EVO 2023 brings format changes and bigger prize pools

Fighting Games
February 23, 2023
Jordan Ashley

EVO is the highlight of the competitive calendar for fighting games. While there are other tournaments, it’s EVO that grabs the most attention. EVO 2023 looks set to be a worthy follow-up to recent events, with 8 different games in the full line-up and decent prize pools promised for every single title.

EVO 2023 is also making some changes to format though, with fewer players making it through to the final stage.

EVO 2023 Lineup

EVO 2023 Latest Announcement

Last night saw a stream with an EVO 2023 announcement, we’ve got the full roster of main games announced along with other details about how the tournament is going to work. This is the latest instalment to the biggest fighting game tournament series, and we’ve got all of the top fighting games taking part in the event.

The series is going to feature returning titles, but also new games. The tournament series is going to be switching over to Street Fighter 6, joining CEO as the first Street Fighter 6 tournament. These are all of the main games that will be there.

  • Street Fighter 6
  • Guilty Gear -Strive-
  • Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate
  • Tekken 7
  • King of Fighters XV
  • Melty Blood Type Lumina
  • Dragon Ball FIghterZ
  • Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom 3

Marvel Vs Capcom is making a return at this event which is going to be exciting for fans. Each of these games will also be played on PS4 as it has been since Sony bought EVO. There’s an exception this year though. Included in the EVO 2023 announcement was that Street Fighter 6 will be played on PS5 instead. All of the best PS4 fighting games tend to be represented at this event.

There will be side events as part of EVO 2023 too, including a special pre-release tournament for GBVS Rising.

Minimum Prize Pools

The EVO 2023 announcement might not quite match the huge $2 million prize pool for Street Fighter 6, but it’s gotten a huge boost in cash for this year. Organizers are promising a minimum prize pool for the tournament, at $25,000 for per game.

Some games will definitely rise above this level, but it’s great to see every title getting this kind of prize as a guarantee. Prize Pools in fighting games have become more of a topic in recent years with some organizers taking steps to improve things and ensure games are giving prize pools that can support players.

The minimum prize pool did provoke some commentary though, specifically with the notoriously under-funded Smash still being absent from EVO.

Format Changes – EVO Ditches Top 8

That’s all the good news from the EVO 2023 announcement, also in there was a bit of a weird change though. EVO will be moving from a top 8 final bracket to a top 6. This will focus the finals down to a more limited group of players. Some have questioned the motives of the changes, thinking it might be an excuse to get more ad breaks into the finals for each game, the most watched portion of each tournament. This isn’t a huge change but we’ll have to see how it affects things.

The EVO 2023 Announcement has gotten everyone excited to see what happens at this tournament. Between the games included and the minimum prize pools promised, it looks set to be an exciting iteration of the biggest fighting game tournament around.