Predictions of Announcements for EVO 2022
It’s a fluff article to talk about EVO
EVO is one of the largest fighting game tournaments of the year. Smack dab in the middle of summer, August 5–7. With this tournament, announcements for the next genre of fighting games are expected to come. This is going to be predictions for what specifically may be announced in the upcoming days.
Coming from the main lineup is: Street Fighter V, Guilty Gear Strive, MK 11, Tekken 7, KOF XV, Melty Blood: Type Lumina, Dragon Ball FighterZ, Granblue Fantasy: Versus, and Skullgirls: 2nd Encore. A good portion may announce DLC characters or new season packs for upcoming content. Street Fighter 6 has already made huge waves with videos of its early production. Coming from that spectacle back in June, EVO will probably produce new character announcements for Street Fighter 6 along with a possible beta release date to try it out.
Arc System Works has 3 games in the EVO lineup and there have been no real indications as to what they are going to announce currently. Guilty Gear will most likely get its Season Pass 2 with DBFZ potentially receiving something considering the amount of sale units it sold. Granblue Fantasy: Versus is a complete mystery but maybe the developers have been producing content and plan to announce it on the big stage.
NetherRealm Studios’ MK 11 has been shelved for a new project, following a successful couple of years. With NetherRealm we might just get a new Injustice 3, maybe a kaiju fighting game, a marvel fighting game, or quite simply Mortal Kombat 12. Whatever the case is, NetherRealm are going to have a hell of a showing if they actually do announce their new fighting game.
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Tekken 7 has been a mainstay in the fighting game genre for many years. Tekken 7 has also been the most successful Tekken game in the franchise with 9 million sale units. Some rumors have been turning up that Tekken 8 is in production but for me this can be a toss up. Tekken 8 would be phenomenal for the franchise, as Tekken 7 was first release back in 2015. 7 years of content updates is unprecedented in the fighting games space especially with Tekken’s rising success throughout those 7 years. So it is unsure whether Bandai Namco wishes to take the franchise into its next iteration or produce new content for at least another year.
KOF XV and Melty Blood are most likely receiving character DLC. Plain and simple. Melty Blood already announced on July 31 the introduction to Neco-Arc and Mash Kyrielight. Let’s hope that their respective communities really enjoy the possible announcements.
Skullgirls has had a rocky past but that doesn’t mean its future is going to be hindered by it. With the release of Season 1 Pass, a new developer co-op sorting the rights out, and the debut of Skullgirls on the main stage for the first time in the series’ life; Skullgirls is seeing a lot more attention than it ever had before. It’s a solid game, a bit hard on the hands for me, but it’s a fun watch for viewers. Here’s hoping that whatever their last character after Black Dahlia, is a fun one. (Please let it be Bloody Mary)
Finally there is a possibility for some new games all together. At EVO, a bunch of fighting game developers show up for the event and show off their games. Many goers have the possibility of playing new games and trying them out. The rumor mill has been on a burn looking for information on Project L, Riot’s free-to-play fighting game. Even with an announcement of new info at the release of this article, no doubt the FGC is looking for a release date with the game. Project L has been on the hype train because of the leadership of the Cannon’s and having the funds of Riot Games is a huge plus factor that adds to its success. It seems Riot is on a tear to create and flesh out its entire repertoire, going from MOBA to an MMO and now a fighting game. Project L has a lot of hope behind its teasers and you can check out some of their behind the scenes development of one of their new characters, Illaoi. It’s an in depth look at their game design philosophy, narrative, and artistry. It gives readers a sneak peek into the kind of kits and possibilities that they are working to implement.
Besides that, EVO is an exciting time for the Fighting Game Community. This article may be fluff to channel my excitement for the event; even if none of the predictions come true, will still be a great event to watch. There are many competitors, in many of these games, that are playing at the peak of performance. So to all reading, going, or just watching EVO, let’s all hope it runs smoothly and to have a great time enjoying it.
