If you’ve been living under a rock all Spring and Summer then you’ve probably missed out on some important information in regards to ‘Evolution 2019’ (EVO for short). First off, EVO is the worlds fighting game tournament. A place where all of the best fighting players, in their respective games, gather and compete to win big or to go home as a loser (in fighting games, there is no “second place”). However, beyond the tournament scene, EVO has been evolving into a central hub for fighting games and their fans. Essentially, EVO is both a tournament and a convention for fighting games. As a convention, EVO acts as the mecca where fans can gather, make friends, fight rivals, get excited about big announcements, and spectate all of the ongoing tournaments (whether they be the main or side tournaments). Everyone who attends EVO is under the umbrella known as the Fighting Game Community (F.G.C for short). This community really knows how to hype up a crowd for a fantastic gaming spectacle.
When and Where
EVO 2019 will be taking place on August 2-4, 2019 at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas Nevada. Fighting game players and hopeful winners will be arriving in the days before EVO and staying at the hotels surrounding the tournament location. In fact, registration for the tournament is still open and will remain open until July 14, 2019, closing at 8PM PDT. So, if you wish to attend, you better register soon.
How You Can Watch From Home
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EVO has never been an easy tournament to attend due to the travel fees that the majority of attendees have to pay. This includes airfare, hotel stay, tournament registration/tickets, and other expenses. Luckily for us, due to the day and age that we live in, you can view all the hype and jaw-dropping combos right from your couch at home. With the power of streaming, fans can spectate all of the matches, pools, and finals, via Twitch, Youtube, and any other streaming source absolutely free.
What Games Can We Expect?
Being the biggest fighting game tournament means that EVO 2019 will host the most diverse choice of fighting games. So don’t worry, if you’re not a fan of Mortal Kombat 11 you can always watch Tekken 7 instead. The list of main event games will be:
- Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition
- Tekken 7
- Mortal Kombat 11
- Blazblue Cross Tag Battle
- Dragonball Fighter Z
- Under Night In-Birth
- Samurai Shodown
- Super Smash Brothers Ultimate
- Soul Calibur VI
Combined for a whopping nine-game event spread across three days. However, the top finals for these games will spread throughout Saturday and Sunday night; with Sunday night being in the arena for the four chosen grand finals.
Sunday Night Games:
- Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition
- Tekken 7
- Blazblue Cross Tag Battle
- Super Smash Brothers Ultimate
Saturday Night Games:
- Mortal Kombat 11
- Under Night In-Birth
- Samurai Shodown
- Soul Calibur VI
- Dragonball Fighter Z
EVO 2019 will also host side tournaments, that have small prize winnings, that are all set-up at the event by members of the F.G.C simply for the love of those games.
Surprises In Registration Numbers
Above is a list of the list of games that are going to be at EVO 2019; however, this is in order of which games got the most registration numbers for EVO 2019. As you can see there are some surprises that include Samurai Shodown beating out Mortal Kombat 11 considering that SamSho is a recently released title that hasn’t had a single entry in over ten years. Under Night In-Birth beating out Dragonball Fighter Z even though Dragonball is one of the most beloved anime franchises in history. We also have Tekken 7 coming out above Street Fighter V, however, SFV is losing its tournament steam and Tekken 7 keeps gaining popularity. Finally, there is Smash Ultimate with the most registered participants. Not really surprising since Smash has the biggest fanbase, sells the most units, and is the most accessible game on the list, which makes more registration understandable.
So there you have it, folks. All of the information that you can possibly need for EVO 2019. I hope all of the viewers get as hyped as we will for this highly anticipated tournament and wish luck for all of those planning to attend the world fighting game championship.
