Skip to main content

Evo will return to in-person format in Las Vegas next year

Evo’s first year with Sony in charge has come and nearly gone, with online regional finalists awaiting the call to compete against one another in the fall. now, Evo has announced that the event will return to an in-person tournament format next year.

Evo 2022 Trailer

Evo, or Evolution, is the largest fighting game event there is, boasting thousands of players from across the globe competing in different titles. This year’s tournament is the first since Sony bought the brand in March. It is also its first time being an online-only event due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

After Sony’s initial acquisition of the event, many fighting game fans wondered if big changes were coming involving the usual lineup of games, the locale of the event, and hardware limits. Thankfully, those worries are put to rest with today’s announcement.

Not only will Evo keep its traditional location of Las Vegas, but it seems as though the tournament will continue to host games outside of Sony’s sphere. The video features a clip from Super Smash Bros., which was absent from the online event this year. Many people thought the series may not return due to Sony’s involvement in Evo.

Also very important to note. @EVO is still open to all platforms. The teams at PlayStation and RTS are enabling us to continue working with our community to support fighting games. https://t.co/NKMQUSvkfj

— Mark Julio (マークマン) (@MarkMan23) March 18, 2021

While Evo 2021 still was a very successful event this year, boasting over 40,000 tournament entries across its Evo and pre-Evo tournaments, it showed how hard it can be to run an online competition of this size. The announcement of a return to an offline venue resulted in a sigh of relief from many in the community.

Holy smokes, that was my scream during @soulcalibur. I miss offline so badly. So amped for EVO 2022!! https://t.co/i9C95oUfR9

— Alicia Junus 🌸AXL aliciaxlife (@aliciaxlife_) August 16, 2021

Evo 2022 is set to take place back at its original home of Las Vegas from August 5-7, 2022, with a return to in-person competition.

Editors' Recommendations

DeAngelo Epps
De'Angelo Epps is a gaming writer passionate about the culture, communities, and industry surrounding gaming. His work ranges…
Sony’s Evo acquisition will be a good thing if it helps e-sports finally grow up
EVO

On Thursday, Sony shocked the e-sports world by acquiring Evo, the biggest fighting game tournament in the world. Reactions were immediately mixed. While some celebrated the new partnership, others lamented that the once plucky tournament had been lost to corporate greed.

The anxiety around the deal isn’t unfounded. Confused fans are now left wondering if games like Super Smash Bros. will still have a seat at the table or if Sony is going to strongarm its competitors out of the competitive fighting game arena. Evo claims that the tournament will remain platform-agnostic, but only time will tell how true that ends up being.

Read more
Sony acquires Evo, the world’s biggest e-sports fighting game tournament
EVO

Sony Interactive Entertainment has acquired the Evolution Championship Series, commonly known as Evo. Sony will be working with Evo's team to bring its 2021 tournament online in August.

Evo is one the biggest and most prestigious e-sports tournaments in the world. The annual competitive event specializes in fighting games like Street Fighter and Super Smash Bros. The acquisition is a joint partnership between Sony and RTS, a new es-ports venture.

Read more
The best weapons in Lies of P
Lies of P boss fight

This interpretation of the classic Pinocchio is nothing like the friendly (if a little creepy) original. Your puppet brought to life is sent out into a world of dangers around every corner, and only your weapons and reflexes will see you through. Lies of P is a Soulslike, after all, so finding and testing out new weapons is all part of the experience. That and dying, of course. Still, if you want to avoid doing the latter as much as possible, a strong weapon will come in handy. This game uses a system where you can customize your arsenal by swapping out the blades and handles, giving you tons of possibilities, but we'll focus on which weapons are the best out of the box in Lies of P and let you do the tweaking from there.
The best weapons in Lies of P

Puppet Saber
Because you can get the Puppet Saber right at the start of Lies of P, you might write it off as something that's only viable in the early game and should be dumped ASAP. That's not the case, as this fast-hitting sword can stay competitive at least until the midgame. It has a good range, is fast, and has a great charge attack you can use to zone enemies with. It scales at rank C in both Motivity and Technique, and comes with the fable art of Storm Slash, which unleashes a flurry of strikes on a target ahead of you. The other art it packs is Concentrate, which gives you a temporary attack buff.
Salamander Dagger
If you are going for a build focused on doing a lot of quick hits rather than long, heavy strikes, daggers like the Salamander Dagger are your best friend. This dagger's real advantage is that it deals fire damage, which many enemies are weak against. It scales at a B in Advance, C in Technique, and D in Motivity. It also has the Ignite ability to give it even more firepower (literally), and the guard ability of doing a fast stab before automatically retreating.
Booster Glaive
There aren't a ton of area-control weapons in Lies of P, which makes the Booster Glaive stand out as a unique pick. You get good range, and the arc on each swing is perfect for crowd control. In tighter, more linear spaces, you can use the charge attack for a forward thrust. This is a Technique weapon, scaling at B, but it also has D scaling in Motivity. It shares the Storm Slash skill with the Puppet Saber, but also has the Patient Slash, which lets you charge up one large, powerful strikes.
Acidic Crystal Spear
Despite the word "Spear" being in the weapon's name, the Acidic Crystal Spear technically falls under the Dagger category of weapons. Regardless, this has the looks, range, and feel of a spear. It can do fast, poking attacks, and will deal acid damage on each strike as well. You get great A-level scaling with Advance, as well as D level in Technique and Motivity. The Radiate art is just like the Salamander Dagger's Ignite, only for acid, and Single Stab is a more powerful forward lunge attack.
Two Dragons Sword
With a name like the Two Dragons Sword, who could resist at least trying this katana out? This boss weapon gives you all the flair and speed of a katana, but it unfortunately cannot be disassembled or modified. Still, with A scaling in Technique and D in Motivity, you won't be wanting for much with this blade. Your two skills are Link Emergency Dodge, which has you dodge forward and gives you the option to use a Fable slot to do two follow-up attacks, and Wind of Swords, which unleashes a torrent of swords in an area of effect.

Read more