EVO 2019 is Just Around the Corner: Here’s What We Might See

There are plenty of gaming events that come around every year. Most are aware of E3 and the Game Awards for starters, and plenty of people flock to events like Gamescom and TGS as well. But one of the most exciting gaming events of the year for us is EVO, the biggest fighting game tournament of the year. This tournament, which once started as little more than a gathering of fans, has become the single biggest fighting game event there is, welcoming competitors and companies alike to attend in person.

With related companies typically in attendance, in fact, the show has also become a reliable platform of sorts for different high-profile announcements and exciting reveals. This year’s EVO is sure to be no different, so we’re taking a look at some of the potential announcements we could see in a few short weeks.

Street Fighter V: Season 4

Street Fighter V already boasts the largest roster of any Street Fighter game to date, but it doesn’t seem like the franchise is going to stop expanding anytime soon. The release of Kage as a standalone character may have seemed like a signal of the end of DLC support, but recent teases leading up to EVO have started to sway opinion back in the other direction. With heavily-hinted-at characters like Rose and E. Honda still waiting in the wings, we’re going to say roster expansion is a likely announcement at this year’s event.

A Nintendo Direct

This suggestion, by contrast, is a bit of a long shot – but still possible. Last year’s Smash Bros. finals featured the reveal of a Nintendo Direct’s date, but at that time, Smash Ultimate still had yet to be released. Now, with the full game out, there’s considerably less to go over, especially with The Hero likely to be released by the end of the month. Banjo-Kazooie and two other characters are still on their way though, and Nintendo will need somewhere to reveal more about them, which means this is at least conceivable. Again though, this is probably less likely than some of our other predictions.

New Sponsors

A tried-and-true tradition that occurs every EVO is the announcement of new and returning sponsors donating their time and money to help the event become that much larger. There’s no telling which new sponsors will be announced of course, but our bet is on EVO’s organizers taking advantage of the growing U.S. betting scene. With New Jersey and Pennsylvania having established online sportsbooks and more states looking to follow in their footsteps, betting companies are quickly gaining visibility on the American sports scene. And with betting markets also developing in eSports, the fit seems about right. For that matter, one such sponsor could even set up some kind of wagering system specifically for the event – though if we had to make a prediction in that regard we’d guess it may take another year or two to get to that point.

Kazuma Kiryu in Tekken 7

We’ll wrap up with perhaps our most specific prediction. Ever since Tekken 7 started regularly adding guest characters like Akuma and Negan, fans have been persistent in asking for one character in particular to join the brawl: Kazuma Kiryu, from the beloved Yakuza franchise. This lovable Japanese mobster (not a phrase you hear often) has done plenty of brawling during his career, and he’d make a great fit for the game, even if he’s remained absent so far. If he is going to join the roster, EVO would be the perfect occasion for the announcement. We’re going to put the chances at about 50/50 on this one though.

Mohsen Daemi
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