Evolution Championship Series

Evolution Championship Series

Evolution Championship Series logo
Formerly	Battle by the Bay
Sport	Fighting games
Founded	1996
Founder	Tom "inkblot" Cannon, Tony "Ponder" Cannon, Joey "MrWizard" Cuellar, Seth Killian
Country	United States
Most recent champion(s)	SFV: Seon-woo "Infiltration" Lee SSBM: Juan "Hungrybox" Debiedma GGXrdR: Masahiro "Machaboo" Tominaga UMvC3: Christopher "NYChrisG" Gonzalez MKXL: Dominique "SonicFox" McLean KI: Darnell "Sleep" Waller PT: Hisharu "Tonosama" Abe SSB4: Elliot "Ally" Carroza-Oyarce T7:FR: Jin-woo "Saint" Choi
Most titles	Justin Wong (8)
Qualification	None (open)
Official website	evo.shoryuken.com

The Evolution Championship Series (EVO or Evo) is an annual esports event that focuses exclusively on fighting games. The tournament is a completely open tournament and uses the double elimination format.^[1] As with Super Battle Opera, contestants travel from all over the world to participate, most notably from Japan. The first Evolution was originally held as a Super Street Fighter II Turbo and Street Fighter Alpha 2 tournament called the Battle by the Bay. It changed its name to Evo in 2002. Every successive tournament has seen an increase of attendees. It has been held at various venues across the Las Vegas Valley since 2005.

History

Evo was founded by Tom Cannon, also known for his work on Shoryuken.com, a fighting game website. The tournament started as "Battle by the Bay", a 40-man Super Street Fighter II Turbo and Street Fighter Alpha 2 tournament in 1996 in Sunnyvale, California eventually moving to its recurring venue in the Las Vegas Valley.^[2][3] The event changed its name to Evolution Championship Series or EVO for short in 2002. Over time, the tournament grew, recording over one thousand participants in 2009.^[4]

Originally the tournament used arcade cabinets, but in 2004 the decision was made to move all games over to their console versions, to no small amount of controversy.^[5] During the transition to games on the seventh generation consoles, most games were played on a PlayStation 3,^[6] though Evo 2014 ran most games on the Xbox 360.^[7] Aside from the official tournaments, there is also a "BYOC" (bring your own console) area in which many different games are played and side tournaments are held.

2002

Super Street Fighter II Turbo[8]
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Jason Cole	AfroCole	Dhalsim
2nd	Shinya Ohnuki	Nuki	Chun Li, O. Sagat
3rd	Jason DeHeras	Shirts	Dhalsim
4th	Jason McGlone	Apoc	Vega
5th	Jason Nelson	xrolento	Dhalsim, M. Bison
5th	John Choi	Choiboy	O. Sagat
7th	Mike Watson	Watts	Ryu
7th	Jesse Cardenas	Jumpsuit Jesse	Ken, Fei Long

Marvel vs. Capcom 2
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Justin Wong	Jwong	Storm, Sentinel, Cyclops
2nd	Rodolfo Castro	Rowtron	Magneto, Cable, Sentinel, Storm, Captain Commando
3rd	Peter Rosas	Combofiend	Magneto, Iron Man, Sentinel
4th	Alex Salguero	SiN	Sentinel, Cable, Captain Commando
5th	Nestor Corchado	Nestor	Storm, Sentinel, Cable
5th	Daniel Maniago	Clockw0rk	Sentinel, Strider Hiryu, Doctor Doom
7th	Rattana Phanthourath	Rattana
7th	Tong Ho	Genghis

Capcom vs. SNK 2
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Hajime Taniguchi	Tokido	N-E. Honda, Blanka, Sagat
2nd	Shinya Ohnuki	Nuki
3rd		Ken	A-Yun, Iori, Cammy
4th	Tetsuya Inoue	Ino	K-Cammy, Sagat, Blanka
5th	Ryo Yoshida	BAS	A-Sakura, Akuma, Rolento, Bison
5th	Yasabe Matsumoto	Liquid Metal	N-Ryu, Chun-Li, Sagat, Blanka
7th	John Choi	Choiboy	N-Blanka, Chun-Li, Sagat
7th	Alex Valle	Calipower	N-Ryu, Ken, Blanka, Sagat

2003

Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Kenji Obata	KO	Yun
2nd	Daigo Umehara	Daigo	Ken
3rd	Keisuke Imai	KSK	Alex
4th	Tetsuya Inoue	Ino	Yun, Makoto
5th	Hsien Chang	hsien	Ken
5th	Ricky Ortiz	HelloKitty	Chun Li
7th	Mark Rogoyski	Mopreme	Ken, Chun Li
7th	Shinya Ohnuki	Nuki	Chun Li

Marvel vs. Capcom 2
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Justin Wong	jwong	Magneto/Cable/Sentinel
2nd	Ricky Ortiz	HelloKitty	Magneto/Storm/Psylocke, Storm/Sentinel/Captain Commando
3rd	Rodolfo Castro	Rowtron	Sentinel/Magneto/Cable
4th	Jason Kuan	kuaneazy	Magneto/Cable/Sentinel
5th	Josh Wigfall
5th	Randy Lew	nanoboi
7th	Sooyoung Chon	SooMighty
7th	Long Tran	ShadyK

Super Street Fighter II Turbo
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Daigo Umehara	Daigo	Ryu
2nd	Ohnuki Shinya	Nuki	Chun Li
3rd	John Choi	choiboy	O. Sagat
4th	Mike Watson	Watts	Balrog, Ryu
5th	Jason Cole	Afrocole	Dhalsim

Capcom vs. SNK 2
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Tetsuya Inoue	Ino	K- Blanka/Cammy/Sagat
2nd	Daigo Umehara	Daigo	C-Guile/Cammy/Sagat
3rd	Kenryo Hayashi	Mago	C-Honda/Chun/Blanka
4th	Ryo Yoshida	BAS	A-Blanka/Sakura/Bison
5th	Justin Wong	Jwong	C-Vega/Sagat/Blanka
5th	Amir Amirsaleh	Amir	A-Sagat/Sakura/Bison
7th	Jason Cole	AfroCole	K-Vega/Sagat/Cammy
7th	Arturo Sanchez	Sabin	C-Eagle/Sakura/Blanka

Tekken 4
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Josh Molianro	Jinkid	Jin Kazama
2nd	Anthony Tran	Jackie Tran	Jin Kazama
3rd	Wiley Adams III	TreyPhoenix	Jin Kazama
4th	Chetan Chetty	ChetChetty	Paul Phoenix

Tekken Tag Tournament
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Bong-min Kim	KBM	Jin Kazama/Devil
2nd	Ryan Hart	Prodigal Son	Jin Kazama/Heihachi Mishima
3rd	Kenbou Kawakami	TARE	Lei Wulong/King
4th	Eric Akins	JOP	Ogre/True Ogre
5th	Dong-il Shin	MaddogJin	Bruce/Bryan
5th	Anthony Tran	Jackie Tran	Ogre/True Ogre
7th	Josh Molianro	JinKid	True Ogre/Ogre
7th		Honkey #1	Jin/Heihachi

Soulcalibur II
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Daniel Vu	Dan The Nightmare (DTN)	Nightmare
2nd	Will Johnson	Semi	Astaroth
3rd	Ari Weintrab	Floe	Taki
4th	Aris Bakhtanians	Aris	Voldo
5th	Andrew Shin	X_SC2	Ivy
5th	Marquette Yarbrough	Mick	Cassandra

Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Eiji Komatsu	Chibita	Lion Rafale
2nd	Masafumi Yoshioka	Ohsu-Akira	Akira Yuki
3rd	Ryan Hart	Prodigal Son	Kage-Maru
4th	Akinori Sato	Neo Tower	Jacky Bryant
5th	Ohnuki Shinya	Nuki	Aoi
5th	Yoshihisa Ishikawa	Kofu Megane	Aoi
7th	Dong-il Shin	MaddogJin	Jacky/Lei-fei
7th	Mike Abdow	Myke	Kage-Maru

Guilty Gear XX
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Daigo Umehara	Daigo	Sol Badguy
2nd	Soh Miura	Miu	Sol Badguy
3rd	Saif Ebrahim	ID	Sol Badguy
4th	Kenryo Hayashi	Mago	Johnny
5th	David Hem	Aznhitler	Johnny
5th	Alex T	Eiji	Sol Badguy
7th	Drew Loken	Kono	Eddie
7th	Eric Choi	Zim	Baiken

2004

Evo 2004 took place at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona in Southern California from July 29 to August 1. The tournament amassed approximately 700 competitors from over 30 countries to compete in over nine different games.^[5] The games featured included Super Street Fighter II Turbo, Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, Marvel vs. Capcom 2, Capcom vs. SNK 2, Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution, Guilty Gear XX, Soul Calibur II, Tekken 4, and Tekken Tag Tournament.^[9][10]

Controversially, Evo 2004 used home consoles for most of their tournament games instead of arcade cabinets, with the only exception being 3rd Strike which used the more traditional arcade cabinets. The reason for this change was attributed to the various software and hardware limitations of arcade cabinets at the time.^[5]

Evo 2004 was also the birthplace of "Evo Moment #37", in which during the Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike tournament, Daigo Umehara (playing as Ken), while facing Justin Wong (using Chun-Li), was successfully able to parry one of Chun-Li's super moves while having very little health left and then counter with his own, winning the round and eventually the match as a result.^[11]

Although overlooked, Evo 2004's Soul Calibur II tournament was the birthplace of the collusion rule which has been used in other major fighting game tournaments to this day.^[12]

Evo 2004's Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution tournament is notable that this is the first time in the tournament's history that a non-Japanese entrant progressed to the finals in the Virtua Fighter series and that every semi-finalist used a different main character speaking to the game's often cited game balance.

Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Kenji Obata	KO	Yun
2nd	Daigo Umehara	Daigo	Ken
3rd	Justin Wong	jwong	Chun Li
4th	Toru Hashimoto	Raoh	Chun Li
5th	Keisuke Imai	KSK	Alex
5th	Katsuhisa Ota	Kokujin	Dudley
7th	Hsien Chang	hsien	Ken
7th	Mike Watson		Ken

Marvel vs. Capcom 2
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Justin Wong	jwong	Storm/Sentinel/Commando
2nd	David Lee	KingDavid	Magneto/Cable/Sentinel
3rd	Desmond Pinkney	Xecutioner	Sentinel/Storm/Commando
4th	Chris Schmidt		Magneto/Storm/Sentinel
5th	Tong Ho	Genghis	Storm/Sentinel/Commando
5th	Randy Lew		Sentinel/Cable/Captain Commando
7th	Sooyoung Chon	SooMighty	Storm/Sentinel/Commando
7th	Peter Avila	Potter	Storm/Magneto/T. Bonne

Super Street Fighter II Turbo
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Daigo Umehara	Daigo	O. Sagat, Ryu, Balrog
2nd	John Choi	Choiboy	O. Sagat, Guile
3rd	Kuni Funada	Kuni	Zangief
4th	Justin Wong	Jwong	O. Sagat, Chun-Li
5th	Alex Valle	CaliPower	Ryu, O. Sagat
5th	Wes Truelson		Ken, Balrog
7th	Jesse Howard		Ryu
7th	Seth Killian	S-Kill	E. Honda

Capcom vs. SNK 2
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Yosuke Ito	Kindevu	A-Sakura/Bison/Blanka
2nd	Ricky Ortiz	HelloKitty	A-Vega/Sakura/Blanka
3rd	John Choi	choiboy	C-Ken/Sagat/Guile
4th	Dan		C-Ken/Ryu/Sagat
5th	Justin Wong	Jwong	C-Vega/Chun-Li/Sagat
5th	Campbell Tran	Buktooth	N-Iori/Morrigan/Hibiki
7th	Eddie Lee		A-Mai/Eagle/Vega
7th	Ryota Fukumoto	RF	A-Sakura/Bison/Blanka

Soulcalibur II
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Robert Combs	RTD	Xianghua, Ivy, Voldo, Nightmare
2nd	Marquette Yarbrough	Mick	Cassandra, Sophitia, Voldo
3rd	Mystic Senior	SowNemesis	Sophitia, Cervantes
4th	Christian Gonzalez	Vicious Suicide	Yoshimitsu
5th	Steven Long	B:L	Mitsurugi
5th	Rob Nagaro	XCTU	Talim
7th	Jonathan Soon	Binkley	Cervantes
7th	Steve Hanna	Eternal Fighter	Nightmare, Xianghua

Guilty Gear XX
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Daigo Umehara	Daigo	Sol
2nd	Yosuke Ito	Kindevu	Eddie
3rd	Ryota Fukumoto	RF	Faust
4th	Kevin Turner	Shin Kensou	Chipp, Eddie
5th	Soh Miura	Miu	Sol
5th	Saif Ebrahim	ID	Sol
7th	Daniel Realyvasquez	Ruin	Eddie
7th	Peter Shou	Xenotiger	Faust, Axl

Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Hiromiki Kumada	Itabashi Zangief	Shun Di
2nd	Eric Chung	ShouTime	Sarah
3rd		Kurita	Vanessa
4th	Ryan Hart	Prodigal Son	Kage, Akira
5th	Toru Hashimoto	Raoh	Lau
5th	Adam Rana	adamYUKI	Jeffrey
7th	Che Dunkley	Cappo	Pai
7th	Jimmy Byun	Maddy	Akira

Tekken 4
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Anthony Tran	Jackie Tran	Jin
2nd	Joshua Molinaro	JinKid	Jin
3rd	Thomas Kymn	TomHilfiger	Nina, Steve
4th	Nikos Fourikis	Aenica	Julia
5th	Ryan Hart	Prodigal Son	Heihachi
5th	Jason Greeson	USMC Ogre	Paul
7th	Chetan Chetty	ChetChetty	Paul
7th		Qbert	Jin

Tekken Tag Tournament
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Ryan Hart	Prodigal Son	Jin, Kazuya
2nd	Shaun Rivera	Unconkable	Armor King, Devil, Anna
3rd	Brad Vitale	Slips	Julia / Eddy
4th	Nick Shin	Shin	Julia / Michelle
5th	Fabrizio Tavassi	Bode	Michelle / Julia
5th	Thomas Kymn	TomHilfiger	Devil / Jin, Bruce / Julia
7th	Chetan Chetty	ChetChetty	Jin / Devil, Armor King / Anna
7th	Joshua Molinaro	JinKid	Devil / King

2005

2005 was the first year Evo was held at the Green Valley Ranch casino and hotel in Las Vegas.

Tekken Tag Tournament
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Byeong-mun Son	Qudans	Jin, Kazuya
2nd	Ryan Hart	Prodigal Son
3rd	Thomas Kymn	TomHilfiger
4th	Brad Vitale	Slips
5th	Joshua Molinaro	JinKid
5th	Christopher Villarreal	Crow
7th	Dong-il Shin	MadDogJin
7th		SDZ

Capcom vs. SNK 2
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Ryo Yoshida	D44 BAS	A-Honda/Bison/Blanka
2nd	Kenryo Hayashi	Mago	C-Honda/Sagat/Blanka
3rd	Yosuke Ito	Kindevu
4th	Peter Rosas	Combofiend	A-Rock/Rolento/Eagle
5th	Ryota Fukumoto	RF	A-Sakura/Bison/Blanka
5th	Shinya Ohnuki	Nuki	N-Akuma/Chun-Li/Sagat
7th	Justin Wong	Jwong	A-Haohmaru/Mai/Vega
7th	Hahn-hoang Kim	Ohayo

Guilty Gear XX#Reload
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Ryota Fukumoto	RF	Faust
2nd	Yosuke Ito	Kindevu	Eddie
3rd	Soh Miura	Miu	Sol
4th	Martin Phan	Marn	Eddie
5th	Daniel Realyvasquez	Ruin	Eddie
5th	Kenryo Hayashi	Mago	Slayer
7th	Hajime Taniguchi	Tokido	Eddie
7th	Ryo Yoshida	Bas	Eddie

Super Street Fighter II Turbo
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st		Gian	Dhalsim
2nd	Shinya Ohnuki	Nuki	Chun-Li
3rd	Hajime Taniguchi	Tokido	Vega
4th	Phil Burnell	DSP	Vega
5th	Campbell Tran	Buktooth	Chun-Li
5th	Nick Inabnit	NKI	Chun-Li
7th	Jason Cole	AfroCole	Dhalsim
7th	Peter Hinh	illshill	E. Honda

Marvel vs. Capcom 2
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Duc Do	Ducvader	Spiral, Cable, Sentinel
2nd	Michael Mendoza	Yipes	Magneto, Storm, Psylocke
3rd	Peter Avila	Potter	Storm, Sentinel, Cable
4th	Justin Wong	Jwong	Magneto, Storm, Psylocke
5th	Ricky Ortiz	HelloKitty	Magneto, Storm, Psylocke
5th	Chris Schmidt		Magneto, Storm, Psylocke
7th	Rob Miller	Rawbzilla	Sentinel, Storm, Captain Commando
7th	Nick Cortese	Reset	Magneto, Storm, Psylocke

Tekken 5
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Christopher Villarreal	Crow	Steve
2nd	Yuji Kato	Yuu	Feng Wei
3rd	Dong-il Shin	MadDogJin	Steve
4th	Christopher Abella	jra64	Nina
5th		Hato	Bryan
5th		Mishimaster	Heihachi
7th	Josh Park	Arario	Jack-5
7th	Kenbou Kawakami	TARE	Ganryu

Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Shinya Ohnuki	Nuki	Chun-Li
2nd	Justin Wong	Jwong	Chun-Li
3rd	Yoshihiko Togawa	Nitto	Yun
4th	Masahito Tsuji	Mester	Yun
5th	Ricky Oritz	HelloKitty	Chun-Li
5th	Katsuhisa Ota	Kokujin	Dudley
7th	Ryota Fukumoto	RF	Chun-Li
7th	Joe Egami	MOV	Chun-Li

2006

Evo 2006 took place at the Red Rock Resort Spa and Casino in Las Vegas. 2006 was the first year that Capcom gave its official, public support of the Evolution tournaments. Traditionally, Evo has only included fighting games, but in 2006 it included Mario Kart DS in its lineup.^[13][14]

Dead or Alive 4
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Carl White	Perfect Legend	Gen Fu
2nd	Emmanuel Rodriguez	Master	Hayabusa
3rd	Luke Hess	thehighguy	Lei Fang
4th	Daniel Roberson	King	Hayabusa
5th	Jeremy Florence	Black Mamba	Helena / Lei-Fang
5th	Erik Argetsinger	Rikuto	Bayman
7th	Jimmy Ellis	JustOwnin	Hitomi
7th	Bill Menoutis	Tom Brady	Gen Fu

Capcom vs. SNK 2
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Yosuke Ito	Kindevu	A-Sakura/Bison/Blanka
2nd	Ricky Ortiz	HelloKitty	A-Vega/Sakura/Blanka
3rd	Peter Rosas	Combofiend	K-Ken/Sagat/Cammy
4th	Campbell Tran	Buktooth	N-Hibiki/Morrigan/Iori
5th	Justin Wong	JWong	C-Vega/Blanka/Sagat
5th	Daigo Umehara	Daigo	A-Blanka/Vega/Bison
7th	Gene Wong	Hail and Kill	A-Vega/Bison/Blaka
7th	Kim Hahn-hoang	Ohayo

Guilty Gear XX Slash Teams
Place	Player	Alias	Team Name	Character(s)
1st	Ryo Yoshida	BAS Mint Ruu	Team BAS	??? Testament Bridget
2nd	Daigo Umehara Ryota Fukumoto Yosuke Ito	Daigo RF Kindevu	Team Daigo	Eddie
3rd	Alex Garvin Peter Susini Chaz Frazer	Mozanrath FlashMetroid Mynusdono	Team Alex G	Sol
4th	Mike Boczar David Cue George	Elvenshadow Cue Juicy G	Team Mike B	Faust Sol
5th	Peter Rosas Saif Ebrahim Romel Shaheed	Combofiend ID Chaotic Blue	Team R.U.N.
5th	Paul Kugler Scott Lockhart	Koogy Spirit Juice JC Gross	Team 17 Seconds
7th	Hajime Taniguchi Kenryo Hayashi Soh Miura	Tokido Mago Miu	Team Miu
7th	Jamarr Lewis Simon Yoo Mario Mejia	JaMarvelous YooYoung YouCanWonder	Team JaMarr	Potemkin Sol Badguy ???

Hyper Street Fighter II
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Alex Wolfe	A_wolfe	ST Dhalsim, CE Bison
2nd	Jason Nelson	xrolento	ST Bison, CE Sagat
3rd	Hajime Taniguchi	Tokido	CE Bison
4th	Alex Valle	Calipower	CE Sagat, ST Ryu
5th	Daigo Umehara	Daigo	ST Ryu
5th	Graham Wolfe		ST Vega, ST Balrog
7th	John Choi	Korean Inferno	HF Ryu
7th	Quoc Hung Nguyen	AfroLegends	ST Balrog, ST Deejay

Marvel vs. Capcom 2
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Justin Wong	JWong	Storm/Sentinel/Cyclops
2nd	Alex De Sousa	Chunksta	Sentinel/Storm/Captain Commando, Magneto/Storm/Sentinel
3rd	Nick Cortese	Reset	Magneto/Storm/Psylocke, Magneto/Storm/Sentinel
4th	Sooyoung Chon	SooMighty	Magneto/Storm/Psylocke
5th	Michael Mendoza	IFC Yipes	Storm/Sentinel/Cyclops, Magneto/Storm/Psylocke
5th	Duc Do	Ducvader	Spiral/Cable/Sentinel
7th	Jason Mar	Jmar	Magneto/Storm/Sentinel
7th	Ramon Torres	Eder	Cable/Storm-Y/Cyclops

Tekken 5
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Christopher Villarreal	Crow	Steve
2nd	Bronson Tran	Bronson	Ganryu
3rd	Christopher Abella	Jra64	Steve, Roger Jr.
4th	Justin Wong	Jwong	Steve, Jack-5
5th	Rich Bantegui	Filthy	Heihachi
5th	Michael Brandt	Jinmaster	Nina
7th	Josh Park	Arario	Jack-5
7th	Anthony Tran	Jackie Tran	Nina

Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Yoshihiko Togawa	Nitto	Yun
2nd	Issei Suzuki	Issei	Yun
3rd	Shinya Ohnuki	Nuki	Chun-Li
4th	Masahito Tsuji	Mester	Yun
5th	Michael Fauson	PyroLee	Yun
5th	Hajime Taniguchi	Tokido	Chun-Li, Urien
7th	Amir Amirsaleh	Amir	Chun-Li
7th	Alex Valle	Calipower	Ken

Mario Kart DS
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Cameron Tangen	CAM	ROB
2nd	Josh Habben	Husky217	Wario
3rd	Adam Sexton		Bowser
4th	Josh Consentino	Universe	Dry Bones
5th	James Seng	J.Seng	ROB
5th	Glenn Cravens	The Game II	Waluigi
7th	James Chen	Chensor	Luigi
7th	Raphael Rodil	Illusionz	Bowser

2007

Evo 2007, officially called Evo World 2007, took place from August 24 to 26 at the Green Valley Ranch, in Las Vegas. Throughout the year there were several other tournaments held throughout the US bearing the Evo name. The game roster had eight games, Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, Capcom vs. SNK 2, Virtua Fighter 5, Marvel vs. Capcom 2, Street Fighter II Turbo, Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection, Guilty Gear XX Λ Core, and Super Smash Bros. Melee.

Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Shinya Ohnuki	Nuki	Chun-Li
2nd	Hajime Taniguchi	Tokido	Chun-Li, Urien
3rd	Alex Valle	Calipower	Ken, Ryu
4th	Mike Wakefield	Makoto Mike	Makoto
5th	Ryan Harvey	Fubarduck	Chun-Li
5th	David Hem	Aznhitler	Necro
7th	Ricky Ortiz	HelloKitty	Chun-Li
7th	Ed Ma		Ken

Capcom vs. SNK 2
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Ryo Yoshida	BAS	A-Blanka, Vega, M. Bison
2nd	Ricky Ortiz	HelloKitty	A-Vega, Sakura, Blanka
3rd	Justin Wong	Jwong	C-Vega, Chun-Li, Sagat/A-Vega, Sakura, Blanka
4th	Yosuke Ito	Kindevu	A-Sakura, M. Bison, Blanka
5th	Hajime Taniguchi	Tokido	A-Sakura, M. Bison, Blanka
5th	Campbell Tran	Buktooth	N-Iori, Morrigan, Chun-Li, Hibiki
7th	John Choi	Choiboy	C-Sakura, Ken, Sagat, Guile
7th	Peter Rosas	Combofiend	K-Ken, Sagat, Cammy

Virtua Fighter 5
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Hiromiki Kumada	Itazan	Shun Di
2nd	Ohnuki Shinya	Nuki	Aoi, Pai
3rd		Otome	Jacky
4th	Hajime Taniguchi	Tokido	Pai
5th	Mike Abdow	Myke	Kage
5th	Tetsuya Inoue	Ino	Kage
7th	Jeff Nguyen	Renzo	Brad
7th	Sean Howard		Brad

Super Street Fighter II Turbo
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Hajime Taniguchi	Tokido	Vega
2nd	John Choi	Choiboy	Ryu, O. Sagat
3rd	Graham Wolfe	GWolfe	Balrog, Vega
4th	Quoc Hung Nguyen	AfroLegends	Dee Jay, Balrog
5th	David Sirlin	Sirlin	Honda, M. Bison, Vega
5th	Nick Inabnit	NKI	Chun-Li
7th	Shinya Ohnuki	Nuki	Chun-Li
7th	Alex Valle	CaliPower	Ryu

Marvel vs. Capcom 2
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Michael Mendoza	IFC Yipes	Magneto/Storm/Psylocke
2nd	Justin Wong	Jwong	Storm/Sentinel/Cyclops, Magneto/Storm/Psylocke
3rd	Erik Arroyo	Smoothviper	Sentinel/Storm/Captain Commando
4th	Chris Schmidt	TehBoogieman	Storm/Sentinel/Captain Commando
5th	Brandon DeShields	Demon Hyo	Magneto/Storm/Psylocke
5th	Loren Riley	Fanatiq	Magneto/Storm/Psylocke
7th	Sanford Kelly	Santhrax	Storm/Sentinel/Captain Commando
7th	Peter Avila	Potter

Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Josh Park	Arario	Jack-5
2nd	Spero Gineros	Spero Gin	Eddy
3rd	Bronson Tran	Insanelee	Ganryu
4th	Derek Lee	KaNe	Devil Jin
5th	Rich Bantegui	Filthy	Heihachi
5th	Brad Vitale	Slips	Eddy
7th	Jimmy Tran	Mr. Naps	Bryan
7th	Andy Lam	725	Steve

Guilty Gear XX Λ Core Teams
Place	Player	Alias	Team Name	Character(s)
1st		Yossan Gibson	Team Yossan	I-No Eddie
2nd	Peter Susini Alex G. Martin Phan	Flash Metroid Alex G. Marn	Team Shit Talk	Jam Kurodoberi Dizzy Eddie
3rd	Ryo Yoshida	BAS Kami-chan Mint	Team Kabuki	Sol
4th	Aaron Harris John Prucha	AKA Juicy G BlackSnake	Team Matlockdown	Millia Order Sol Venom
5th	Warren Pruitt Sean Howard	Dorenk2k Sean Howard Raekwon	Team Over 9000
5th	David Cue Bob Washington	Cue Bob Washington Nebraska Keith	Team Cue
7th	Hajime Taniguchi Kenryo Hayashi Shinya Onuki	Tokido Mago Nuki	Team Tokido
7th	Soh Miura Yosuke Ito Tetsuya Inoue	Miu Kindevu Ino	Team Miu

Super Smash Bros. Melee
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Ken Hoang	SephirothKen	Marth
2nd	Hugo Gonzalez	HugS	Samus
3rd	Joseph Marquez	Mang0	Jigglypuff
4th	Christopher Szygiel	PC Chris	Falco, Fox
5th	Daniel Rodriguez	ChuDat	Ice Climbers, Pikachu
5th	Eddie Howells	Eddie	Ganondorf
7th	Kashan Khan	Chillindude	Fox
7th	Alex Fuentes	DieSuperFly	Sheik

2008

Evo 2008 took place at the Tropicana Las Vegas on the Las Vegas Strip. from August 8 to 10.^[15] The tournament would feature six games within its official roster: Capcom vs. SNK 2, Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection, Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Super Street Fighter II Turbo, and Marvel vs. Capcom 2.^[16] The Brawl tournament was widely criticized for its ruleset, which allowed items on and saw an relatively unknown player defeat Ken.^[17]

Evo 2008 also allowed attendees a preview of BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger, Street Fighter IV, Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, and Tatsunoko vs. Capcom.

Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike[18]
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Shinya Ohnuki	Nuki	Chun-Li
2nd	Justin Wong	Jwong	Chun-Li
3rd	Amir Amirsaleh	Amir	Chun-Li
4th	Hajime Taniguchi	Tokido	Chun-Li, Urien
5th	Ryan Harvey	Fubarduck	Chun-Li
5th	J.R. Rodriguez	JR	Akuma
7th	Ryan Hart	Prodigal Son	Ken, Yun
7th	Mike Watson	Watts	Yun, Ken

Marvel vs. Capcom 2
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Justin Wong	Jwong	Sentinel, Storm, Captain Commando
2nd	Alex De Sousa	Chunksta	Magneto, Storm, Sentinel
3rd	Erik Arroyo	Smoothviper	Magneto, Cable, Sentinel
4th	Chris Scott	Crizzle	Magneto, Storm, Psylocke
5th		Toan Nguyen	Magneto, Storm, Psylocke
5th	Wes Matsui	Blockable Laser	Sentinel, Storm, Captain Commando
7th	Danny Shnorhokian	MegamanDS	Magneto, Storm, Psylocke
7th	Loren Riley	Fanatiq	Magneto, Storm, Psylocke

Capcom vs. SNK 2
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	John Choi	Choiboy	C-Ken/Cammy/Sagat
2nd	Ryo Yoshida	BAS	A-Vega/Blanka/Bison
3rd	Ricky Ortiz	HelloKitty	A-Vega/Sagat/Blanka
4th	Justin Wong	Jwong	C-Vega/Iori/Sagat, C-Vega/Cammy/Sagat
5th	Hajime Taniguchi	Tokido	A-Sakura/Bison/Blanka
5th	Gene Wong	Hall & Kill	A-Vega/Blanka/Bison
7th	Campbell Tran	Buktooth	N-Morrigan/Iori/Hibiki
7th	Peter Rosas	Combofiend

Super Street Fighter II Turbo
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	John Choi	Choiboy	Ryu, O. Sagat, Ken
2nd	Shinya Ohnuki	Nuki	Chun-Li
3rd	Alex Valle	CaliPower	Ryu
4th	Hajime Taniguchi	Tokido	Vega
5th	David Sirlin	Sirlin	M. Bison, Vega, Blanka
5th		Kusumondo	E. Honda
7th	Justin Wong	Jwong	Vega, O. Ken
7th	Jason de Heras	Shirts	Dhalsim

Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Ryan Hart	Prodigal Son	Kazuya
2nd	Paco Vilaró	Gandido	Devil Jin
3rd	Mario Canales	Cano	Eddy Gordo
4th	Noel Lawrence Villadolid	Owen	King
5th	Justin Luria	Lingmassacre	Ling
5th	Rene Maistry	DJ KOR	Ganryu
7th	Reepal Parbhoo	Rip	Law
7th		Som	Feng

Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Asim Mehta	CPU	R.O.B.
2nd	Ken Hoang	SephirothKen	Marth
3rd	Ricky Diaz	Hall	Snake
4th	Kyle King	SK92	Falco
5th		Peapo	Peach
5th		Darwin	Snake
7th	Bobby	WDRM	Lucas
7th	Nicolas Henri Bardol	BarDulL	Marth, King Dedede

2009

Evo 2009 took place on July 17 to 19.^[19] Held at the Rio Convention Center, in Las Vegas, Nevada, the tournament itself would feature six game in its official roster: Guilty Gear XX: Accent Core, Marvel vs. Capcom 2, Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix and Street Fighter IV.^[20] Notably, the newly released Street Fighter IV increased Evo attendance by a considerable margin, and the tournament for it alone boasted more 1000 participants, almost three times that of the tournaments for the other games.^[21]

Street Fighter IV[22][23]
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Daigo Umehara	Daigo	Ryu
2nd	Justin Wong	JWong	Rufus, Balrog, Abel
3rd	Ed Ma		Akuma, Zangief
4th	Sanford Kelly	Santhrax	Akuma, Cammy
5th	Long Tran	ShadyK	Akuma
5th	Eduardo Pérez-Frangie	vVv Scrub	Balrog, E. Honda
7th	Takashi Hukushi	Dan	Ryu
7th	Ricky Ortiz	HelloKitty	Rufus

Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Hung Nguyen	Afro Legends	Balrog, Dee Jay
2nd	John Choi	Choiboy	Ryu
3rd	Damien Dailidenas	Damdai	Ken, Zangief
4th	Graham Wolfe	GWolf	Balrog
5th	Louis Paquin	Thelo	E. Honda
5th	David Sirlin	Sirlin	Fei Long, Cammy, M. Bison
7th	Alex Valle	CaliPower	Ryu
7th	Alex Salguero	SiN	Guile, Dhalsim

Marvel vs. Capcom 2
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Sanford Kelly	Santhrax	Storm, Sentinel, Captain Commando
2nd	Justin Wong	JWong	Storm, Sentinel, Cyclops
3rd	Michael Mendoza	IFC Yipes	Magneto, Storm, Psylocke
4th	Bill Wellman	Deus
5th	Marc Ansay	MadBooFace	Magneto, Sentinel, Captain Commando
5th	Sooyoung Chon	SooMighty	Magneto, Storm, Psylocke
7th	Jay Son	Ytwojay	Magneto, Storm, Psylocke
7th	Erik Arroyo	SmoothViper

Guilty Gear XX Λ Core Plus
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Abdullatif Alhmili	Latif	Eddie
2nd	Martin Phan	Marn	Eddie, Jam
3rd	Peter Susini	FlashMetroid	May
4th	David Lardiere	Hellmonkey	Baiken
5th	Mike Boczar	Elvenshadow	Faust
5th	Alex Tsakanikaas	Senkei	Faust
7th	Dong Yim	Wuku	Testament
7th	Philippe Tanovan	Joe Higashi	Chipp

Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike 2 vs. 2 Teams
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)	State
1st	Justin Wong Issei Suzuki	jwong Issei	Chun-Li Yun	New York Japan
2nd	Jimmy Tran Rommel Macatangay	Emphy Rom	Urien Yang	California
3rd	Mark Rogoyski Ryan Harvey	Mopreme Fubarduck	Ryu Chun-Li	Texas
4th	Alex Valle J.R. Rodriguez	CaliPower J.R.	Ken Akuma	California
5th	Lee Cephas Jaime Morin	Cephas Starboy	Dudley Ken	Texas
5th	Amir Thomas	Amir The Pad Player	Chun-Li Ibuki	California
7th	Hsien Chang Ricky Ortiz	hsien HelloKitty	Yun Chun Li	Texas California
7th	Mike Zaimont Alex Sanchez	Mike Z Sanchez	Makoto Alex	California

Soulcalibur IV
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Jonathan Ledy	Malek	Ivy
2nd	Phillip Atkinson	KDZaster	Cassandra, Astaroth
3rd	Joseph Freire	Thugish_pond	Amy, Hilde
4th		Ceirnian	Hilde
5th	Norman Sainz	Omega	Zasalamel, Nightmare
5th	Robert Combs	RTD	Hilde
7th		AlphaMale	Voldo
7th		Dreamkiller	Amy

2010

Evo 2010, held at Caesars Palace had a massive number of competitors, with Super Street Fighter IV amassing approximately 1,800 players to duel for a $20,000 guaranteed prize pot. Most notable in this EVO was Justin Wong cementing his dominance in Marvel vs. Capcom 2 in its proverbial swan song, defeating the champion of the previous year, Sanford Kelly. Also notable was Wong failing to make the top 8 in Super Street Fighter IV, falling victim first to Vance "Vangief" Wu, and soon after to Taiwanese player Bruce "GamerBee" Hsiang. Melty Blood: Actress Again was included after a poll on Shoryuken.com to decide on the final game of the tournament, beating out Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, Capcom vs. SNK 2, Marvel vs. Capcom 2, Soulcalibur IV, and The King of Fighters XII.^[24] BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger was to be included, but after a majority of the community moved on to BlazBlue: Continuum Shift, the decision was made to replace it with Marvel vs. Capcom 2. Also notable was G4's limited coverage of the event, even offering X-Play host Adam Sessler for commentary of the Super Street Fighter IV finals.^[25]

Super Street Fighter IV[26][27]
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Daigo Umehara	Daigo	Ryu
2nd	Ricky Ortiz	EG Ricky Ortiz	Rufus, Chun-Li
3rd	Seon-Woo Lee	Infiltration	Akuma, Juri
4th	Mike Ross	Mike Ross	E. Honda
5th	Bruce Hsiang	GamerBee	Adon
5th	Vance Wu	BLG Vangief	Zangief
7th	Henry Cen	Golden Cen	E. Honda, Dhalsim
7th	Shane Cummings	Shizza	Chun-Li

Tekken 6
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Hyun-kyu Park	Nin	Steve
2nd	Reepal Parbhoo	Rip	Law
3rd	Jimmy Tran	Mr. Naps	Bryan, Bruce
4th	Jim Esmersey	Devil Jim	Julia
5th	James Garrett	JustFrameJames	Law
5th	Hajime Taniguchi	Tokido	Bob
7th	Chris Villarreal	Crow	Bob, Lars
7th	Rene Maistry	GMMA Kor	Bob, Lars

Melty Blood: Actress Again
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Yoichiro Aruga	Garu	H-Kohaku, H-VSion
2nd	Steve Barthelemy	Lord Knight	H-Kohaku
3rd	Antonio Medrano	Kusanagi	H-Aoko
4th	Byron Barzabal	HF Blade	C-Ciel
5th	Brandon Lee	Brandinos	F-Ciel
5th	Yuji Tanaka	YAT	H-Tohno
7th	James Xie		C-Mech Hisui
7th	Eric Gutierrez	Numakie	C-Hisui

Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Martin Phan	EG Marn	Zero, Alex, Tekkaman Blade
2nd	Kevin Baigan	KBeast	Yatterman-1, Batsu, Megaman Volnutt, Tekkaman, Yatterman-2
3rd	Justin Wong	EG JWong	Jun the Swan, Chun-Li, Ryu, Karas
4th	Jeff Blyden	Kurasa	Doronjo, Chun-Li, Saki
5th	Brett Navarro	Psychochronic	PTX-40A, Doronjo, Soki
5th	Edward Valdez	RoyalFlush	Polimar, Ippatsuman, Tekkaman, Tekkaman Blade, Viewtiful Joe
7th	Christian Sutton	Skisonic	Gold Lightan, Ken the Eagle, Yatterman-1
7th	Adam Heart	Keits	Tekkaman Blade, Ryu, Gold Lightan

Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Darryl Lewis	Snake Eyez	Zangief
2nd		DGV	Ryu
3rd	Quoc Hung Nguyen	AfroLegends	Balrog, Dee Jay
4th	Daigo Umehara	Daigo	Balrog, Ryu
5th	Jason Cole	Afro Cole	Dhalsim
5th	Hajime Taniguchi	Tokido	Vega, E. Honda
7th	Alex Valle	CaliPower	Ryu, Sagat
7th	Ryan Cadiente	RyRy	Ryu

Marvel vs. Capcom 2
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Justin Wong	EG JWong	Storm, Sentinel, Cyclops
2nd	Sanford Kelly	EMP Santhrax	Storm, Sentinel, Cable
3rd	Daniel Maniago	Clockw0rk	Strider Hiryu, Sentinel, Doctor Doom
4th	Michael Mendoza	IFC Yipes	Storm, Magneto, Psylocke
5th	Abraham Sotelo	Neo	Sentinel, Storm, Captain Commando
5th	Chris Scott	Crizzle	Magneto, Storm, Psylocke
7th	Arthur Catigbe	Chaos Nightwolf	Sentinel, Storm, Captain Commando
7th	Robert Tim		Storm, Sentinel, Captain Commando

Super Street Fighter IV Women's Invitational
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Marie-Laure Norindr	aAa Kayane	Chun-Li
2nd	Sola Adesiji	DMG BurnYourBra	Ken, Gouken, Rose
3rd		Yellowgal	Chun-Li
4th	Lina Yu		Blanka

2011

For Evo 2011, a tournament season was announced in which players could earn ranking points at one of eight tournaments. It took place at the Rio Las Vegas from July 29 to 31, utilizing a 55,000-square-foot (5,100 m²) ballroom. All 50 states of the U.S. were represented, as well as 44 additional countries.^[28][29] On July 25, 2011, it was announced that PlayStation Home users could watch a live stream of the tournament.^[30] Evo 2011 was the most viewed event in its history, its livestream watched by over 2 million unique viewers on UStream over the course of the event.^[31]

In attendance was Street Fighter series producer Ono Yoshinori, who announced a free balance patch for Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition.^[32] Tekken series producer Katsuhiro Harada was also on hand to show new mechanics for Tekken Tag Tournament 2 and Soulcalibur V.^[33][34] Other unreleased games shown were Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, King of Fighters XIII, Skullgirls and Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike Online Edition. A Skullgirls side tournament was held in which the winner received a one-of-a-kind Skullgirls-themed arcade stick.^[35][36] Media outlets G4, GameSpot and Destructoid were all present to cover the event.^[35][37]

A notable occurrence in the Marvel vs. Capcom 3 tournament was the success of an eight-year-old named Noah Solis, whose team included Hulk, Sentinel and Albert Wesker. Solis's performance included a perfect round in less than ten seconds. Solis was eventually eliminated by Mortal Kombat finalist Chris G.^[38] In an interview with Giant Bomb, Solis's father, Moises Solis, spoke of how he intends to support his son's success in fighting games, citing video games as one way alongside education to avoid falling into gang culture.^[39]

Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition[40]
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Keita Ai	Fuudo	Fei Long
2nd	Abdullatif Alhmili	Brokentier Latif	C.Viper
3rd	Chung-gon Lee	Totalheads POONGKO	Seth
4th	Daigo Umehara	MCZ Daigo	Yun
5th	Yosuke Ito	eLive|Pro Kindevu	Yun
5th	Hajime Taniguchi	Tokido MCZ	Akuma
7th	Joshua Philpot	Wolfkrone	C.Viper
7th	Peter Susini	FlashMetroid	Zangief, C.Viper

Marvel vs. Capcom 3
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Jay Snyder	BOX Viscant	Wesker/Haggar/Phoenix, Wesker/Iron Man/Phoenix
2nd	Eduardo Pérez-Frangie	MCZ|DMG PR Balrog	Dante/Wolverine/Tron, Dante/Amaterasu/Wolverine
3rd	Justin Wong	EG Justin Wong	She-Hulk/Wolverine/Akuma, Storm/Wesker/Akuma, Wolverine/Storm/Akuma
4th	Peter Rosas	coL.CC Combofiend	She-Hulk/Taskmaster/Spencer
5th	Noel Brown	UVG Noel Brown	Wesker/Wolverine/Akuma, Wolverine/Wesker/Phoenix
5th	Ryan Ramirez	coL.CC Filipino Champ	Magneto/Sentinel/Phoenix, Magneto/Dormammu/Phoenix
7th	Tinh Ngo	Mine	Wesker/Taskmaster/Phoenix
7th	Raymond Monsada	X-Ray	Dante/Amaterasu/Magneto

Mortal Kombat
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Carl White	EMP Perfect Legend	Kung Lao
2nd	Giuseppe Grosso	vVv REO	Mileena, Cyrax
3rd	Eric Akins	JOP	Johnny Cage, Raiden
4th	Christopher Gonzalez	NYChris G	Reptile
5th	Denzell Terry	Denzell Terry	Liu Kang
5th	Steve Brownback	16 Bit	Kitana
7th	Pirrelli Trumer	ATL Redd	Liu Kang
7th	Anthony Villanueva	OnlineTony213	Kabal

BlazBlue: Continuum Shift II
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Alex Chen	Spark	Hakumen
2nd	Steve Barthelemy	Lord Knight	Litchi, Makoto
3rd	Hajime Taniguchi	MCZ|Tokido	Noel
4th	Kyle Bourne	Zong One	Carl
5th	Rob Nagaro	HeartNana	Makoto
5th	Severin Victor	Severin	Lambda-11
7th	Damien Brantley	Dsmoove12	Noel
7th		Wuku	Hazama

Tekken 6
Place	Player	Alias	Character(s)
1st	Rene Maistry	DMG|Kor	Bob
2nd	Shawn Swain	Fab	Bob, Miguel
3rd	Reepal Parbhoo	Rip	Law
4th	James Garrett	JustFrameJames	Law, Baek
5th	Christopher Villarreal	Crow	Bob
5th	Jimmy Tran	Mr. Naps	Bryan
7th	Ryan Hart	LLL|Ryan Hart	Kazuya
7th	Hajime Taniguchi	MCZ|Tokido	Bob

2012

Evo 2012 took place July 6 to 8, 2012, at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas.^[41] On January 3, Joey Cuellar announced that Evo 2012 would have 6 main tournament games, Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition (Version 2012), Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Mortal Kombat, Soulcalibur V, The King of Fighters XIII and Street Fighter X Tekken. The tournament series from the previous year returned, featuring seeding points for all six games in 17 events all across the world.^[42]

2013

Evo 2013 was announced on December 2, 2012. It was held on July 12–14 at Paris Las Vegas.^[43] On January 8, Joey Cuellar announced that EVO 2013 would have eight main tournament games, with the first seven revealed being Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition (Version 2012), Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter X Tekken (Version 2013), The King of Fighters XIII, and Persona 4 Arena. The eighth game was voted on by players via online donations, all proceeds of which went to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.^[44] The eventual winner of the poll was Super Smash Bros. Melee with $94,683 raised for that game, while the total amount of donations was $225,744.^[45] Nintendo of America initially sent a cease and desist letter to cancel the streaming of Melee matches, although after popular backlash a live stream was ultimately allowed to be carried out as planned.^[46][47] On May 7, 2013 it was announced that Injustice: Gods Among Us would be a main tournament game, thus expanding the game roster from eight to nine.^[48]

2014

Evo 2014 was announced on September 15, 2013. It was held on July 11–13, 2014 at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino^[7] On February 6, 2014, Cuellar announced that Evo 2014 would include Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Ultra Street Fighter IV, Injustice: Gods Among Us, The King of Fighters XIII, Killer Instinct, and BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma, while also mentioning that discussions were ongoing with Nintendo on the possible inclusion of Super Smash Bros. Melee.^[49] Melee was eventually officially added to the roster with Nintendo's approval.^[50][51] Tekken Tag Tournament 2 was also later added to the roster.^[52]

2015

Evo 2015 took place on July 17–19, 2015 at the Bally's / Paris Las Vegas Casino.^[53] On January 20, 2015, Cuellar announced that Evo 2015 would include Ultra Street Fighter IV, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-, Killer Instinct, Mortal Kombat X, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, Super Smash Bros. Melee, and Tekken 7.^[54]

While EVO 2015 initially was supposed to run on the PlayStation 4 version for Ultra Street Fighter IV, the tournament instead used the Xbox 360 version, due to a large number of bugs and glitches found by players in the newly released port.^[55] Cuellar also confirmed that EVO 2015 would use the technically outdated build of Persona 4 Arena Ultimax on PlayStation 3.^[56] On May 25, Cuellar confirmed that both Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U have surpassed 1,500 entrants each. Cuellar later confirmed that Ultra Street Fighter IV surpassed 2,000 entrants.^[57][58] EVO 2015 also acted as a Capcom Cup qualifier for Ultra Street Fighter IV, as well as a Killer Instinct World Cup qualifier for Killer Instinct, with both games receiving respective bonus pots of $50,000 from Capcom/Sony and Iron Galaxy/Microsoft respectively.^[59][60][61] NetherRealm and Warner Bros. have also donated $50K towards the bonus pot for Mortal Kombat X, due to the success of the Blue Steel Sub-Zero skin.^[62] In addition, Atlus has donated $10K towards the bonus pot for Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, while Arc System Works and Aksys Games donated the same amount to the bonus pot for Guilty Gear Xrd.^[63] Bandai Namco has announced that they have provided a $30K bonus pot for Tekken 7 as well as providing all competitors in said game an exclusive T-shirt featuring franchise veteran Lili and Tekken Revolution newcomer Eliza.^[64]

2016

Evo 2016 took place from July 15–17 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, while the Sunday finals took take place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. The tournament featured Street Fighter V, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR-, Mortal Kombat XL, Pokkén Tournament, Killer Instinct, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, and Tekken 7: Fated Retribution. The tournaments for Street Fighter V, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR-, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, and Mortal Kombat XL finished on Sunday.^[65] The finals for Street Fighter V was broadcast live on ESPN2 and live coverage of the tournament was available through ESPN's WatchESPN service, in addition to the tournament's regular Twitch.tv streams.^[66]

Joey Cuellar has announced record breaking numbers which includes Street Fighter V reaching more than 5,000 entrants, Smash 4 and Melee each reaching more than 2,000; Pokkén reaching more than 1,000 entrants while other games either increased or decreased.^[67] Like EVO 2015's Ultra Street Fighter IV finals, Capcom and Sony have provided a $50,000 bonus pot towards Street Fighter V's prize pool and is also a Capcom Pro Tour qualifier.^[68] The Pokémon Company has announced a $10,000 bonus pot towards Pokkén Tournament's prize pool and is a Pokkén Tournament Championship Series qualifier, with 1st and 2nd place being able to qualify for the finals.^[69] As with EVO 2015, NetherRealm and Warner Bros. have provided a $50,000 bonus pot towards Mortal Kombat XL's prize pool.^[70] Killer Instinct will be receiving a $15,000 bonus pot as part of the KI Ultra Tour funding.^[71] On July 11, Aksys Games announced a $10,000 bonus pot towards Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR-'s prize pool.^[72]

Evo Japan

In 2010, the Evolution Championship organizers announced an official spin-off to the tournament series called "Evo vs Godsgarden", to be held in Japan the following year. However, the tournament was called off following the Tohoku earthquake and postponed indefinitely. During a Nico Nico livestream following Evo 2013, Cuellar stated that he was still interested in holding a Japan-based tournament.^[73]

It was announced at Evo 2016 that a separate event simply titled "Evo Japan" is to be held in Japan.^[74] Japanese media companies Aetas, Hearts United Group, and Shochiku Broadcasting together invested a total of $1 million USD into the event.^[75] During a presentation at the Tokyo Game Show in 2016, the Evolution organizers announced that the tournament is to be held in January 2018, while some form of "pre-tournament" is to take place in 2017.^[76]

References

External links

• Official website