Sony Interactive Entertainment / PlayStation and its new esports venture RTS have announced that they have acquired the Evolution Championship Series, famously known as Evo. RTS will be led by CEO Stuart Saw and backed by investors including entertainment and sports company Endeavor.
Evo co-founders Tom and Tony Cannon will remain involved with the tournament in advisory roles to make sure that Evo continues to grow within the fighting game community. Additionally, Evo 2021 will return as Evo Online, taking place on Aug. 6-8 and 13-15. Entry into the event is free, and players from various countries in North America, Europe, Asia, and Latin America will be able to compete.
The games currently present in the lineup are Tekken 7, Street Fighter V: Champion Edition, Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate (except in Asia), and Guilty Gear -Strive-. The tournament is an open format and online qualifiers will be livestreamed for fans. More details will follow in the future.
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
Furthermore, Mark Julio, who works in business development at Evo, says that the tournament is still open to all platforms, despite now being owned by Sony. This indicates that properties from PlayStation’s competitors such as Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros. and Microsoft’s Killer Instinct will still be allowed in Evo.
Nintendo additionally provided a statement via IGN about Evo following its acquisition by PlayStation: “Nintendo has enjoyed engaging with fans at past Evo tournaments and wish the show organizers the best with their new venture. We will continue to assess Evo, and other opportunities, as we plan for future online and offline Super Smash Bros. tournament activity.”
Sadly, this acquisition did not also come with an announcement of a sequel to PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale.
