Forget the Olympics. Heck, forget other esports. If you want to watch the truest, most thrilling test of skills, look no further than a fighting game tournament. At their highest level of play, fighting games push your body and brain to their absolute limits. They require lightning-fast reflexes and a mind so sharp it can anticipate an opponent's move. And the best fighting game players test their mettle at The Evolution Champion Series: Evo.
Evo is our favorite esports event, and on this episode of the PCMag Pop-Off, we discuss the future of Evo with guests who would know a thing or two about it. Rick Thiher is Evo’s General Manager, while Stuart Saw is the CEO of RTS, a new company that co-owns the tournament alongside Sony following a 2021 reorganization.
Heavy hitter Street Fighter 6 drops next month, so the future of fighting games looks brighter than ever. How does Evo plan to draw in this new potential audience while still servicing hardcore veterans? How has Sony’s involvement enabled Evo expansion? If you enjoy alternate controllers and control schemes, or even alternate kinds of fighting games, is Evo the tournament for you? What’s it like returning to live competition after years of pandemic-era online events? We talk about all this and additional fighting game topics.
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Evo 2023 kicks off on Aug. 4 in Las Vegas, so you better get practicing. To get ready, check out the best PC fighting games and how to buy a fight stick. And for more in-depth video game talk, visit PCMag's Pop-Off YouTube channel.