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Sony Buys Out EVO, Plans on Organizing an Online Event in 2021

Here’s a bit of unexpected news: Sony and RTS have jointly acquired the venerable EVO brand and plan on... | 19. March 2021

Here’s a bit of unexpected news: Sony and RTS have jointly acquired the venerable EVO brand and plan on organizing an online-only event in 2021! We don’t have any further information when it comes to the terms of this acquisition, but it’s definitely a good move on Sony’s part. Having such a big tech giant behind a brand as recognizable as EVO can mean only good things for the fighting game community and should, in theory, ensure a more financially stable future.

If you’re looking for a more in-depth explanation as to how this whole thing came about, make sure to read EVO’s official statement:

EVO Online

After last year’s “break” (to put it as euphemistically as possible), Sony plans on organizing a brand new EVO in 2021 titled “Evo Online.” As the name suggests, it’s a virtual fighting game tournament that’ll transpire from August 6—8 and August 13—15. Participants will be able to compete in the following titles: Mortal Kombat 11: Ultimate; Street Fighter V: Champion Edition; Tekken 7, and Guilty Gear Strive.

Now, this isn’t exactly the longest list in the world and it’s definitely missing a couple of fan-favorite titles (namely Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Dragon Ball FighterZ). Still, it’s better than nothing. We can only hope that this list will grow bigger and bigger as time goes on!

Fortunately, it seems like Sony plans on retaining EVO’s “platform-agnostic” nature which essentially leaves the door open for titles that are exclusive to any non-Sony console like Killer Instinct, for instance. Nintendo, on the other hand, still hasn’t decided on how to best tackle future online and offline Smash tournaments, so that’s probably why their revered fighting game isn’t on the list.

There’s Room for Optimism

Needless to say, the many scandals that shook the FGC community last year definitely left a mark. Heck, we’re putting it mildly here. The fact that EVO has now “changed hands” is good news for everyone involved. This isn’t exactly a fresh start, but it’s the closest thing to it and we’re glad that it’s happening.

There’s still a whole lot that we don’t know about the upcoming Evo Online tournament, but at least FGC fans have something to look forward to!