Today, Sony announced it acquired theEvolution Championship Series, better known as EVO. The purchase was made in alliance with RTS, a new esports venture from Endeavor. Nintendo has also issued a statement addressing the acquisition of EVO but not revealing much about whether or notSmash Bros.will be a part of future EVO championships. Furthermore, Nintendo seems to be planning its own championship forSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate, but is apparently good-spirited about the acquisition.
As of today, Sony and RTS own the world’s largest fighting competition. In addition to announcing the acquisition of EVO, it was confirmed that the event will be held again this year after last year’s hiatus. Tom and Tony Cannon, EVO co-founders, will continue to work together with Sony and RTS as advisors.EVO was last held in 2019, with competitions forSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate,Street Fighter 5: Arcade Edition,Tekken 7,Mortal Kombat 11,Soulcalibur 6,Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late[st],Dragon Ball FighterZ,BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle,andSamurai Shodown.
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According to IGN, Nintendo issued a statement wishing Sony and RTS good luck with their new venture. Furthermore, Nintendo seems to be planning its own championship forSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate, both online and offline. This suggests that Nintendo’s most iconic fighting game will be gettingits own independentSmash Bros.tournamentsin the future.
So far, it has been confirmed that EVO will featureTekken 7, Street Fighter 5: Champion Edition, Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate, andGuilty Gear Strive.Although EVO’s business developer Mark Julio claims that the event is open for other platforms, there is a chanceSuper Smash Bros. Ultimatecould not be returning soon to EVO tournaments.Last year, before EVO was canceled due to COVID-19 and the accusations arose against former EVO’s CEO,Super Smash Bros.was withdrawn from the event’s line-upto the fans' surprise, which was speculated to be a consequence of the game’s online issues.
Although there are no signs ofSmash Bros.in this year’s EVO, this does not mean that the iconic Nintendo game will not be included in the event ever again. According to a spokesperson, Nintendo is still consideringSmash Bros.’s participation in the legendary fighting championship. Either way,Smash Bros.will continue to have tournaments outside of EVO.
Last year, the Smash World Tour was organized without the official support of Nintendo but still managed to get a $250k prize. Nintendo has also organizedSmash Bros.events such asthe “Collision” online tournamentheld last month which focused on characters with close-to-body attacks, the Pokemon-themed tournament, and the transformation-themed tournament. Because of the huge fanbase ofSmash Bros., it would not be a surprise if Nintendo decided to organize a similar event to EVO dedicated to its iconic fighting game.
