Evo France Player Absences Raise Questions About the Future Brand

The FGC was thrown into a state of chaos when it was announced back in February 2026 that there would be a total of nine Evo tournaments in 2027.

This followed the complete acquisition of Evo by RTS, an esports outfit and subsidiary of Qiddiya City, which is owned and backed by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund. Evo France was the first to be held in 2025 and was, by all accounts, a success. However, the second edition might be suffering from sophomore syndrome as more and more pros have made their intentions to skip the event clear.

On October 5, Arslan Ash, the Tekken player with the most Evo wins at eight, announced that, due to personal reasons, he would not be attending Evo France. This was followed by MenaRD, who also echoed the sentiment, and Norwegian veteran Phenom. On the Japanese scene, top players like Higuchi and Pugera have also indicated that they will not be going, which has prompted some to wonder if the dilution of the Evo brand by having so many events has started to affect the competition’s prestige.

The biggest fighting game tournament, birthed in 1996 and initially called Battle by the Bay, grew into an annual pilgrimage for the biggest names on the fighting game scene.

It was the stage that produced Evo Moment 37 and many other memorable incidents, and brought the FGC to the collective consciousness. But in 2018, the first Evo outside the USA was held, and Evo Japan became a thing. And so it was for about six years. Evo USA was seen as the annual celebration of fighting games, while Evo Japan, a tournament held in the country seen as the spiritual home of fighting games, held its own unique prestige and was sometimes called the “hardest” Evo to win.

Then, in 2024, it was announced that Evo France would be added, with plans for an Evo Singapore in 2027 also outlined. At this point, many were already worried about having too many Evos, but the incredible competition served up to fans at Evo France 2025 might have allayed those fears.

However, it flared up again when it was announced back in February that in 2027 there would also be Evo events in:

• Brazil

• Saudi Arabia

• China

• Mexico

• Morocco

For many, this was great news, as an event of such prestige would now be happening in their backyard. But others were of the opinion that with as many as nine Evos every year, there would be much less incentive to go for it.

The truth of the situation will be revealed with time. While the drop-off from some of the top players will always raise eyebrows, we should not forget that withdrawing from a tournament isn’t uncommon. Also, with such an abundance of talent within the scene right now, a few missing pros doesn’t always have the impact that some imagine.

As long as Evo remains an important stop for many of the top circuits like Tekken World Tour, Capcom Pro Tour, and Arc System Works World Tour, there will always be top players there trying to qualify.