Ari Weintraub, better known in the FGC as fLoE, was a mainstay of the early fighting game scene and a prominent Soul Calibur player.
A known personality in the fighting game community for nearly two decades, Ari "fLoE" Weintraub has died. He was 39. Once a member of Evil Geniuses and known as a content creator within the FGC, fLoE was a mainstay of events such as EVO and CEO for a number of years.
A joyful personality, he's perhaps most known for on-air tournament appearances. This includes a memorable livestream during EVO 2012 in which he played through and completed the platforming hell game I Wanna Be The Guy Gaiden.
According to his obituary, "He died peacefully surrounded by loved ones after a series of strokes took his life." He passed away on October 16.
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Life in the FGC - Ari "fLoE" Weintraub
There's personalities within the fighting game community that, depending on how long you've been around, you just know. For many, that includes fLoE, whose notoriety within the scene dates back to the early competitive days of Marvel vs Capcom, Vampire Savior, and Soul Calibur.
Though never a winner of a major, fLoE came close multiple times in large-stakes tournaments. This includes a fifth place showing in Injustice at Canada Cup 2013, third at NorCal Regionals 2011 in MvC 3, and third at EVO 2003 in Soul Calibur.
If you're like me then fLoE's face was a familiar sight across a number of FGC tournaments from 2010 to 2017. Appearing on commentary and during pool play for some of the biggest fighting game tournaments of the past decade, he leaves a legacy of a well-loved personality in a scene known for big names.
Though he hadn't competed much as of late, he was a known name in streaming circles. He had 18,000 followers on his YouTube channel, and more than 30,000 subscribers to his Twitch channel. A graveside service for Ari will be held in Las Vegas on Friday.
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