The biggest fighting game tournament in the world, the Evolution Championship Series, has officially canceled its live setting at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Organizers are moving the famed competition to an all-online format this summer. The event had been scheduled July 31 through Aug. 2, but organizers didn’t say whether the tournament would still be played on those dates.
First known as “Battle by the Bay,” with the event being staged in Northern California, Evo has taken place in Vegas since 2005, when the tournament was held at the Green Valley Ranch Resort Spa & Casino. The tournament, which features the most prominent and popular fighting games on the market annually, bounced around various hotels and casinos in Vegas, including Caesars Palace and Rio, before finally finding a permanent home at Mandalay Bay in 2016.
Since then, the qualifiers and group stages for the tournament have occurred at the Mandalay Convention Center, with the final rounds for the tournament’s marquee games taking place at the 12,000-seat Mandalay Bay Events Center on Sunday.
“The health and well-being of our community is our highest priority,” the Evo team announced in a statement Friday. “We hope everyone stays safe during this time.”
The 2020 tournament that now will be held online features a lineup of eight popular fighting game titles, headlined by Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, TEKKEN 7, Dragon Ball FighterZ and Street Fighter V Champion Edition.
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