Evo 2021 Showcase Announced

The Evo 2021 Showcase was officially revealed on Tuesday, returning the legendary tournament series to Las Vegas in November. With a total prize pool of $125,000, the event features Guilty Gear Strive, Mortal Kombat 11, Street Fighter V, Tekken 7 and Skullgirls.

SONY STEPS IN

Following controversy that arose in 2020 about a former co-founder, the Evo brand was acquired by Sony Interactive Entertainment and RTS. Shortly afterward, PlayStation announced Evo 2021 Online. With Sony’s involvement, Evo 2021 Online utilizes PlayStation’s online tournament features. While PlayStation adapts to the online tournament world, Evo Online highlights players who have continued to practice and compete.

Sony’s involvement raised several questions such as platform exclusivity for games and retaining the community-oriented nature of tournaments. However, Sony has already stated that exceptions could be made for including non-PlayStation games like Smash Bros.

BACK TO VEGAS

Evo returns to Vegas in November. Source: Evo

After an absence of offline events in 2020, Evo returns home to Las Vegas, Nevada later this year. Though the event features just 40 qualifying players compared to the thousands attending a usual Evo, this invitational will surely carry a similar prestige.

Hosted at UFC Apex, the event runs November 27-28 and will crown two champions per region for each game. Each game will have $25,000 available in prize money, giving players more incentive to compete in Evo 2021 Online. Evo founders Tony and Tom Cannon joined the UltraChenTV podcast to talk more about the event.

FIERCE COMPETITION

There are four regions involved in Evo 2021, between North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia. All online brackets are free to enter and will likely reach thousands of entrants due to the legacy of Evo. While Tekken 7 and Skullgirls run on PC, all other titles will be played on PlayStation platforms.

Free brackets always gather a large crowd, and top-level players like SonicFox and Punk have already tweeted about entering. Expect to see plenty more recognizable names once Evo 2021 Online brackets go live to the public.

Following recent info regarding the PS5 for fighting games, it will be interesting to see if Sony uses the new console for matches at this event. Skullgirls competitors celebrated Evo Online switching their bracket to PC, as the platform is regarded as the better choice.

EVO’S LEGACY

Many look at Evo as the pinnacle of fighting games. Source: Evo

While some argue that the fighting game community does not need a huge event like Evo overshadowing other tournaments, the return of the FGC’s largest event is worth celebrating. Legendary moments such as the Daigo parry or Lil Majin making top eight in Tekken are what give new players goals to strive for. Evo’s stage often features some of the most exciting tournaments, and 2021 aims to build on that legacy.

Evo 2019 had 9,230 total attendees at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. Though a much smaller invitational features less than one percent of that crowd, it sets up for a larger return to Vegas for the community in the future. As the community waits for the grandest stage of tournaments to return, the Evo 2021 Showcase offers a small slice of the spectacle of Evo.

STAY CONNECTED

Featured image courtesy of Evolution Championship Series

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