EVO 2020 to take place online, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate cut from lineup

Evo Online
Evo Online (Image credit: iMore)

What you need to know

  • The Evolution Championship Series (EVO) is an annual esports tournament that focuses solely on fighting games.
  • Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the in-person EVO 2020 event has been canceled and is getting replaced with an online competition called EVO Online.
  • Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has been dropped from the lineup.
  • EVO Online will take place over several weeks starting in July and going into August.

As with many other conventions and competitions in 2020, the Evolution Championship Series (EVO) 2020 has been officially canceled due to the coronavirus. The event, which focuses solely on fighting games, has been held in various venues across Las Vegas since 2005 and was slated to take place in the Mandalay Bay resort this July. However, while contestants and viewers cannot gather in person, they can still participate since the tournament will be taking place online. EVO Online will take place over several weeks starting in July and going into August.

Here are the dates for EVO Online 2020:

  • July 4-5
  • July 11-12
  • July 18-19
  • July 25-26
  • July 31-August 2

Unfortunately, the jump to an online tournament has lead to one notable casualty: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has been removed from the lineup. Considering that this is the second-best-selling Nintendo Switch title of all time and that many esports players participate in this game, this is a huge blow for many contestants and viewers alike.

Here's the lineup for EVO Online 2020:

  • Street Fighter V Champion Edition
  • SoulCalibur VI
  • Dragon Ball FighterZ
  • Under Night In-Birth Exe: Late[cl-r]
  • Tekken 7
  • Samurai Shodown
  • Granblue Fantasy: Versus

There will also be a few open online tournaments for players to participate in. If you feel confident in your skills for the following games, you should consider taking part. You'll potentially be going up against some serious players, so you might want to start practicing now.

EVO Online's open online tournaments:

  • Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath
  • Killer Instinct (2013)
  • Them's Fighting Herds
  • Skullgirls Encore

It isn't uncommon for big news to get announced during the regular EVO events. If anything new gets revealed during this online event, we'll be sure to cover it.

Rebecca Spear
Gaming Editor

Gaming aficionado Rebecca Spear is iMore's dedicated gaming editor with a focus on Nintendo Switch and iOS gaming. You’ll never catch her without her Switch or her iPad Air handy. If you’ve got a question about Pokémon, The Legend of Zelda, or just about any other Nintendo series check out her guides to help you out. Rebecca has written thousands of articles in the last six years including hundreds of extensive gaming guides, previews, and reviews for both Switch and Apple Arcade. She also loves checking out new gaming accessories like iPhone controllers and has her ear to the ground when it comes to covering the next big trend.