EVO) events for five different game franchises. They are the highest paid fighting game esports player in the world as of August 4, 2019, with over $719,204.94 in earnings. [3] McLean was named Esports Player of the Year at The Game Awards 2018 and included in Forbes 's 2020 "30 Under 30" for Games.

Contents

McLean is openly gay, [4] non-binary, [5] and a furry. They are known to participate in fighting game tournaments in the fursuit of their fursona, a blue-and-white anthropomorphic fox. [6]

Career

McLean's older brother, Christian, got McLean interested in fighting video games when McLean was three years old. [7] Over the next several years, while McLean continued to play games, they came into the furry fandom around the age of ten or eleven, and developed the "SonicFox" character. [6]

Around 2011, McLean was playing in non-competitive online Mortal Kombat games, and their online friends encouraged them to try their skills at an offline Mortal Kombat tournament in 2012. [8] While McLean only came in ninth at the event, they were enthralled with the competitive atmosphere, and they have continued to participate in various fighting game championships. [6]

McLean achieved a 6–0 victory at the Injustice: Gods Among Us tournament at Evo 2014. [9] News.com.au reported in December 2015 that McLean had not lost a single tournament in the previous 18 months, and that they earned $150,000 USD within the span of two weeks by winning Mortal Kombat tournaments. [10]

McLean was named the "Esports Player of the Year" at The Game Awards 2018 ceremony, earning media attention for their acceptance speech. [11] Forbes included McLean on their 2020 "30 Under 30" in the Games category. [12]

On March 18, 2020, SonicFox signed with the fighting games division of the esports team Evil Geniuses. [13]

In 2020, SonicFox was added as a background character in Skullgirls . [14]

On October 12, 2023, SonicFox announced via their Twitter that they were no longer signed with Evil Geniuses and are actively looking for a team. [15]

Personal life

McLean was raised in Townsend, Delaware. [16] As of 2018, McLean was a student at the New York Institute of Technology. [6] McLean chose to focus on academics while still maintaining a balance between their professional gaming and school life. [17] In September 2019, McLean came out on Twitter as non-binary. [5] [18] [19] McLean publicly uses singular they pronouns, reserving use of masculine pronouns only for those to whom they are close, in order to help normalize the use of singular they. [20] [2]

Notes

  1. ↑ The subject of this article identifies as non-binary and uses they/them pronouns. [2]

Related Research Articles

A fighting game is a genre of video game that involves combat between two or more characters. Fighting game combat often features mechanics such as blocking, grappling, counter-attacking, and chaining attacks together into "combos". Characters generally engage in battle using hand-to-hand combat—often some form of martial arts. The fighting game genre is related to, but distinct from, the beat 'em up genre, which pits large numbers of computer-controlled enemies against one or more player characters.

Sub-Zero (<i>Mortal Kombat</i>) Mortal Kombat character

Sub-Zero is the alias used by two fictional characters in the Mortal Kombat fighting game franchise by Midway Games and NetherRealm Studios. Both incarnations of Sub-Zero are ninja warriors of the Lin Kuei clan, principally defined by their blue attire and ability to control ice in many forms. Sub-Zero is the only Mortal Kombat character that appears in every main installment of the series, in addition to being featured as the protagonist of the 1997 spin-off Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero.

Ermac Mortal Kombat character

Ermac is a character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game franchise by Midway Games and NetherRealm Studios. Debuting as an unlockable character in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 (1995), he is an amalgam of the souls of deceased warriors and possesses telekinetic abilities. As evident in his non-canonical arcade endings of a second timeline that was first depicted in 2011 game until Mortal Kombat 11, and canonically in Mortal Kombat 1, one of the souls inside Ermac is that of King Jerrod, the late father of the series heroine, Kitana and a husband of Sindel.

<i>Mortal Kombat</i> Video game series and multimedia franchise

Mortal Kombat is an American media franchise centered on a series of fighting video games originally developed by Midway Games in 1992.

Numerous video games were released in 2011. Many awards went to games such as Batman: Arkham City, Portal 2, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Madden NFL 12, NBA 2K12, WWE '12, WWE All-Stars and Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception. 2011 also marked the worldwide release of the Nintendo 3DS.

<i>Mortal Kombat</i> (2011 video game) 2011 fighting video game

Mortal Kombat is a 2011 fighting game developed by NetherRealm Studios and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. It is the ninth main installment in the Mortal Kombat series and a soft reboot of the series. The game was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 systems in April 2011, and a PlayStation Vita port was released in May 2012. An expanded version of the game, titled Mortal Kombat: Komplete Edition, was released for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in February 2012 and for Microsoft Windows in July 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evolution Championship Series</span> Annual United States fighting game tournament

The Evolution Championship Series, commonly known as Evo, is an American annual esports event that focuses exclusively on fighting games. The tournaments are completely open and use the double elimination format. As with Super Battle Opera, contestants travel from all over the world to participate, most notably from Japan. The first Evolution was originally held as a Super Street Fighter II Turbo and Street Fighter Alpha 2 tournament called the Battle by the Bay. It changed its name to Evo in 2002. Every successive tournament has seen an increase of attendees. It has been held at various venues across the Las Vegas Valley since 2005. As of 2021, the event is jointly owned by Sony Interactive Entertainment and the Endeavor esports venture RTS.

The fighting game community, often abbreviated to FGC, is a collective of video gamers who play fighting games such as Marvel vs. Capcom, Mortal Kombat, Soulcalibur, Street Fighter, Guilty Gear, The King of Fighters, Blazblue, Super Smash Bros., Tekken, Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Vs., Dead or Alive, Samurai Shodown, Shadow Fight 2 and many others. The fighting game community started out small in the late 1990s and throughout the 2000s referred to as the grassroots era, but it has grown to a larger scale in the 2010s, with many tournaments being held around the world. This is predominantly due to the rise of esports, online gaming, and digitized viewing habits on live streaming sites such as Twitch.

<i>Mortal Kombat X</i> 2015 fighting video game

Mortal Kombat X is a 2015 fighting game developed by NetherRealm Studios and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One. Versions for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 were also due to release, but both versions were cancelled. It is the tenth main installment in the Mortal Kombat series and a sequel to Mortal Kombat (2011), taking place 25 years later after the events of its predecessor. High Voltage Software developed the Windows version of the game, with Polish studio QLOC taking over the work on it shortly after the release of Kombat Pack 1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cassie Cage</span> Mortal Kombat character

Cassie Cage is a character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game franchise by NetherRealm Studios. She debuted in Mortal Kombat X (2015) as the daughter of martial arts actor Johnny Cage and Special Forces officer Sonya Blade. Possessing the fighting prowess of her parents, she follows their footsteps by becoming a Special Forces soldier and leading a new generation of warriors in defending Earthrealm. Cassie is featured as the main hero of Mortal Kombat X's story mode and plays a prominent role in her other appearances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Echo Fox</span> Former American esports franchise

Echo Fox was an American esports organization. It was founded on December 18, 2015, by retired basketball player Rick Fox, who created Echo Fox after he purchased the NA LCS spot of Gravity Gaming. The organization had expanded into various games with teams competing in titles such as Gears of War, Call of Duty, CS:GO, Dragon Ball FighterZ, Injustice 2,Madden NFL 19, Mortal Kombat, Super Smash Bros., and Street Fighter V. Echo Fox had several fighting game players with championship titles and are a well known organization in the professional scene.

The 2016 Evolution Championship Series was a fighting game event held in Las Vegas on July 15–17. Being hosted on the twentieth anniversary of the Evolution Championship Series, the event offered tournaments for various video games, including Street Fighter V, Super Smash Bros. Melee, and Pokkén Tournament. Participation reached record-breaking numbers, with over 5,000 people registering for the Street Fighter competition alone. 2016 was the first time the Evo Grand Finals were held in an arena and were broadcast by ESPN2 in addition to Twitch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Community Effort Orlando</span> Annual fighting game event

Community Effort Orlando is an annual fighting game event held in Daytona Beach, Florida. Prior to 2018, CEO was held in Orlando, Florida. Introduced in 2010 and organized by Alex Jebailey, the event is known for its strong ties to the fighting game community. Fighting game players compete in a wrestling ring during the event's tournaments, and CEO has been a mainstay of the Capcom Pro Tour since its establishment in 2014. An annual side-event titled CEOtaku was initiated in 2015.

SoCal Regionals 2016 was a fighting game event that took place in Santa Ana, California on October 14–16. Held by Level|Up, the event featured eight tournaments, among which one of the eleven Street Fighter V Premier Events of the 2016 Capcom Pro Tour.

The 2017 Evolution Championship Series was a fighting game event held in Las Vegas on July 14–16 that was part of the long-running Evolution Championship Series. The event offered tournaments for various fighting games, such as Street Fighter V, Tekken 7, and Injustice 2. Over 10,000 people registered for the event with Tekken 7 receiving double the number of players from the previous year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MkLeo</span> Mexican professional Super Smash Bros. player

Leonardo López Pérez, better known as MkLeo and sometimes Leo, is a Mexican professional Super Smash Bros. player. He was widely considered the best Super Smash Bros. Ultimate player in the world during the pre-COVID era, and was number one in the Panda Global Rankings for the first and second half of 2019. Prior to the release of Ultimate, he was ranked as the best player in the world at Super Smash Bros. for Wii U for the first half of 2018.

The 2020 Evolution Championship Series was a planned fighting game event. While a physical event was to have been in Las Vegas from July 31 to August 2, 2020, as part of the long-running Evolution Championship Series, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the organizations cancelled the physical event, and instead planned a series of online events running from July 4 to August 2, 2020. The online event was later cancelled due to sexual misconduct allegations against organizer and co-founder Joey Cuellar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tekken Master</span> Bahraini professional esports player

Sayed Hashem Ahmed, better known as Tekken Master, is a professional esports player. He is largely credited with popularizing the esports industry in the Persian Gulf.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WePlay Ultimate Fighting League</span> Mixed Esports Fighting League based in Ukraine and US

WePlay Ultimate Fighting League (WUFL) is a fighting game esports league. Supported titles include Tekken 7 and Soulcalibur VI.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maximilian Dood</span> American YouTuber and Twitch streamer (born 1983)

Maximillian Miles Christensen, best known under the alias Maximilian Dood, is an American YouTuber and Twitch streamer. Considered a prominent figure in the fighting game community, Christensen primarily makes video content on various fighting games, such as Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat and Killer Instinct. He is also known for his grassroots efforts to organize fighting game tournaments along with his campaigns to revive various fighting game series.

References

  1. ↑ Rude, Mey (March 29, 2021). "SonicFox, 'Lebron James of Gaming,' Shows Trans Pride at Tournament". Out Magazine. Archived from the original on May 13, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  2. 1 2 @SonicFox (September 13, 2019). "So while He They does work, if I dont know ya like that or we aint close, please use they them!!" (Tweet). Retrieved September 14, 2019– via Twitter.
  3. ↑ Sonoma, Serena (August 4, 2019). "SonicFox, Gay "LeBron James of Gaming," Is Still Winning". Out Magazine. Archived from the original on May 13, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  4. ↑ @SonicFox (August 4, 2019). "Im gay And the BEST MK11 PLAYER ON THE PLANET DONT FORGET IT" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  5. 1 2 @SonicFox (September 3, 2019). "Hey ya'll! I've been thinking critically about myself these last couple of months, and my entire life perspective o…" (Tweet). Retrieved September 3, 2019– via Twitter.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Myers, Maddy; Tayamo, Paul (October 15, 2018). "Meet SonicFox, The Queer Furry Who's Destroying Everyone Else At Fighting Games". Kotaku . Archived from the original on October 15, 2018. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
  7. ↑ Lelinwalla, Mark (September 15, 2017). "Meet The Guy Who Has Your Dream Job". BET . Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
  8. ↑ Sankin, Aaron (December 10, 2015). "Dominique 'Sonic Fox' McLean is at the top of his game". The Daily Dot . Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
  9. ↑ Warr, Philippa (July 15, 2014). "The ridiculous battles of EVO 2014 you have to see". Red Bull . Archived from the original on January 18, 2024. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
  10. ↑ Dunn, Matthew (December 15, 2015). "Dominique 'Sonic Fox' McLean made $150,000 in two weeks playing Mortal Kombat". News.com.au . Archived from the original on September 22, 2020. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
  11. ↑ Alexandra, Heather (December 7, 2018). "SonicFox Steals The Show At The Game Awards". Kotaku . Archived from the original on December 7, 2018. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
  12. ↑ Perez, Matt; Cai, Kenrick (December 3, 2019). "Forbes' 2020 30 Under 30 - Games: Leading a technological and artistic revolution". Forbes . Archived from the original on September 30, 2020. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  13. ↑ Smith, Noah. "SonicFox signs with Evil Geniuses". Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 18, 2020. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  14. ↑ Walker, Ian (May 26, 2020). "Skullgirls Honors Two High-Level Queer Players In Latest Update". Kotaku . Archived from the original on October 31, 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  15. ↑ Mclaughlin, Declan (October 12, 2023). "FGC legend SonicFox leaves Evil Geniuses without a new destination". dexerto. Archived from the original on January 18, 2024. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  16. ↑ Van Allen, Eric (January 26, 2019). "How a Trash-Talking Furry Became Esports' Dominant Player". Wired . Archived from the original on August 5, 2020. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
  17. ↑ "Student Profile: Dominique "SonicFox" McLean | Box | New York Tech". www.nyit.edu. Archived from the original on October 19, 2021. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  18. ↑ Bell, Brian C. (September 5, 2019). "Evo champion SonicFox comes out as non-binary". Outsports. Archived from the original on March 3, 2020. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
  19. ↑ "SonicFox, the gay, furry, esports player of 2018, sounds off and won't stop". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286. Archived from the original on September 22, 2021. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  20. ↑ @SonicFox (September 13, 2019). "Also to clarify on my pronouns, I am alright with most of my close friends to use he or they, but I've been specifically letting the FGC only use they/them. It isn't as normalized in that environment, and am trying to change that in this space! It's been working well!!!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.