In case you missed it, Evo USA 2024 took place July 19th through the 21st. As the largest fighting game tournament in the world, Evo always excites with tough competitors, amazing moments, and huge announcements, and this year was certainly no exception. A record-breaking number of competitors signed up this year, topping the ten thousand mark, the highest number for any esports event to date. And, of course, all the biggest names in the fighting game industry were there to tell their fans what to expect in the coming months.
Evo Day 1
Capcom: To promote their recently-announced Marvel vs. Capcom Fight Collection: Arcade Classics title, legendary figures from the fighting game community Justin Wong and IFC Yipes held an exhibition match in Marvel Vs. Capcom 2. These classic crossover games will finally be available on PC and current-generation consoles, complete with feature upgrades to bring them into the modern era.
Cygames: There’s a huge new 1.5 update coming in August for Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising. They’re promising a number of things, including a new character, new story, and a balance pass for the entire roster. The game is developed by Arc System Works, who has built a reputation for putting out quality fighters, so fans can expect good things in this patch.
Bandai Namco: There’s some new branded cosmetic gear coming to Tekken 8 in a surprising collaboration from Chipotle. While it might seem a little out of left field, it’s also oddly in keeping with Tekken’s at-times surreal storytelling.
Aether Studios: If you were a fan of the indie darling platform fighter Rivals of Aether, then this is sure to have you thrilled. The good people at Aether Studios revealed not one, but two characters for the upcoming Rivals 2, with one of them being the winner of a fan design contest. Additionally, they have made the bold promise that all characters released post-launch will be free for all players.
SNK: A developer panel discussed some of the new characters and features coming to Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves. The King of Fighter XV is getting two more characters, fan-favorites Vice and Mature, although it seems unlikely that this is a sign that we’ll be getting another season pass. Closing out the panel, they also told fans that a new Art of Fighting title is in development, along with a Samurai Shodown action RPG.
Evo Day 2
The King of Fighters XV: The Grand Final between Xiaohai and E.T. was decided with an Isla mirror match. Both competitors were undeniably strong Isla players, but in the end, Xiaohai took home the win with an empty jump into a low.
Mortal Kombat 1: In the final round of the Grand Final, there was a Johnny Cage mirror match between SonicFox and Nicolas. After an impressive combo by Nicolas left SonicFox hanging on by a thread. Even still, SonicFox backed their opponent into a corner through what can only be sheer intimidation and took home the win.
Under Night In-Birth II Sys:Celes: The final was between Eltnum played by Senaru and Mo.Sin’s Kuon. The last round was over in a flash as Mo.Sin couldn’t recover from Senaru’s oppressive pressure, with Senaru taking a near-perfect win.
Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike: This one played out like a “what if” version of the finals from 2004. Twenty years ago, Daigo Umehara (Ken) took home the win in the semifinals against Justin Wong (Chun-Li) in the legendary Moment #37, and then went on to lose in the finals to Kenji “KO” Obata (Yun). In 2024, Mov’s Chun-Li met Issei’s Yun in the ring. Unfortunately, Issei did not manage to execute the Daigo Parry and was finished off by a jumping punch off of Mov’s Houyoku Sen, letting Mov take home a well-deserved championship.
The Evo Awards: This year, the organizers of Evo partnered up with Qiddiya to bring to life a truly unique awards show to honor the best that the fighting game community has to offer. The best part is that the voting will be entirely up to the community; there are no committees, no politics. The show is set to debut in Las Vegas in February of 2025.
Evo Day 3
Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising: Aarondamac (Belial) took home a victory in the championship match against Tororo (Percival). Tororo put up a solid defense, but a timely raging strike broke his guard, cinching the win for Aarondamac.
Guilty Gear -Strive-: A timely Overdrive against Tatuma (Sol Badguy) sent Nitro (Jack-O) to the winner’s circle. Overwhelming pressure in the final round allowed Nitro to win by a wide margin.
Tekken 8: In a tense final round, Arslan Ash (Nina) was victorious against Atif (Feng). It looked like Atif would come back from behind and take it, but Arslan Ash pulled it out in the end with an amazing whiff-punish.
Street Fighter 6: Punk (Cammy) came back from behind in the final round against Big Bird (Jamie) with a series of brutal combos, culminating in one punctuated by a Super Art, finishing the set in spectacular fashion.
Closing Remarks
This year’s Evo was the furthest thing from a disappointment. There were exciting announcements from a variety of developers, electric finals, and showings from Evo legends. With planned updates, new characters, future titles, and even an upcoming awards show, fans have a lot to look forward to in the coming year, doubtlessly enough to tide them over until Evo 2025.
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