While the world seems to be in a stand still because of COVID-19, other parts of the world are moving forward. Adapting to the challenges social distancing has brought, esports tournament Evolution looks to change up its yearly tournament which hosts over a thousand attendees. For the first time in its 20 year history EVO will be taking its competitive fighting game showcase online.
Introducing Evo Online! pic.twitter.com/ecf8gxNGUW
— EVO (@EVO) May 14, 2020
The shift from Evolution 2020 to Evolution Online brings with it new challengers. Not only will players be competing for several weekends instead of just one weekend, new games with excellent net code will be joining the existing lineup. Killer Instinct, Mortal Kombat, and Skull Girls all feature roll back netcode, an essential feature for modern fighting games.
Evolution Online Schedule
The fighting game community had its beginnings in the arcade where onlookers would watch players over their shoulders. Last year those early days of fighting games seemed to be a thing of the past as EVOÂ hosted its tournament in a giant sports arena, a scene not uncommon for today’s esports world.
According to ESPN, several other esport tournaments have either canceled their yearly event or shifted to an online setting. In Brazil the Counter Strike:Global Offensive Major was postponed until November. Combo Breaker, a premier fighting game tournament in Illinois, was canceled.
While some may be lamenting the change to an online setting, esports is showing off its flexibility unlike other physical sports. The NBA had to officially freeze its season because of the physical contact necessary. Because these competitive online games can be showcased without a physical audience, some tournaments can still run with just some minor logistic issues.
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