EVO is the grandest stage of them all if you’re into fighting games. The Super Bowl. The World Series. Held in a hotel ballroom filled with the top fighting game players in the world and many, many onlookers amazed at the superhuman feats accomplished in a digital space. A handful of hours ago we began to get some official information about this year’s tournament, including the lineup of games that will be there.
The nine games that will be at EVO 2016 are:
- Guilty Gear Xrd Revelator
- Killer Instinct
- Mortal Kombat X
- Pokken Tournament
- Street Fighter V
- Super Smash Bros. Melee
- Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
- Tekken 7: Fated Retribution
- Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3
That’s quite a list. Street Fighter V making its first appearance ahead of its lauded release. Marvel vs. Capcom 3 somehow, someway, staying alive. Maybe Marvel’s unique style, and certainly its passionate fans, are giving that game enough of a pulse to place it at EVO. Fated Retribution is the still unreleased update to Tekken 7 which will include new characters such as Akuma from Street Fighter. Then you have both Smash Bros. games which has to sting to fans of games like Persona Ultimax or even Ultra Street Fighter IV. And then there’s Pokken Tournament. That games looks like fun, but by all accounts that game isn’t set up well for local tournament style play.
Overall EVO seems to be growing and handling these diverse, boisterious, and demanding subgenres within the fighting game community will be fansinating to watch. And if you still don’t believe me that EVO is eSports check out the 12,000 seat event space the EVO finals will be held in this year.
EVO goes full esports: 2016 to be held at the LVCC with the finals at the 12,000 seat Mandalay Bay Event Center. pic.twitter.com/hdRxW1WKqi
— Rod Breslau (@Slasher) January 27, 2016
