KEY POINTS

  • EVO 2020 will feature nine games on the main stage, seven of which is making a comeback
  • "Marvel Vs. Capcom 2" will be returning to lineup just in time for their 20th anniversary
  • "Mortal Kombat 11" will not be included in this year's EVO, as well as "Injustice 2"

This year's Evolution Championship Series, or EVO, will maintain its grandeur as it will once again gather the best and brightest stars in one spectacular event. Nevertheless, EVO has come a long way since Battle by the Bay in 1996 and is now regarded as the World Cup of all fighting games.

With EVO 2020's game lineup revealed by president Joey Cuellar, it's safe to say that this year's event promises to be one of the best. Of the nine games that were announced, seven are making a comeback: “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate,” “Street Fighter V: Champion Edition,” “Dragon Ball Fighter Z,” “Samurai Showdown,” “Tekken 7,” “Soul Caliber 6” and “Under Night: In-Birth Exe: Late cl-r.”

Adding to the hype is the inclusion of “Granblue Fantasy Versus,” a 2.5D fighting game based on the RPG game, “Granblue Fantasy.” Another is that EVO 2020 reserved a slot for another fan-favorite, “Marvel Vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes” as a “mainline event.”

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"Marvel vs. Capcom 3" will be featured at this year's EVO tournament. Capcom

Aside from making a dramatic return since it was excluded from the lineup in 2018, “Marvel Vs. Capcom 2” will also be celebrating its 20th anniversary. In line with this, an 8-player invitational tournament was set and will feature past champs like Justin Wong, Sooyoung “SooMighty” Chon, Michael “Yipes” Mendoza and Ricky “HelloKitty” Ortiz, among others.

But with the return of “Marvel Vs. Capcom 2” came with a heavy price. This year's EVO will go on without “Mortal Kombat 11” even if the game is maintaining its DLC and popularity. Another NetherRealm Studio title that's not included in the list is Injustice 2, which made its EVO debut in 2017.

EVO 2020 will be held at the Mandala Bay in Las Vegas starting July 31 until August 2, 2020.

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