The Evolution Championship Series (Evo) announced details on its upcoming global flagship event (Evo USA) set to take place at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas on Aug. 1 – 3. For starters, organizers claim that participants from more than 60 countries have registered to compete across eight Arena game titles and the extended lineup tournaments, with “tens of thousands of attendees expected throughout the weekend.”
Organizers also predict that more than 6.5 million fans will tune to watch these competitions.
In addition to a slate of fighting game competitions, Evo will feature a pop-arcade, game publisher reveals, a museum exhibit featuring the art of fighting games with guest artists Shinkiro and JBStyle , meet-and-greets, curated Artist Alley, watch parties, and activations like the Burrito Bus by Chipotle.
Other planned brand collaborations include AT&T, PlayStation, Qiddiya Gaming, Nacon, Zenni, Red Bull, White Claw Zero Proof, Under Armour, Voodoo Ranger IPA, and Grand Archive TCG. Publishers and developers will also highlight new and upcoming games of interest to the fighting game community.
Partners activations include:
- Chipotle returns to launch a foil-wrapped Burrito Bus providing free transportation to a nearby Chipotle location to grab lunch using “victory-earned free entrée cards.” This year Chipotle also will launch the Burrito Meter on Twitch, an interactive burrito-shaped meter that “viewers can fill” by spamming custom Evo x Chipotle emotes during Chipotle commercials in chat. Doing this will unlock bonus “text-to-win giveaways” for free Chipotle items. Players can also earn free entrée cards for winning in round one pools, as well as Evo-themed Chipotle bags for making it out of round two pools. Chipotle Extra Match livestream enhancements will also be deployed on Twitch and the Community Lounge makes returns this year with pop-up tournaments, free items, talent meet & greets, and photo experiences, among other activations.
- AT&T will host a Crown of the Hill tournament, giving fans a chance to compete 1v1 against fighting game legends. Evo Connections Presented by AT&T will feature interactive trivia and Rock-Paper-Scissors challenge against 9-time Evo champion Jwonggg. Fans who participate will have the chance to win a variety of prizes from AT&T.
- Evo global headset partner Nacon will provide premium audio through its RIG brand, and give fans hands-on time with Hell Is Us, its upcoming action-adventure title set for official release on Sept. 4. Nacon will also host a challenge the pros at its booth, featuring elite players Kayane and Mr. Crimson.
- White Claw will promote its new non-alcoholic seltzer White Claw Zero Proof through free giveaways and host meet-and-greets with pro players Justin Wong and IFC Yipes. White Claw will also operate the “Mystery Games tournament, featuring 20+ games across retro fighting games and tabletop games for a piece of a $9,000 USD prize pool.
- Eyewear company Zenni Optical returns as the official eyewear partner, and will offer “Evo x Zenni collaboration frames” for purchase at the Evo merchandise store on the show floor and online at zenni.com/evo. Zenni will also provide custom frames for the top eight winners of the Arena tournaments and extended feature tournaments.
- Red Bull returns with its “Best Seats in the House” program, providing premium seating to lucky fans in the Evo Arena. Red Bull is also the official energy drink of Evo and will provide complimentary Red Bull onsite.
- Voodoo Ranger IPA will be the presenting partner for the Arcade at Evo, and will host the “Voodoo Ranger Pop-Up Bar” inside the Arcade.
- Under Armour returns as the official apparel partner and will offer exclusive Evo merchandise including custom t-shirts, hoodies, and shorts in the Evo store and online all weekend.
- Finally, anime-themed trading card game Grand Archive TCG will unveil a brand new set at Evo and offer game demo decks and products for sale for fans to purchase.
Main stage competitions taking place include Street Fighter 6, TEKKEN 8, Fatal Fury: City of Wolves, Guilty Gear -Strive-, Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising, Under Night In-Birth II Sys: Celes, Mortal Kombat 1, and Marvel Vs. Capcom 2.
This year’s extended line-up includes Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O., Rivals of Aether II, The King of Fighters XV, Blazblue Central Fiction, Killer Instinct, Capcom Vs. SNK 2, Samurai Shodown, and Guilty Gear XRD REV 2.
More details about Evo in Las Vegas can be found at evo.gg.