The list of games for this year’s Evolution championship series has been revealed, and in controversial form, Super Smash Bros. Melee was not included.
The removal of a game over 17 years old may not sound like much cause for concern, but Melee has been a (much debated) staple of Evo for six years running. Out of nine titles at Evo 2018, Melee had the fifth most entrants for the titles, and was second only to Street Fighter V in online viewership. Far from a small game, then.
For the last four years, both Melee and Super Smash Bros. for WiiU (Smash 4) have both been included in each Evo. However, following the successful release of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate last year, Evo has decided that only one game from the series will suffice in 2019. Melee’s removal likely comes in part due to Ultimate appealing to both new and old fans of the series, as well as the huge number of fighting games released in recent years.
Street Fighter V, Tekken 7, BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle and Dragon Ball FighterZ all return from last year, with Melee, Smash 4, Guilty Gear and Injustice 2 all falling out from the lineup. Their removal made way for new entrants in the form of Smash Ultimate, Soul Calibur 6, Mortal Kombat 11, Samurai Shodown and Under Night In-Birth. Making the full Evo 2019 game list:
- Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
- Tekken 7
- BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle
- Dragon Ball FighterZ
- Soul Calibur 6
- Mortal Kombat 11
- Samurai Shodown
- Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late[st]
Want to watch the full reveal video for EVO 2019’s game list? We’ve embedded it below so you can see a brief glimpse of each game in action, along with a quick Q&A that follows.
Watch Evo 2019 Game Lineup Reveal! ~ 6PM PT from evo on www.twitch.tv
Evo 2019 takes place August 2-4 at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, Las Vegas.
