Fighting game tournament Evolution Championship Series (Evo) will return to Japan — one of the most prominent countries in the FGC scene — next year.
Evo Japan will return to Tokyo in late March and early April in 2023. Tournaments across Guilty Gear, King of Fighters, Street Fighter and Tekken are set to be played, with more games to be announced soon.
Founded officially in 2002, The Evolution Championship Series is one of the most popular fighting game competitions in the world. Since then, Evo has held numerous events in the United States and Japan. The news of Evo Japan was shared at the finals of the tournament’s latest edition in Las Vegas last weekend.
The first Evo Japan took place in 2018, however, the last edition of Evo Japan in front of a live audience took place in 2020, but only for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Speaking of the title, Evo 2022 had no Nintendo title this year after the game developer announced Super Smash Bros would not be appearing at the event.
Rick Thiher, General Manager of Evo, said: “It is joyous having Evo Japan return to Tokyo for the global fighting game community. Japan is the birthplace of competitive fighting games and we can’t wait to open the doors at Tokyo Big Sight next spring to continue celebrating their legacy with players and fans worldwide.”
The Evolution Championship Series was recently purchased by Sony, and is not jointly owned by Sony and RTS, an Endeavor esports venture. Sony also recently purchased Repeat.gg, doubling down on its esports efforts. In light of that, Evo also recently partnered with Sony’s new gaming peripheral brand INZONE.
