Some big eSports news came out of left field today, with that being an announcement by Sony which pertains to the Evolution Championship Series.
Through press release means, Sony Interactive Entertainment confirmed that it has acquired the EVO tournament in a joint partnership with the new eSports firm, RTS.
Read on for more information, which has been borrowed from the aforementioned presser:
Through this new partnership, Tony and Tom Cannon, co-founders of Evo, will continue to be closely involved as key advisors to ensure that Evo remains a one-of-a-kind, grassroots competitive platform for fighting game players and fans around the globe. This collaboration will propel Evo even further as the premier fighting game tournament and foster the continued growth of the competitive gaming community on all platforms.
With the support of world-class publishers, Evo is returning this year as Evo Online, a fully online competition taking place August 6 – 8 and 13 -15. Entry will be free, and players in North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America* will be able to compete in BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment’s Tekken 7, Capcom’s Street Fighter V: Champion Edition, Warner Bros. Games’ Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate**, and Arc System Works’ Guilty Gear™ -Strive- in an open format. The online qualifiers will be livestreamed for fans, and more details will be shared in the coming weeks on evo.gg.
“Fighting games have been a vital part of PlayStation’s legacy and our community since the very beginning, and we’ve been thrilled to partner with Evo over the years,” said Steven Roberts, VP, Global Competitive Gaming, SIE. “This joint acquisition with RTS marks a new chapter of collaboration with Evo’s co-founders, Tom and Tony Cannon, and their passionate community of fighting game fans.”
“Evo is a unique and iconic community unlike any other in the fighting game space, and we’re proud to be partnering with the SIE team and the legends that are Tom and Tony—as well as Mark Julio as Head of Business Development—to help grow Evo,” said Stuart Saw, CEO, RTS. “We’ve got so many exciting plans in store for this year and beyond.”
“Tom and I are incredibly excited by the partnership with SIE and RTS,” said Tony Cannon, co-founder of Evo. “Both companies bring a wealth of experience and share our passion for what makes the fighting game community so great. We are looking forward to working with them to launch Evo to the next level while remaining true to our roots.”