EVO Japan 2020 Schedule and Prize Pools | SSBU Fans disappointed

Fighting Games
January 22, 2020
Jordan Ashley

EVO Japan 2020 has had its full January line-up and format unveiled. This event is one of the biggest for fighting games in the world, and for fans of games like Smash Bros or Street Fighter, it looks set to be a real highlight of the year. EVO Japan is set to take place over January 24-26, so if you’ve been feeling a little lost with January’s lack of events, this one should spice things back up for you.

EVO Japan 2020 Schedule and Prize Pool

© EVO Japan

EVO is one of the biggest events out there, with tournaments spread all over the world. The EVO 2020 games are pretty similar to what we’ve seen in previous events, but the talent on display will definitely have evolved since the last rounds. The organizers took their time announcing the EVO Japan schedule, with included games and events only unveiled gradually. This approach has definitely built hype for the event.

What Games are at EVO Japan 2020?

EVO Japan features a lot of different fighting games, bringing in fans from many titles. The EVO Japan schedule is pretty big, as you’d expect with such an expansive tournament. This event is going to have the best players competing in the best competitive fighting games. These are the events that will be taking place over EVO Japan 2020:

  • Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – Brackets start on Friday 24 and complete on Saturday 25. The finals are due for 12:30 PM on Sunday.
  • Street Fighter V Arcade Edition – Brackets behind on Friday through Saturday, with the finals currently only scheduled for Sunday.
  • Tekken 7 – Brackets run from Friday through Saturday, with a time for the finals not yet announced.
  • EVO Japan 2020 Blazblue Cross Tag Battle – This event is only due to take place on Friday 24th.
  • Samurai Spirits – This is another event taking place only on Friday.
  • Soul Calibur VI – This event will take place over the course of Friday 24.

That’s all that has been released about the schedule so far. While esports in Japan are pretty diverse, this is a pared-down line-up. EVO is a particularly focused event, so you can expect talented players of this niche to be performing their best for a shot at the prize pool.

Tekken 7 Evo Japan 2020

© BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment

EVO Japan 2020 Prize Pool

The EVO Japan 2020 prize pool is quite impressive for a tournament of its format. However, players of one particular game are bound to be a little disappointed. This is how the prize money is going to break down for EVO Japan 2020:

  • Tekken 7 – 1st place 1,000,000 yen ($9,000) 2nd place 400,000 yen ($3,600), 3rd place 200,000 yen ($1,800), 5th place 80,000 yen ($728), 7th place 60,000 yen ($546).
  • Street Fighter – 1st place 1,000,000 yen, 2nd place 400,000 yen, 3rd place 200,000 yen, 4th place 100,000 yen, 5th place 80,000 yen, 7th place, 60,000 yen.
  • Soul Caliver – 1st place 500,000 yen, 2nd place 200,000 yen, 3rd place 100,000 yen, 4th 60,000 yen, 5th place 40,000 yen, 7th place 30,000 yen
  • Samurai Spirits – 1st place 500,000 yen, 2nd 200,000 yen, 3rd place 100,000 yen, 4th place 60,000 yen, 5yth place 40,000 yen, 7th place 30,000 yen.
  • Blazblue Cross Tag Battle – 1st place 500,000 yen, 2nd place 200,000 yen, 3rd place 100,000 yen, 4th place, 60,000 yen, 5th place 40,000 yen, 7th place 30,000 yen.
  • Super Smash Brothers Ultimate – 1st place wins a Switch Pro Controller with a Smash Bros sign on it.
Super Smash Bros Ultimate EVO Japan 2020

© BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment

The EVO Japan 2020 Pro Controller Controversy

These are pretty good prize pools across the board, except for one. The offering for Super Smash Brothers Ultimate isn’t exactly on par. A single pro controller is being offered for the winner of EVO 2020 Japan. This has proven to be a bit of a controversy for the Smash Bros community.

Nintendo has recently been improving in their interaction with competitive events. While they’ve previously not been involved, many thought that Nintendo’s relation to the Smash scene had turned a corner with the release of Ultimate. This seems to have been premature though. The Pro controller is a specifically irritating choice for Smash players considering they primarily play on GameCube controller. They refuse Switch or other Pro Controllers to the point that Nintendo includes backward compatibility with the 19-year-old gamepads on every modern console. Maybe the prize is a hint that they should finally embrace tech from the 2010s as we enter the 20s?

EVO 2020 Japan looks set to be one of the biggest events for Esports of the year. If you’ve been a little bored in this dry season, this fighting game event might be just what you’re looking for.