Evo – the largest fighting game tournament series – landed in Nice, France last weekend for the inaugural European wing of the eagerly expanding event. A vaporous dream for thousands of genre fanatics for untold years, navigating the Palais des Expositions felt like a major triumph for the event series, a strong first step in a new era of expansion. I walked the floor with conflicting feelings; giddiness tainted with palpable concern.
For those unaware, Evo itself is an institution for fighting game fans. First established as ‘Battle by the Bay’ in 1996, it has steadily grown over time into a juggernaut in the wider competitive gaming space. While publisher or government-run esports events have popped up over the years, Evo remains at the top of the pile. These days, the main event in Vegas has ballooned into a monster. It’s basically half convention, half competitive arena, and one that fills the largest venue in the city.
I have followed Evo ever since I was a teenager. Watching top competitors fall as the sun rose over my house an ocean away, I would make a habit of staying up and calling in sick to school the next day. I had always wanted to go to Evo, and only managed to attend my first one in 2023 to its final year at the Mandalay Bay arena. I’ve been two more times since, and even have a tattoo to commemorate my attendance.
To walk into Evo France is to walk into an Evo that no longer exists: a blend of both the modern incarnation of the event through large booths dedicated to sponsors and developers, and an older vibe with smaller stages and rows of merch sellers dotted along the venue’s edges. Evo France is Evo primordial: an initial effort that feels raw, ripe for growth and improvement.
Take the main stage, fitted with outdoor stage lighting, overground cables covered by walkable protector ramps so as to retrofit a venue that clearly isn’t meant to have rows-upon-rows of PS5s running along it. Or the 2XKO booth, which ran a side tournament which proved so popular for spectators it blocked the central walkway for a period of time. Though the finals themselves ran smoothly thanks to plentiful seating and smaller stages acting as secondary viewing spots, PS5s were swapped out regularly to avoid overheating issues. This was an Evo still acclimating to a new environment.
The event was earnest, and refreshing, and very European. I have never heard a crowd so loud, so jubilant, at a gaming event. That’s one of the main perks, I feel, of being based in Nice. Talking to attendees, I met folks from all over the continent and beyond. The French came out in droves, as did the British, I’m proud to say. The Irish scene turned up in force and were loud and proud for their representative in Fergus, who took home 3rd place in Tekken 8. I ordered pizza alongside a group of seven from Frankfurt, and even ran into some lads from Africa, who were able to attend an Evo for the first time.
Having been to Vegas for Evo,I can say with certainty that the energy is different here: better chants, a dozen national storylines all playing out at once across the hall. If nothing else, the event struck a chord at the importance of offering events for gaming events worldwide (not just, say, in the US or Japan) so they can better platform the talent present there. How many people will have travelled to Evo France as their first tournament? How many will now move on to other community-led events in the future?
It is, however, important to address the elephant in the room. As not only was Evo France the first attempt by the brand to enter Europe, it was the first event under new ownership. Prior to the event, it was announced that Evo’s parent company was acquired by the Qiddiya investment company, a Saudi Arabian-owned company. Sony’s prior stake in Evo was also sold to Nodwin Gaming, an Indian esports company seemingly keen to expand outward, and has worked closely with the Saudi Arabian government on its various esports ventures.
By the time this knowledge became public, people had already booked flights, hotels, and bought competitor passes for the event. There were some in attendance for whom this would be their first and last Evo. This includes Gage, who after playing a match live on stream showed a message on the camera that read: “Did you know? MBS (owner of EVO) ordered the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi”.
Speaking to Eurogamer after the event, Gage stated: “I would not have gone to the event if the sale had happened earlier, and it tainted EVO France for me and others.
A smaller element is that it makes me feel good knowing there’s a (very) small chance I annoyed someone with any power in, or someone making money from, the encroachment of MBS on the FGC”.
It is a small relief, for now, that it seems the increased involvement of the Qiddiya investment company, while unavoidable, did not increase its visibility at Evo France. In fact, what little presence Qiddiya had at the event was tied solely to the Evo Legends video series, where the history of integral members of the fighting game community were highlighted. Whether this is the desire of the new owners – or the will of the FGC-centric Evo team using this complicated money to promote the scene itself – remains unclear.
It’s a tricky, and perilous, balance. It also results in obvious internal conflicts. It’s true that you can’t separate the event from its owners, Evo is a part of the wider sportswashing effort just like EA, the WWE, Newcastle, and so on. The counterargument is that Evo France likely couldn’t have existed without any of its major partners, Qiddiya included. Multiple people aside from Gage I spoke to at the event expressed torn feelings on the matter, many of whom were uncertain on whether they’ll attend next year due to the new owners.Has Evo France left a sour taste in the mouth of many, in spite of the event’s merit and the hard work of its team?
It feels as if this event was exactly what people were wishing for, if they could grit their teeth and swallow the realities of its new ownership. For me, the split in the road for Evo is clear: if the team behind the event is left to its own devices, to carry on their plan for global outreach as they intend, the majority of fighting game fans will likely be fine going along for the ride. But if its new owners in Nodwin and Qiddiya overplay their hand, I fear that Evo France may be a tale of what could have been, rather than a sign of good things to come.
