rss-bridge 2026-02-24T15:13:45+00:00

Evo is getting five more regional events and a new world championship: here's what's good, what's bad, and what matters

Evo - the largest fighting game tournament series - announced future plans to expand across the world with five new regional tournaments, a new World Championship, and plans to support local communities in the proximity of these new events. Read more

---

Evo is getting five more regional events and a new world championship: here's what's good, what's bad, and what matters

A big evolution.

[Image: Evo 2027 expansion image]

Image credit: Evo

[Image: Connor Makar avatar]

Feature

by Connor Makar
Staff Writer

Published on Feb. 24, 2026

3 comments

These five new events will be hosted in China, Brazil, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and Mexico. The announcement blog post states: "Evo will be building new, sustainable events that highlight our diverse regional communities around the globe. We are making it our mission to ensure fighting game events are available for generations of players."

The new World Championship has an interesting quirk. Not only do we not know its location or how exactly it will function within the Evo ecosystem, it will require players to: "showcase their mastery of multiple fighting games."

Then there's wider local community support, which Evo states will be one of its many focuses moving forward. "Evo will be working together with the community, on the ground level, to elevate it and help it grow," the company wrote in its announcement blog.

News of this expansion came after RTS, which was recently acquired by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, took ownership of Nodwin Gaming's share of the Evo brand. Evo, which already encompasses a main event in Las Vegas, Japan, and recently France, will be undergoing intense proliferation starting in 2027. According to its new full-owners, the Qiddiya Investment Company (QIC): "Evo's traditions, values, and identity will remain unchanged.".

There's a lot to break down here. Evo, while primarily a tournament attracting thousands of fighting game faithfuls to compete across a variety of games, has for years buttoned its coat tight over many different roles for the genre. It is also a convention, where fighting game influencers and creators can meet their fans and sell tailored goods to an impassioned audience. It has also become a stage for new reveals, where developers and publishers reveal new releases and update to the core audience. From an esports perspective, Evo events have been enveloped into the World Tours; core infrastructure, foundational to publisher-owned finales.

We'll start with the good, as there is doubtless plenty here. For one, more events at a time where money and opportunities are tight across not only the competitive gaming space, nor the video game industry, but the world entire is a good thing. More events means more work for those who work in the space. These events being spread across the globe also provide for regions that have been, frankly, underserved. South America via Brazil and Mexico, Africa via Morocco, and Saudi Arabia for the MENA region. Brazil and China make sense from a business perspective, as countries with growing gaming populations. Mexico specifically has deep roots in Western fighting game history, China is a growing force in the space, and even Saudi Arabia (while obviously included for reasons touched on later) is no stranger to competition in this genre with individuals like Abdullatif "Latif" Alhmili.

[Image: Evo event timeline from 2026 onwards.]

Suddenly the future of fighting game events is looking awfully crowded. | Image credit: Evo

This new World Championship is strange, though taking a glass half-full perspective could tie its multi-game format to older arcade culture, where players would dabble across multiple games. This, due to better network quality in fighting games and general industry trends has fallen by the wayside somewhat in recent years, with players sticking to their favourite titles rather than cross-polinating.

And of course, a pledge to support local communities is an important note, amidst concerns that a sweeping expansion of new Evos may smother community-run events in these regions. With the recent Evo France, many members of that countries' community were celebrated and employed.

Best case scenario, this means more events for more people around the world, and further enrichment of the Evo brand. With that established let's move onto the bad.

Evo's new owners, the QIC, is fully owned by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, and as such is directly tied to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia has been criticised heavily by Human Rights organisations, and the Public Investment Fund itself is tied to such abuses. What the QIC owns, the country owns, and as such Evo is now fully - inarguably - tied to this country in its attempts to sportswash its reputation. If Evo and esports in general was a highly lucrative venture that raked in profits, one could argue this has been done purely on financial merit. The problem is, it isn't. Most fighting game majors run at a loss, with Evo making thin margins based on sponsors and advertisement. As such, there's an ethical dilemma people must contend with.

[Image: Evo France Street Fighter 6 top 8 winners.]

Evo France kicked off its premier event in 2025. | Image credit: Evo / RTS / Elliot Le Corre

Through this lens Evo's spread is not one of typical corporate growth nor gradual sustainable outreach, but an extensive of influence. The inclusion of an Evo in Saudi Arabia should be a surprise to very few up-to-date on Evo's history since its acquisition. It has been discussed in Evo media rooms, on the tournament floor, and in the secluded smoking areas at these events for years. I would know, I've been there myself.

There's also the question of diluting the brand. Evo (Vegas) has been, and currently still is, the Superbowl of fighting game events. It is the place to be, filling the largest convention centre in America. Evo Japan, a smaller event, has managed to minimally impact this prestige. Evo France, too, may have managed to do the same though, given its recency, its impact is hard to measure. Three events, it seems, is not too much to throw Evo off balance.

But nine? Nine Evo events, plus a World Championship? Even those who care little about Evo's place on some pedestal can surely not disregard that a leap to nine Evo events does make what is currently a big annual occasion plus a few extras into part of the furniture. Another two months, another Evo. Also, the idea of having another "World Championship". Excuse me if I didn't get the memo, but I was under the impression that Evo Vegas was the World Championship?

I'm also concerned about the impact these events will have on their local communities. While the pledge to support locals is great, one must only look at Evo France to see the ramifications of more Evo events at a time when wallets are light among attendees. France's Ultimate Fighting Arena suffered due to its proximity in the calendar to Evo France. If there are all these Evo events happening in 2027, make no mistake, will squeeze community-grown events out of the calendar for good. While I have no doubt this reality will tear at the hearts of those at Evo entrenched in the community, I doubt this is of any concern to its new owners.

I would ask fighting game enthusiasts this: if Brazil gains a new Evo starting from 2027, but loses Battle Coliseum (a grassroots major hosted in Sao Paulo), would it actually gain something meaningful? Or would what's actually important fall by the wayside?

What you should take away from this news is simple. Evolution is, well, evolving as part of Saudi Arabia's growing involvement in the video game industry. It's doing so at speed, perhaps too forcefully, but the board is essentially theirs now to do with whatever they wish. Done with consideration for the community-driven events around it, something the Evo team surely cares about, there's absolutely a possibility that the average enthusiast will benefit greatly. But done hamfistedly, without care, and the repercussions could very well be a deforestation of sorts, a felling of community hubs to make room for geopolitical interests.

---

[Original source](https://www.eurogamer.net/evo-is-getting-five-more-regional-events-and-a-new-world-championship-heres-whats-good-whats-bad-and-what-matters)