There's little doubt that the Evolution Championship Series, better known as EVO, serves as a beating heart of the fighting game community. For some twenty years, EVO has served as the culmination all kinds of fighting game circuits, from traditional fighters like Tekken and Street Fighter to platform fighters like Super Smash Bros. That's why it's so sad to hear that Super Smash Bros. won't be at EVO this year. Smash fans likely expected to see their favorite Smash Ultimate and Melee players battle at EVO as usual, but according to EVO's Twitter account, Nintendo has decided to pull Smash from the tournament lineup.
Neither EVO nor Nintendo have provided a reason for Smash's absence, but there are plenty of possibilities. EVO's recent acquisition by Sony may make Nintendo leery of giving Smash access to a competitor, or EVO and competitive Smash's recent joint sexual harassment scandals might have driven Nintendo to avoid the event for now. Regardless of the logic, Smash's absence from EVO will undoubtedly have a ripple effect on the fighting game community, especially if it's a sign of things to come. Other fighting game communities might see less growth without the help of Smash, EVO itself could struggle, and Smash might become a more isolated fighting game community than ever before.
Smash's Absence and EVO
EVO is valuable because it's one of few events where fighting game circuits come together, rather than meeting independently. An EVO attendant may be a fan of Street Fighter, for instance, but following EVO could convince them to watch pro Mortal Kombat players more often. In other words, EVO introduces fans and potential players to new games, which helps each game's community grow. That's particularly important in the case of Smash, which has a huge fanbase thanks to its beginner-friendly design and long-lived pro scene. If Smash's disappearance from EVO is permanent, then smaller fighting game circuits could have a noticeably harder time gaining new fans who only would've been exposed to another game through Smash.
Beyond individual fighting game communities, EVO itself could suffer from Smash's absence due to the sheer volume of attendance that Smash can generate. EVO 2019 had a staggering 3,492 competitors signed up for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, nearly doubling the second-largest game, Street Fighter 5. The hugely popular Smash Ultimate and the timeless Smash Melee bring in tons of EVO participants and viewers who might not be part of traditional fighting game communities. Should Smash never return to EVO, the fighting game tournament could see a major loss in revenue due to the absence of Smash competitors and fans.
Smash's Independent Future
Beyond EVO, the Smash community itself might experience a change in the near future. Smash's competitive scene for both Melee and Ultimate are thriving right now, and they may start to do so in a vacuum. In late 2021, Nintendo struck a deal with esports organization Panda Global to run an officially licensed series of Smash Ultimate and Melee competitions. Nintendo historically doesn't acknowledge or interact with Smash's pro scene, so that deal could be a sign that Nintendo is changing its tune. It may try to gain greater control over competitive Smash, pulling the game out of esports tournaments so that it can instate a more isolated licensed Smash pro circuit.
Nintendo has a complicated history with the Smash community, so there's no telling if Nintendo really has long-term pro-Smash plans, or if the community trusts Nintendo enough to invest heavily into licensed events. Still, EVO's loss of Smash and the upcoming Panda Global circuit are two major signs of change for the Smash community and other fighting game lovers everywhere. Smash may only just be beginning a long and complicated journey through a new generation of competitive play.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is available now for Nintendo Switch.