The Evolution Championship Series – commonly known as Evo – is returning this year, following a bit of an unplanned hiatus in 2020. The fighting game championship series begins June 10 and culminates with Evo 2021 Online August 6-8 and 13-15, and registration is open now.
This year, Evo begins with the Evo Community Series, which runs from June 10 – August 3. This series of events features $74,000 in cash prizes and countless hours of fighting game competitions to watch. From July 8 – August 3, Evo 2021 Online will hold a series of side tournaments for Street Fighter V, Tekken 7, Guilty Gear Strive, and Mortal Kombat 11. Note, however, that these will be held on PlayStation 4 – PlayStation acquired Evo this year, but the main event will still be “open to all platforms.”
On PC, players will compete in the Them’s Fightin’ Herds side tournament July 24. A first round is set for July 23. PC will also be included in the Evo 2021 Online main events in August. You can check out the full schedule and register for free at the official Evo website – registration for the Them’s Fightin’ Herds tournament closes July 10.
Evo Online was established last year to take the place of Evo 2020, which was originally scheduled to be held at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. When the outbreak of COVID-19 forced organisers to cancel those plans, organisers put together the online event.
However, allegations of sexual misconduct against event co-founder and CEO Joey Cueller led to the cancellation of Evo Online 2020 as well. Evo cut ties with Cueller after Bandai Namco and Capcom pulled their support from the tournament.
Now, Evo is back with new leadership and a fresh start. Time to dust off that fighting stick and practice some Shoryukens.