Update: The EVO 2020 game line-up has been announced and we were right for all but one game; Mortal Kombat II. Yep, it didn’t make the cut this year. But I think you’ll be happy with what is replacing it.
- Here’s the line-up:
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
- Tekken 7
- Street Fighter V: Champion Edition
- Dragon Ball FighterZ
- Samurai Shodown
- Soulcalibur VI
- Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late [cl-r]
- GranBlue Fantasy Versus
In addition to those 8 games, a Marvel vs Capcom 2 Invitational has also been announced. This will be an 8-player format, with past Marvel vs Capcom 2 EVO winners have been invited, and the other spots will be filled via a qualifier. I never expected Mahvel to be played at this capacity again, so it’s nice to see the former king return. There will also be a $10,000 pot for this event and possibly more.
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In less than 2 hours from now, Joey “Mr. Wizard” Cuellar will announce which games will make it into EVO 2020. This selection will take place on February 4, 2020, at 7 PM PT / 10 PM ET.
As with tradition, this act typically makes fans of fighting games happy, except for those who constantly see their fighter of choice being rejected. Case in point, the fans of Microsoft’s Killer Instinct, which hasn’t appeared on the EVO main stages since 2016.
I like to speculate before the official list gets released, to see if I’ve been following the fighting game scene correctly. It’s always fun to see what games I’ve gotten right and wrong. The first 5 picks I assume will be sure to make it in, with the following games being toss-ups. Let’s get started, shall we?
- Street Fighter V – I don’t think we’re ever going to see an EVO where Street Fighter isn’t going to be in it.
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – Given the popularity of Nintendo’s smash hit title, there’s no way this isn’t going to be there.
- Tekken 7
- Mortal Kombat 11
- Dragon Ball FighterZ – This one is tough, as the games’ popularity has been in decline for a while. Yet, it’s still the only game that provides the flashy and abusing gameplay from the Marvel series. Expect another GO1 vs SonicFox Grand Finals.
- Granblue Fantasy Versus – While this won’t be released in the West until March, I think that’s plenty of time to learn the game. Cygames is sponsoring EVO, and what better way than to show off your new game.
- Samurai Shodown – Still very popular and a new season pass was announced as well.
- Soulcalibur VI – Only because the game did exceptional well at EVO Japan 2020. The loser’s final was great.
- Under Night In-Birth over BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle. Last year, BB:CTB had the lowest number of entrants, which may be a reason to cut it this year.
As to correct this list is, we’ll find out at 7 PM PT / 10 PM. You’ll be able to watch the selection on the Twitch.tv/EVO page, or below.
EVO 2020 will take place from July 31st – August 2nd, 2020, and is back at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada.