The EVO 2017 lineup was revealed earlier today to feature eight core fighting games as part of its latest tournament program.
In a Red Bull Esports live stream, founder Joey “MrWizard” Cuellar and famed player-turned-caster Mike Ross disclosed the full details. Unsurprisingly, Street Fighter V will be returning for another year as the starring game for the Evolution Championship Series. It will be joined by Super Smash Bros., another seasoned title that has been featured in the last two installments of the event.
The recently announced Injustice 2 will be taking the place of Mortal Kombat X. It’s unfortunate to see that NetherRealm Studios is still against the growth of its fighting game community. Its failure to provide commendable post-release support has once again meant the death of another game on the competitive level.
Interestingly, the EVO 2017 lineup features Tekken 7: Fated Retribution. Note that the game officially releases for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on June 2. This means that the Tekken community will have roughly a month of practice time before heading into the tournament.
The EVO 2017 lineup is as follows:
- BlazBlue: Central Fiction
- Guilty Gear Xrd Rev. 2
- Injustice 2
- King of Fighters XIV
- Street Fighter V
- Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
- Super Smash Bros. Melee
- Tekken 7: Fated Retribution
In addition to that eight games above, the community can vote to include a ninth game in this year’s championship by being part of a charity donation drive. There are nine games to choose from. The game which receives the highest donations at the end of February 8 will be part of the official EVO 2017 lineup.
- ARMS
- Killer Instinct
- Mortal Kombat XL
- Nidhogg
- Pokken Tournament
- Skullgirls
- Super Street Fighter II Turbo
- Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3
- Windjammers
Except for Injustice 2, Guilty Gear Xrd Rev. 2, and King of Fighters XIV, all the games will have their grand finals on Sunday.
EVO 2017 is scheduled to once again take place in Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, running from July 14-16.
