The entire Evo 2022 lineup will be announced on Twitch on March 8, 2022. While this may seem like a cause for celebration, the Evo staff has issued a warning about a couple of popular games that will not be appearing this year.
Unfortunately, Super Smash Bros. is on the way. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Super Smash Bros. Melee (along with any other Super Smash Bros. game) will be absent from Evo. Nintendo, according to a statement left by the Evo staff, made the decision.
Super Smash Bros. was secured in 2013 thanks to a community-driven fundraiser. Melee was given a spot at Evo 2013, but it was later revealed that the event would not be streamed due to a cease and desist letter from Nintendo. The cease and desist order was lifted after community backlash, and the event was streamed normally.
Since then, every offline Evo event has featured a game from the Super Smash Bros. series as a mainstage title. Nintendo has even used Evo to promote a Super Smash Bros.-themed Nintendo Direct to be held at a later date.
However, it appears that a great deal has changed since then. It’s possible that Nintendo’s decision not to allow Super Smash Bros. at Evo this year contributed to the backlash that led to the cancellation of the event in 2020.
Sony’s joint acquisition of the Evo Championship Series, on the other hand, could have an impact on this decision. Although an Evo representative, Mark “MarkMan” Julio, confirmed at the time that Evo was still “open to all platforms,” other companies would obviously have to agree.
Nintendo’s statement at the time seemed to allude to this possibility, stating that they would “continue to assess Evo” in terms of allowing Super Smash Bros. to compete at Evo events.
Although Super Smash Bros. will not be present this year, fans can expect to see Street Fighter 5: Champion Edition, Guilty Gear Strive, King of Fighters 15, Mortal Kombat 11, Tekken 7, and a slew of other modern games.
Although Street Fighter 6 was recently announced, Capcom has yet to provide any confirmed details about the next installment in the Street Fighter series. More information about Street Fighter 6 will be released this summer, according to the teaser trailer.
As a result, it’s expected that more information about Street Fighter 6 will be revealed at this year’s Evo. The in-person event for E3 2022 has been canceled due to COVID-19, and some insiders have speculated that E3’s Digital Event may be canceled as well.
