Joshua “Ghirlanda” Bianchi had his most successful competitive season in Tekken yet, reaching the semi-finals in the Tekken World Tour 2022 Grand Finals in Amsterdam in February. He faced tough opponents such as Daichi “Nobi” Nakayama and Jae-min “Knee” Bae, all while being cheered on by his wife and daughter.
Despite being a veteran player in the European scene, Ghirlanda believes that age is not a barrier in esports competitions, particularly in fighting games. He cited the example of Knee, who at 37 years old, is still considered the best in the game. “Age in fighting games is just a number,” Ghirlanda said.
Like many of his fellow old-school players, Ghirlanda prefers to compete in offline competitions, where he believes he performs better. Before the COVID-19 pandemic halted offline events, he had competed in five major championships in Europe. He believes that offline play is superior to online play, comparing it to two different sports: “Offline is better. It’s like comparing 100m and marathon.”
However, while the Tekken competition scene seems to be improving after the pandemic, Ghirlanda has not yet made plans to compete in the upcoming season. Financial considerations play a role in his decision, as he noted that participating in the global circuit, which will take place across the world, is not economically sustainable for him. For now, he is focused on livestreaming and content creation to gain visibility and potentially secure sponsorships or travel funding. He is also considering other games, such as Street Fighter 6.
Ghirlanda is currently working on a Tekken-related project with the Italian community and hopes to see significant growth this year. He believes that esports teams are less interested in Tekken players, particularly in Europe, as fighting games are considered a niche genre in the region. However, he thinks that Europe has some of the best young prospects in the world.
He also argued that the term “professional” should not be limited to players who join esports organizations as a living, as he himself has never received a salary to play Tekken, despite having sponsors who covered his expenses for tournaments. “I do not play Tekken for a living, but I still beat people that do it for a living. Does it mean I should be considered professional?” he questioned.
The surprise package this year said that he may sit out the next season, primarily because he doesn’t have the resources to compete globally.
“It’s not sustainable economically. I can’t do that. So I’m focusing a bit more on content creation with streaming and videos. Hopefully this will help me gather enough visibility for getting sponsors or cover my travels. Street Fighter 6 is another option!”
While he doesn’t mind being labeled as just a ‘hobbyist’, Ghirlanda is happy as long as his wife supports his quest to achieve greatness in the competitive world of Tekken.
“She supports me a lot. She made a video of it on Youtube. But at the beginning she didn’t like it much!” he laughed.
He also hopes that his daughter will follow in the footsteps of female pro players, such as Kayane, but ultimately wants her to pursue whatever hobbies make her happy. “As for my daughter, whatever will make her happy will be okay,” he said.
