The Evo 2019 lineup has been announced, and the event is back up to nine titles after only featuring eight in 2018. This year’s entries range from mainstays like Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition to total surprises like Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late[st]. Did that last sentence not make any sense to you? No worries! I’m here to walk you through this year’s Evo titles one by one to help to provide some helpful context. I’ll even talk just a little bit about some of the larger snubs!

THE INEVITABLE

Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition

Evo just isn’t Evo without a Street Fighter tournament. In fact, Evo began as a tournament for Super Street Fighter II Turbo and Street Fighter Alpha 2. There has been some debate regarding if Evo needs Street Fighter or if Street Fighter needs Evo, but to me the two are inseparable. The detailed schedule hasn’t been announced yet, but I would bet money Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition will be the final game of the event.

Tekken 7

Tekken 7 had a fantastic tournament at Evo 2018. A large number of entrants and a tournament filled with exciting matches, in my opinion, made Tekken 7 a must-have for Evo 2019. Of course, a new season of DLC beginning doesn’t hurt.

Dragon Ball FighterZ

I considered categorizing Dragon Ball FighterZ as a “safe bet” rather than “inevitable” based on a string of tournament cancellations (including Evo Japan 2019!). However, I just couldn’t fathom Dragon Ball FighterZ not making it back to Evo this year. FighterZ had a record-setting number of entrants for Evo 2018, over 2,500. There was just too much to gain for all the involved parties. The only surprise is the rumor going around that Dragon Ball FighterZ will not be part of the last day of the event, instead acting as the last game on Saturday night.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

I don’t really think there’s much to say about this one. Super Smash Bros. is one of the most popular fighting game franchises out there, and Ultimate is an extremely popular title on an extremely popular system. It definitely helps that Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U are rather similar, which should make for a clean transition for the community.

THE SAFE BETS

Mortal Kombat 11

NetherRealm Studios are something of an Evo institution, having titles at every event since 2011. Mortal Kombat 11 hasn’t released yet, but it’s late April launch leaves 3 months of prep time before Evo 2019 begins in July. Injustice 2, NetherRealm’s title at Evo 2018, had the smallest number of entrants and the biggest year-over-year drop in entrants. A change was clearly necessary.

Soul Calibur VI

Not much to say here, Soul Calibur VI is a new, well-received entry in a long-running franchise. Soul Calibur VI had a good showing at Evo Japan earlier this year, strengthening its case. The only doubt I had was about what game (if any) would be dropped to make room.

THE SURPRISES

BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle

If I’m going to be honest, I’m not sure it should surprise me to see BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle return for another year at Evo. Yet here I sit, surprised. BlazBlue’s only crime is being a game I just don’t have time to follow. I will always be glad to see Arc System Works titles getting time in the spotlight.

Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late[st]

If you would have asked me about Under Night In-Birth (hereafter referred to as UNIST) before the Evo 2019 lineup reveal, I would have told you I thought the game was too old and obscure to make the main stage. I was wrong. Undoubtedly the biggest “upset” of the Evo 2019 lineup, UNIST has fought its way to this level and I’m interested in seeing what it has to offer.

Samurai Shodown

Samurai Shodown doesn’t have a release date. I’ll go ahead and repeat that: SAMURAI SHOWDOWN DOES NOT HAVE A RELEASE DATE. My initial reaction was one of excitement, given how I feel about the series, but now I can’t help but be confused. It isn’t unheard of for an unreleased game (at least as of lineup reveal) to make it into Evo (see BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle last year and Mortal Kombat 11 this year), but as far as I am aware this is the first instance of a game without a release date making the grade. A new trailer accompanied the announcement, but it only narrowed release to “early summer”.

THE SNUBS

Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2

This is the omission that hurts me the most. Guilty Gear has been one of my favorite fighting game series ever since Guilty Gear X2 on the PlayStation 2. I wanted to see Xrd make the Evo lineup, but I understand its omission. Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2 hasn’t had very good entrant numbers the past two years, bringing fewer than 1,000 combatants either year. All is not lost, however, as Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2 had much better Evo Japan numbers.

Dead or Alive 6

Dead or Alive has only featured at one previous Evo event, way back in 2004, so maybe it isn’t a huge surprise the newest entry didn’t’ make the cut. Dead or Alive has earned itself a…less than savory reputation as a game more about titillation than quality gameplay. Early trailers gave me the impression that Team Ninja decided to tone down the suggestive elements for Dead or Alive 6, but one look at the alternate costumes says otherwise. I can’t say for certain the sexual elements of Dead or Alive 6 are keeping it from Evo’s main stage, but they probably didn’t help.

Super Smash Bros. Melee

This is the big one. The story of why the Super Smash Bros. Melee community stayed with the GameCube classic instead of moving to the next entry in the series could easily be an article all its own. Long story short, the Melee community likes how Melee plays and don’t enjoy how later Smash Bros. games feel. The Melee community has persevered over the years, making the main Evo lineup seven times. But with Melee’s exclusion from Evo 2019’s main lineup, it seems Melee’s time on the main stage is likely over for good. I’m sure Melee will live on as a side tournament mainstay for years to come.

There you have it! All of this year’s Evo titles and some of the bigger snubs. Hopefully you understand what’s happening a little bit more clearly than before. Still have questions? Don’t see what the big deal about Evo is? Want to know what I meant by “side tournament”? Let me know, and I’ll make sure you’re up to speed by the big weekend in August.

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