The registrant count for EVO 2022 has been revealed for the upcoming tournament on Aug. 5-7. A total of 8,049 players from 63 countries registered to compete in the nine main tournaments.
After two years of an in-person hiatus, EVO will finally return to hosting an in-person tournament. EVO went online temporarily in 2021 due to the pandemic, an online tournament was planned for 2020 but was ultimately dropped due to the controversy surrounding cases of sexual misconduct with the previous CEO of EVO Joey “Mr.Wizard” Cuellar.
The controversy led to the cancellation of the event after many publishers and sponsors separated themselves from the organization. Refunds and donations were made to Project HOPE after firing Mr. Wizard. In the following year, Sony and Endeavor (RTS), in a joint acquisition became the new co-owners of the tournament.
How Many Players Are Participating
At EVO 2022, the most popular game is Guilty Gear -Strive-, with a total of 2,161 players registered. Beating games such as Street Fighter V, with 1,320 players, and Tekken 7 with 1,220 players. The uptick of players is possibly due to the popularity Guilty Gear has garnered over the pandemic. The spread of praise, and its superb netcode over the two games, likely helped its popularity. Street Fighter V and Tekken 7 saw 1,929, and 1,885 entrants respectively in 2019.
It’s possible due to Street Fighter V and Tekken 7 being at the end of their lifespan, there is a decent lower player count than in previous years. The two titles have finished with their major releases in Street Fighter V’s season 5, and Tekken 7 season 4.
The King of Fighters XV is the final game to be featured in the EVO 2022 Arena Finals. The King of Fighters XV has 1,014 entered registrants. The newest King of Fighters game has seen a lot of love and a rise in popularity in the community. The series has always been popular in Latin America and Asian countries and communities. This led to the competitive scene mostly consisting of members of those communities. However, with the rise in popularity, it’ll be a new high point for the series.
The top four titles, Guilty Gear -Strive-, Street Fighter V, Tekken 7, and King of Fighters XV will share the main stage featured in the Arena Finals at the Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in LAS VEGAS, Nev.
Other Titles Include:
Dragon Ball Fighterz (636 registrants),
Granblue Fantasy Versus (528 registrants),
Mortal Kombat 11 (464 registrants),
Melty Blood: Type Lumina (411 registrants),
SkullGirls: 2nd Encore (295 registrants).
Super Smash Bros. Melee and Ultimate will not be present at the tournament or side tournament. Nintendo has not released any official explanation. Though speculations include Sony purchasing EVO, alongside partnering with Panda Global to host their own tournaments.
Compared To Other Years:
However, EVO 2022 has a much lower count of registrants compared to EVO 2019, which boasted 14,321 total contestants. However, several factors including the presence of COVID-19 and the likelihood of other financial issues prevent more possible entrants.
Regardless, members of the fighting game community look forward to seeing many of the tournaments unfold. Which top players face each other, and potential new faces rise in the community. Beyond the main tournaments, there will be other side tournaments for smaller games. As well as events such as the MultiVersus 2v2 tournament.
The Side tournaments hosted by Vortex Gallery, formerly known as AnimEVO will run many of the side events. Many titles include older entries in their respective series. Older Guilty Gear titles, Street Fighter, and Tekken will be present. Other fan favorites are also present such as BlazBlue, many Capcom Vs. titles and many other anime fighters. The total amount of side tournaments included is 55.
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