EVO 2020 to be Hosted Online – Registrations Are Currently Open

It seems like there’s no end to the measures taken by local governments and communities in the hope that they can prevent and improve the situation in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. And while some of these restrictions are slowly being lifted, especially in countries where the local transmission rate is comparatively low, many businesses are still closed as many continue to chill at home.

The quarantine and other measures mean that lots of important events this year have been called off, to the dismay of many fans. The cancellation of popular annual shows, such as E3 and GDC, has left game fans without an avenue to celebrate the medium. That all said, one of the largest events in the Fighting Game Community (FGC) known as EVO, will be proceeding on its normal schedule, albeit in an online format this year.

This measure, while controversial, considering the community’s stance on the input lag and latency issues that stem from online play, provides a breath of fresh air in the wake of the plethora of canceled events. The online EVO will allow gamers from the United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea, and Europe to freely register and participate in this year’s tournament. While we’re not sure how the logistics will work, as there are bound to be thousands of people from around the world participating from their homes, the fact that there’s going to be an actual EVO tournament this year, to begin with, is good enough news for us.

However, in contrast with the event in other years, the lineup of games available in EVO 2020 is quite limited, only featuring four titles: Them’s Fighting Herds, Skullgirls: 2nd Encore, Killer Instinct, and Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath. This lineup is missing some of the most popular titles such as Street Fighter, Super Smash, Tekken, and even Dragon Ball FighterZ, the latter of which was recently introduced in EVO 2019 and was quickly praised as one of the best additions to the lineup of games.

It’s going to be weird having an EVO without these popular games. However, we definitely understand where they’re coming from, considering how lag-sensitive the netcode is in each of these.

In fact, only the games with a rollback netcode are featured this year due to the perceived improvements in terms of latency over other games with delay-based netcodes. Nevertheless, we’re sure there are going to be several issues popping up here and there in these games, even despite the superior netcode design. These are just things that, even today, are common when it comes to online gaming, especially in fighting games. The difference here is that a missed or delayed input on account of lag can lead to an unfair loss, so we definitely understand EVO’s stance on this.

Regardless, we’re quite excited to see what EVO has in store for us this year, even though it’s going to be from the comfort of our homes… and possibly in our pajamas; a cup of Joe in hand. If you’re in any of the aforementioned regions and would like to sign up for this year’s EVO, you can do so through the following links:

• US, Canada, and Mexico: https://smash.gg/tournament/evo-online-2020-north-america/
• Japan and South Korea: https://smash.gg/tournament/evo-online-2020-japan-south-korea/
• Europe: https://smash.gg/tournament/evo-online-2020-europe/

About EVO 2020

“The Evolution Championship Series (Evo for short) represents the largest and longest-running fighting game tournaments in the world. Evo brings together the best of the best from around the world in a dazzling exhibition of skill and hype competition, as players and fans gather to witness the action and crown a champion. Our tournaments are about more than just winning. Evo is open to anyone, featuring stations available for relaxed free-play, and offering unique opportunities to meet people from different countries and different walks of life who share the same passion. Established champions face off against unknown newcomers, and new rivals meet up and become old friends.

“In the wake of the current coronavirus pandemic, Evo is bringing the event online and teaming up with Project HOPE to help raise funds for much-needed PPE (personal protective equipment), training, and other support for frontline health workers in the U.S. and around the world who are fighting COVID-19.

“Individuals can help support by purchasing a limited edition commemorative Evo Online badge and lanyard, which includes registration for Evo Online. Registrants can enter one or more of the open tournaments, or none if they just want to support. Tournaments are currently open to US, Canada, Mexico, Japan, South Korea, and Europe registrants only.

All proceeds from this program will go towards Project HOPE’s Global COVID-19 Relief. For more information on the program, please visit https://projecthope.org/covid19”

Thanks for reading! Here at PrimeTime Amusements, we like to keep ahead of the curve in arcade game rental and sales and pride ourselves in providing the best service in the country. If you’re looking for a game in particular, or have a few questions about the industry, feel free to give us a call at 1.800.550.0090 or to swing by at 5300 Powerline Rd. Suite 210, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, 33309.