The Evolution Championship Series (EVO) fighting game tournament announced its lineup of games for the 2020 event and there is at least one major omission from the main stage. Mortal Kombat 11 (or any Mortal Kombat game, for that matter) will not be a part of the main stage brackets during EVO 2020.
While a majority of the EVO 2020 main stage fighting games are familiar staples of the tournament, most expected that there would be room for Mortal Kombat 11. Typically, NetherRealm Studios fighting games (MK, Injustice) get at least two years to shine on the EVO main stage, and usually they are replaced by the next NetherRealm release.
In fact, one would have to go all the way back to 2010 for the last EVO tournament that did not feature a NetherRealm game on the main stage. Since then, there has been an alternating trend of Injustice and Mortal Kombat, dating up through last year. Now the trend is broken.
As far as what games will be part of the main stage presentation at EVO 2020, viewers and attendees can expect to see:
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
- Tekken 7
- Street Fighter V
- Dragon Ball FighterZ
- Granblue Fantasy: Versus
- Samurai Shodown
- SoulCalibur VI
- Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late[cl-r]
- Marvel vs. Capcom 2 (invitational)
When EVO announced that the Marvel vs Capcom 2 Champion Series invitational was part of the main stage, most figured that some fighting game was going to be the odd man out. And given the popularity of some of the other games – Tekken 7 replaced Street Fighter as the EVO finale game last year – Mortal Kombat apparently couldn't hang.
Of course, Mortal Kombat 11 will still be a part of the EVO 2020 festivities but it won't get the same type of attention as in years past. Usually, the main stage games get prime position on the EVO Twitch streams and they generate the most views leading into the final few matchups.
The omission of Mortal Kombat 11 is probably most surprising considering that one of its best players, “Sonic Fox,” is arguably one of the most well known fighting game players right now. He won esports player of the year at the 2018 Game Awards and took first place at EVO 2019 in Mortal Kombat 11. However, Sonic Fox will get a chance to improve on his 2019 second place finish in Dragon Ball FighterZ, which is on the main stage. His final matchup with Go1 in Dragon Ball FighterZ was easily one of the best of last year's EVO.
It's also surprising that Mortal Kombat 11 won't be on the main stage because EVO would be a perfect opportunity for NetherRealm to discuss the future of MK. Perhaps the devs could talk about a Kombat Pack 2 and tease some new DLC fighters. That can still happen, of course, but just not on the main stage.