Fighting game community gathering Evo has just dropped the details on its planned online-only event, Evo Online. The event, which will replace Evo 2020, will take place over five weekends in the month of July 2020. The original event, Evo 2020, was cancelled on May 2nd over concerns related to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
A tweet from the official Evo account also revealed the initial game roster:
Introducing Evo Online! pic.twitter.com/ecf8gxNGUW
— EVO (@EVO) May 14, 2020
The event promises “special exhibitions and content” based on the original Evo 2020 lineup. That Tournament of Champions lineup consisted of fighting game staples and big releases like Granblue Fantasy Versus, Dragon Ball FighterZ, Tekken 7, Street Fighter V, Samurai Shodown, Soul Calibur VI, and UNDER NIGHT IN-BIRTH Exe:Late[st]. One notable exception: Super Smash Brothers Ultimate, a game that, despite its popularity, is infamous for the poor quality of its online play.
However, Evo Online will also hold open online tournaments for Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath, Them’s Fightin’ Herds, Skullgirls 2nd Encore, and Killer Instinct. It’s worth noting that the games slated for the open tournaments all use “rollback”, an online netcode feature designed to increase the playability of fighting games in high-latency network conditions. Fighting game fans were concerned when Evo first announced its intention to shift online, as the Tournament of Champions lineup could make for an unsatisfactory experience. For the open tournaments at least, it appears Evo is favoring titles with a better reputation for their online experience.
Evo Online will take place on the following July weekends:
- July 4-5
- July 11-12
- July 18-19
- July 25-26
- July 31-August 2
More details and sign-up options will follow via Evo’s official accounts.
