Major eSports Tournament Officially Cancelled.
Kael Butler – 9th May 2020
When it comes to fighting games, and eSports in general, there is no greatest stage than EVO. But after almost 20 years of tournaments, rivalries, tragic defeats and inspirational victories, EVO has been cancelled for 2020. The decision has been made due to COVID-19 concerns, but many long-time fighting game fans and attendees are disheartened by the news.
This year’s tournament was set to be huge. With last year’s leaving viewers, a little underwhelmed, The EVO team pulled out all the stops to make EVO2020 something truly special. With a line up that features fan favourites such as Samurai Showdown and Dragon Ball Fighterz, to tournament mainstays such as Street Fighter V and Tekken 7. There was one thing however, that had everybody hyped: the return of Marvel vs Capcom 2.
Marvel vs Capcom series has featured on the EVO stage since the beginning. The streak only coming to the end with the discontinuation of the franchise. Marvel vs Capcom 2 holds a special place in EVO’s history. This game introduced us to fighting game legends such as, Justin Wong, Yipes and Chris G. All the tournaments hosted by EVO are open, meaning that anyone can throw their hat into the ring. However, the Marvel vs Capcom 2 tournament was set to be invitational only. This is huge, as it means that audiences were guaranteed rematches between the game’s most Iconic players.
EVO’s organisers had this to say about the decision to cancel the coming tournament, “Due to COVID-19, we are sadly cancelling Evo 2020 at Mandalay Bay and refunding all purchased tickets. But to keep the Evo spirit alive, we are bringing the event online this summer. More information coming soon!” Unfortunately, while the tournament will still be continuing online, the energy, hype and passion that came from those live audiences will be lost. But who knows, the decision to host the Tournament online may come with a lot of benefits, as well as room for innovation. It is called EVO for a reason.
