EVO 2024 announced its line-up and Smash Bros is still not allowed to be part of the event. However, the EVO organization hopes to see it back.
It’s that time of the year again: EVO, the biggest fighting game tournament in the world, is returning from July19 to July 21. The organization has revealed, which games will be featured on the event’s main stage.
This of course includes some popular mainstays, like Street Fighter 3 & 6 or King of Fighters, but newer fighting games like Tekken 8 and Mortal Kombat 1 will be featured as well.
- Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising (debut)
- Guilty Gear -Strive- (third appearance)
- THE KING OF FIGHTERS XV (third appearance)
- Mortal Kombat 1 (debut)
- Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike (seventh appearance)
- Street Fighter 6 (second appearance)
- TEKKEN 8 (debut)
- UNDER NIGHT IN-BIRTH II Sys:Celes (debut)
Keen-eyed readers will have noticed that one of the biggest fighting games in the world is missing: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Nintendo officially prohibited the game from being part of the event, and it hasn’t featured since 2019. However, apparently not all hope is lost.
EVO Organizers Hope For Smash Bros. Comeback
EVO General Manager Rick Thiher talked to Dexerto about the new line-up and faced some questions regarding Smash Bros. Ultimate. Thiher says he is “Always happy to host Smash. Always happy to engage with that community”. He is hopeful that in the future, Nintendo could loosen up in the future and let Smash Bros. return to EVO.
One reason for that is Nintendo’s new tournament guidelines, which initially caused a huge backlash. However, tournaments have been able to work with Nintendo and managed to hold events that seemed doomed at first. Thiher reveals he is "seeing more and more licensed events out in the market for those titles.”
While Nintendo is unpredictable, and notoriously hostile in terms of esports, there is hope that things will keep developing in a positive direction and that Nintendo will allow Smash back on the big stage.