Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) have announced the Evo Community Series’ PlayStation 4 Tournaments, running ahead of EVO 2021 Online.
As previously reported, EVO 2020 was cancelled due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, and altered to EVO Online for Summer 2020. On July 2nd, 2020, EVO Online was then cancelled; due to multiple allegations of sexual harassment and abuse made against co-founder and then CEO Joey “MrWizard” Cuellar, as well as other prominent members of the fighting game community.
As the allegations came to light, multiple publishers and developers pulled support for the event, meaning EVO would have had very few game tournaments even if it had run. The “Japan Fighting Game Publishers Roundtable” seemingly took its place for announcements on new games and characters.
On March 18th, 2021, SIE and RTS (an esports event management specialist) announced they acquired the rights to EVO. The fully online competition will run from August 6th to 8th, and again from August 13th to 15th. Entry is free, with open format tournaments for Tekken 7, Street Fighter V: Champion Edition, Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate (in North America, Europe and Latin America), and Guilty Gear -Strive-.
Now, SIE VP of Global Competitive Gaming Steven Roberts has announced the Evo Community Series. Running from June 10th to August 3rd, with $74,000 USD in total prizes, and over 100 hours of broadcast.
While “over 120 tournaments across the globe will be held;” this actually breaks down into three open format competitions. Players can register via the PlayStation Competition Center or Events tab on their PlayStation 4,
You can find the full rundown on the tournaments below.#
PlayStation Tournaments FGC Arcade: Evo Edition
Dates June 10 – June 22 Regions North America, Europe Prizing $20,000 global prize pool Featured titles $20,000 global prize pool
Granblue Fantasy: Versus, Guilty Gear Strive,
Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate, Tekken 7Rules & eligibility Active PS Plus membership required. Must be 18+ and a member of an eligible country.** Void where prohibited. See full rules. Fight for glory in this pro-am tournament celebrating newcomers and underdogs. Free open qualifiers then swiss rounds will culminate in the winner challenging a pro for bragging rights and cash winnings from a $20,000 prize pool. Gain valuable insight from interviews and enjoy round table talent starring the voices of the community. For details on how to participate and watch, visit: Compete.playstation.com
PlayStation Tournaments Evo 2021 Online Warm-up
Dates June 26 – July 13 Regions North America, Europe, Latin America, Middle East, Asia Prizing $19,000 global prize pool Featured titles Guilty Gear Strive, Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate, Street Fighter V: Champion Edition, Tekken 7 Rules & eligibility Active PS Plus membership required. Must be 18+ and a member of an eligible country.*** Void where prohibited. See full rules. Itching for competition and want to get some experience in before the real fight begins? Get a taste of the tension and fury to come in Evo 2021 Online. Players who fight to the top will get a cut of a $19,000 global prize pool as well as special rewards like themes and avatars. For details, please visit: Compete.playstation.com
PlayStation Tournaments Evo 2021 Online Side Tournaments
Dates July 8 to Aug. 3 Regions North America, Europe, Latin America, Middle East, Asia, Japan Prizing $35,000 global prize pool Featured titles BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle, Dragon Ball FighterZ, Granblue Fantasy: Versus, Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Vs. Maxi Boost ON, Skullgirls 2nd Encore, Soulcalibur VI, Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late[cl-r] Rules & eligibility Active PS Plus membership required. Must be 16+ and a member of an eligible country.**** Void where prohibited. See full rules. This festival of regional events brings together communities to celebrate Evo and the FGC. Look forward to new friendships, rivalries, and that special feeling only fighting games can deliver, with a $35,000 global prize pool on the line. For details, please visit: Compete.playstation.com
More details on EVO 2021 Online will be revealed in the coming weeks.
While the news of EVO returning is sure to be a delight to some, those involved may see some changes to what is allowed to be broadcast.
During EVO Japan in 2019, the livestream was cut after two Japanese models hired to promote Dead or Alive 6 attempted to recreate the game’s jiggle physics between matches. In addition, producer and director Yohei Shimbori showed off the game’s free camera mode by zooming in on female character’s butts in swimsuits, and pausing the game while characters were in suggestive poses.
Then-President Cuellar spoke to the camera after the livestream returned, explaining the advert “does not reflect the core values of Evo or the FGC.”
In late December 2018, SIE Japan Asia President Atsushi Morita stated the then recent spate of censorship of anime-styled sexual content on PlayStation 4 games had been “to meet global standards.” This censorship was seemingly forced in Japan.
As both bodies have rejected anime style fan-service at their events (along with allegations of banning certain female costumes from being used during tournaments), this could end up dictating how fighting games are developed. We will keep you informed as we learn more.