This year’s Brawlhalla World Championship Expo, BCX 2025, felt a little different the moment I walked into the Gateway Center Arena in Atlanta. The venue change brings a different feel to the overall event but that actually gave the whole weekend a more personal vibe. Instead of getting swallowed up by a massive convention hall, it felt like everyone there really wanted to be there. For a game that has carved out its own lane in the platform fighter space, BCX 2025 felt like proof that Brawlhalla has fully forged its own path and is comfortable in it.
BCX has always been equal parts world finals and community meetup, and that side of it really stood out this year. You are not just watching from a distance. You are running into your favorite casters in the hall, talking to devs at panels, passing top players in the freeplay area, and bumping into creators and community members you only knew from Twitch chat. With a few freeplay stations than, plus party games like Giant Jenga, Brawlhalla themed Guess Who, chill areas, and the cosplay contest running around the show floor, it honestly felt like a giant community event that just happens to be operated by the dev team with a bigger production budget behind it.
On the esports side, BCX 2025 still hit hard. The event wrapped up Brawlhalla’s Year Ten season over three days of 1v1 and 2v2 brackets, with a 200,000 dollar prize pool on the line and the best players in the world fighting for the World Champion titles in Atlanta. Singles came down to a tense run from Marckiemoo, who powered through the top 8 and closed out an incredibly close grand finals set against BalloonBoy to claim the 1v1 crown. Doubles saw Zen and Hideaway take over the 2v2 bracket, cutting through the field and walking away as BCX 2025 Doubles Champions. North American players packed out the top spots in singles, which you could really feel in the crowd energy every time a home region favorite landed a huge read or clutch stock.
If you were not in the building, BCX still made sure you could be part of it from home. The event streamed across the official Brawlhalla Twitch and YouTube channels with in game viewership rewards for tuning in, so even online viewers were earning loot while watching the best play the game at its highest level. Between the stage matches, community setups and side activities, it was one of those events where you constantly had to pick between three cool things happening at once, which is a good problem to have for a game in its tenth year. They also did a great job of even having a stream for the panels and side events happening in the venue to be enjoyed by those watching which is a first.
Where BCX 2025 really flexed its “expo” side was in the reveals and future teases. We got confirmation of the Brawlhalla x Attack on Titan crossover bringing Eren, Mikasa, and Levi into the game, complete with new cosmetics and themed items. There was a tease for Legend 68, a dark kaiju inspired monster wielding Katars and Rocket Lance that is set to join the roster in 2026 which we got to get hands on with and can see below. On top of that, Brawlhalla: The Card Game was playable (virtually) at the event, letting people try a fast paced tabletop version of the game with Legend standees, attack cards, terrain, and more laid out in front of them instead of on a screen. The team also celebrated ten years of Brawlhalla with a new anniversary animated short and talked about what is coming next, including competitive Guilds Phase 2, in game tournaments for all skill levels, a stats rework, and tests for solo queue in Ranked 2v2. The one thing I’ll say is certain areas could use some love to keep people at the venue like more free play stations, more arcades, more chances to win prizes, titles etc.
What ties it all together is how BCX feels more like a love letter to the community than just a finale for an esports circuit. Brawlhalla might be easing some focus away from constant high stakes events and spreading more energy into long term features and casual friendly systems which in my eyes makes sense to hone in on content the community has been asking for, but BCX still feels like the heartbeat of the game. This year, even with a slightly smaller scale, it felt more concentrated and intentional. If nothing else, BCX is the perfect chance for players and fans to stand in the same space as the people who make, cast, and master the game, all while wrapped around reveals and the best Brawlhalla gameplay you can see anywhere. As long as the team keeps that spirit alive, there is a long future ahead for BCX as one of the most unique championship events in the fighting game scene.
