EVO Announces Global Expansion That Could Redefine the FGC

The Evolution Championship Series, better known as EVO, has dropped a bombshell on the Fighting Game Community with the announcement of a sweeping global expansion that could significantly alter the competitive landscape.

This follows EVO’s recent acquisition by RTS, a company owned by Qiddiya Gaming, which is backed by Saudi Arabia. RTS has been increasingly active in esports investment, and this move signals an even stronger push into the fighting game space.

In an official statement, EVO outlined three major initiatives that will shape its future from 2026 onward.

Community Support for Local Tournaments

The first major change is a renewed focus on grassroots competition. Starting in 2026, EVO says it will begin actively supporting local tournament organizers around the world in an effort to strengthen the foundation of the FGC.

According to the statement, EVO plans to “dedicate significant resources to locals around the world to help create sustainability for the bedrock of the FGC.”

The nature of this support is currently unclear and how they plan to make it sustainable is also up in the air. Will they provide logistical support? Funding? Will there be some sort of EVO-partner program? We will have to find out in the near future.

More EVOs

EVO also confirmed a dramatic expansion of its global footprint. Previously, the community had begun adjusting to four annual EVO events: Las Vegas, Japan, France, and Singapore. EVO France debuted last year and was widely considered a success.

Now, EVO has announced five additional locations, bringing the total number of EVO events to nine per year. The newly revealed countries are:

• China

• Saudi Arabia

• Morocco

• Mexico

• Brazil

According to EVO, this expansion is intended to “build new, sustainable events that highlight our diverse regional communities around the globe” and ensure that fighting game events remain accessible for future generations.

It is an ambitious plan, and one that dramatically changes what “EVO season” even means.

Fighting Game World Championship Revealed

Perhaps the most intriguing announcement was the introduction of the Fighting Game World Championship, a new competition designed to determine the best all-around fighting game player across multiple titles.

Details are currently scarce. EVO has confirmed that the event will be powered by EVO and hosted either in the United States or Japan, but formats, qualifying paths, and prize structures have not yet been disclosed. Still, the concept alone is enough to spark serious discussion within the community.

Community Reaction

As with any statement as big as this, there has been a diversity in reactions from the community in general. On one hand, many are applauding the more, citing accessibility to other parts of the world and the democratization of fighting games as huge positives. There is also significantly more money involved which means that players who have for years barely been able to get by can now build legitimate careers. More tournaments mean more organizations willing to hold on to players for longer as there are more things to compete in. This is a huge deal for such players and can only be considered good news. 

On the other hand, this diminishes the prestige of EVO as it is now in multiple countries and the numbers for EVO attendees in Vegas will likely drop as a result. There is also the concern that so many Evos taking up the calendar edges out many other regional tournaments making it a case that the top pros will be less likely to go as they will simply have no time in a jam-packed schedule. There is also the fear that having a scene that is more or less controlled by one sovereign state is not a good idea in any way. 

Whatever the case may be, only time can truly tell how this is going to play out, but one thing that is sure is that there are exciting times ahead for fighting game fans.