EVO 2022 is one of the biggest tournaments in the world, here’s what to expect as it returns on Aug. 5 in LAS VEGAS, Nev. The Evolution Championship Series, known as EVO is one of the fighting games longest running annual tournaments. After cancellation in 2020, and online for 2021, the tournament returns for in-person play for this year’s event.
Competitors from around the world will travel to the event to compete in many different tournaments for cash prizes and the opportunity to be one of the best players in the world.
How Long Will EVO Go For
The event will take place on Aug. 5-7 starting at 10 a.m. each day and ending near 10-12 p.m. depending on the events. A total of 8,049 players from 63 countries registered to compete in the nine main tournaments.
Across the weekend, the main line-up consists of popular games such as Guilty Gear -Strive-, Street Fighter V, and Tekken 7. Other main games include The King of Fighters XV, Mortal Kombat 11, Melty Blood Type Lumina, Granblue Fantasy Verus, Skullgirls, and Dragonball FighterZ. Across the nine main tournaments, Guilty Gear is the most popular with a total of 2,161 players registered.
Who Will Be Competing
Many top competitors will also be attending from around the world, EVO has confirmed up to 63 countries will compete. Top players include Victor “Punk” Woodley, Dominique “SonicFox” McLean, Christopher “NYChrisG” Gonzalez, and many more.
Many will also be competing in several games at once. Players such as SonicFox and Justin “JWong” Wong will be competing in up to six separate tournaments.
Other legendary competitors that will be traveling from out of the country include Goichi “GO1” Kishida, Daigo “The Beast” Umuahara, and Arslan Ash.
Now that there is a steady amount of in-person tournaments, competitors and fans look forward to seeing the results.
EVO will also have dozens and dozens of side tournaments hosted by Vortex Gallery. Older fighting games and other smaller titles will also be viewable on Twitch.
One other major tournament includes the MultiVerus tournament that will be held during EVO by Warner Bros. The 2v2 tournament will have a prize pool total of $100,000, starting on Aug. 5.
Possible Announcements
Other major events that take place during EVO are announcements, panels, and interviews with developers. Major announcements are usually bundled with the tournament. The announcements can range from new DLC characters to new events, and new fighting games.
They are normally a surprise, so there is no way of knowing for sure what we can expect in terms of announcements. There are some theories of what’s likely to come, however.
Capcom has been traveling around the world attending events allowing people to try the game out. They’re also making small announcements at the events. As EVO is one of the biggest fighting game events in the world, it’s safe to guarantee a new trailer will be shown. It may be as small as a single character reveal, or as big as the official release date for the game alongside several character reveals.
Possible character reveals include classic characters from Street Fighter II, III, IV, and V or brand-new characters from Street Fighter 6.
Arc System Works also recently had a survey for Guilty Gear -Strive- season 2. There may be an announcement regarding the results of the survey. Possible character reveals can be returning characters in the game’s story mode, such as Sin Kiske. Other fan-favorite characters that may return include Johnny and Slayer.
Guilty Gear creator Daisuke Ishiwatari, alongside director Akira Katano, and producer Ken Michael Miyauchi will be attending EVO.
As Tekken 7 reached its final season there might be a teaser for the next title in the series. Tekken 8 will likely be next for the series; there’s also a possibility for a new Tekken Tag Tournament.
Tekken director and producer Katsuhiro Harada always visits EVO annually and even competes in Tekken 7.
Netherrealm studio may also have news for an upcoming Injustice or Mortal Kombat title.
Updates for new titles such as the next Under Night In-Birth, or the promised rollback netcode update for Persona 4 Arena Ultimax may also be present.
While all are speculation, EVO 2022 will be an event to look forward to whether you’re a casual or hardcore fan.
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