Sony made a major commitment to esports with the pickup of the world’s most popular fighting game event brand and the return of EVO Online in August.
Here at Shacknews, we have long been flying the banner of celebrating the importance of esports to the video game community and greater entertainment industry. It would appear that one of the giants in the industry has similar feelings. Earlier today, Sony announced that it has acquired the Evolution Championship Series (EVO) in partnership with RTS.
Welcoming @Evo into the PlayStation family: https://t.co/I3J5iOKhha
Sony Interactive Entertainment and new esports venture RTS have jointly acquired the Evolution Championship Series pic.twitter.com/efOkbf61lU
— PlayStation (@PlayStation) March 18, 2021
RTS is a new esports-focused venture from marketing giant Endeavor. Together with Sony, RTS will now oversee EVO operations. As part of today’s announcement, it was confirmed that EVO Online 2021 will take place this summer.
The event is scheduled for August 6-8 and 13-15. The list of confirmed titles for EVO Online 2021 are Guilty Gear -Strive- (PS4/PS5), Mortal Kombat 11: Ultimate (PS4/PS5), Street Fighter V: Champion Edition (PS4/PS5/PC), and Tekken 7 (PC). The official EVO website mentions that more games will be announced in the future.
EVO’s own Mark Julio took to Twitter after the announcement to assure fans that the acquisition does not disqualify any games or platforms from potential inclusion at EVO events.
Also very important to note. @EVO is still open to all platforms. The teams at PlayStation and RTS are enabling us to continue working with our community to support fighting games. https://t.co/NKMQUSvkfj
— Mark Julio (マークマン) (@MarkMan23) March 18, 2021
Today’s developments are arguably good news for the global fighting game community. Support from both Sony and RTS means that EVO will hopefully have an even bigger spotlight than before. EVO also stands a chance of regaining stability after a rough 2020 and reestablishing itself as one of the premier FGC events of the competitive year. Stay tuned to the Evolution Championship Series topic as we continue to watch for further news, game, and event announcements for EVO Online 2021.
Be the first to comment