Evo – the largest fighting game tournament in the world – announced Evo Locals last week. This new initiative will feature both a directory of smaller grassroots events around the world, and an eyebrow-raising $1m annual fund to support said events.
While still in beta, the website shows a selection of community hubs and regional online communities interested parties can join with relative ease. As for the grant and partnership program, applications will open up later this year.
What’s interesting about this program is that it’s not just an injection of cash into the prize pools of grassroots events. Instead, the Evo Locals program will provide “more setups, financial support for venue fees, production, staffing, graphic designers, trailer makers, social media best practices, introductions to commentators, or pretty much anything needed to run your event” according to the website.
“From day one, Evo has always been about the community that is so diverse around the globe,” said Stuart Saw, CEO of RTS, who owns and operates Evo. “The FGC is for everyone, and it all starts at your local. Our goal with our Evo Locals Program is to help the community solve their challenges, from equipment to player connectivity, and help build the next generation of fighting game competitors and fans.”
This move also comes at a good time for the event – as its sudden expansion to multiple major events in the near future raised some concerns around whether these new massive tournaments would drown out attention from grassroots events around the world.
On its face it’s a move of goodwill, money given to smaller events that need it. It comes at a time when the cost of engaging in these hobbies is climbing increasingly high, everyone involved in such events is feeling a real strain. Attendees have less money to actually go to local events, and tournament organisers (already struggling financially) now have to bear additional costs. How this financial fund will actually work – and the terms and conditions attached to receiving payments – remains to be seen.
With this in mind, you might be surprised to discover the reaction has been mixed. On one side of the discussion around the fund, the idea of smaller events getting increased funding and support is, of course, something many can get behind.
“I think the initiative is awesome and one of the best things Evo can do now that many regionals have to worry about competing with several Evos,” says Sway, a New York tournament organiser and one of the founders of New York major DIY. “I think it’s very smart that they are emphasizing helping run the event as opposed to just giving us a pot bonus (which never works).”
In terms of pitfalls to avoid, Sway hopes that the identity of locals is kept intact if they choose to make use of the fund: “I hope they allow locals to keep their identity and avoid adding sponsors too much into the mix. For example; it won’t be cool if we have to change the event name to ‘XYZ! An Evo Local’, or ‘XYZ! Presented by Sponsor’.”
This sentiment is shared by Hassan “Spag” Farooq, a British Tekken commentator and content creator. He describes these small-scale events as the “bread and butter” of the fighting game community, and sees the fund as “very positive” for the space.
“Evo has expanded quite considerably in recent times and I love that they are willing to support locals because that is the main way that any community grows,” Farooq said.
“Locals are often run at a loss, so if this money can help Tournament organisers to maintain and grow locals, it can only be beneficial even to the point of growing numbers for the major tournaments like Evo in the future.”
“If you personally aren’t giving money to your locals, then do not criticize any local that accepts this money,” writes fighting game player Ted Beneke on X. “They have families to feed and hosting locals consistently costs money. In a perfect world this doesn’t have to happen but it’s not a perfect world. Locals need the money.”
On the other side of the argument, however, are those more sceptical about this fund due to where the money is coming from. Evo, and the company running it, RTS, was fully acquired by Saudi Arabia earlier this year. The country has been criticized heavily by human rights organisations for its use of slavery, the death penalty, and humanitarian concerns besides. Many believe that by accepting government money for esports events, you take part in its efforts to clean the reputation of that country; a practice called sportswashing.
“My reaction is one of general cynicism,” tournament organiser Paul ‘Dark Onion’ tells Eurogamer. A member of the Irish fighting game community, a scene averse to engaging with events tied to the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund.
Paul elaborates: “Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund can’t purchase the FGC outright as it is too nebulous, distributed and sprawling; so they’re attempting to purchase our goodwill and support via cash while in turn entwining themselves into the grassroots scene.
“I don’t believe that this fund can be a total good for any scene while Evo is owned by the Saudi Arabia PIF. Even if I wasn’t personally opposed to partaking in it, I would lose at least 50 percent of my attendance if I signed up. The initiative is the pitfall.”
Kelpie, a UK-based player, sees the program as another avenue for sportswashing from the Saudi Arabian government. They write on X: “This is simply another way for Evo to take control of and monopolise fighting game events. Don’t let them bring their blood money to our locals.”
“It’s inevitable that I’ll get asked about this as the tournament organiser of Cologne Fight Night so here’s my take,” writes fhASSA on X. “Our local welcomes players from all kinds of backgrounds and it takes place in the gay/queer capital of Germany so I guess we can do without the Qiddiya-flavored support program.”
The financial factor here is what complicates things significantly, and it’s also ultimately what makes sportswashing attempts hard to pass up for many. As Californian player Yung P puts it, tournament organisers find themselves in-between a rock and a hard place here. Or rather, caught in the corner between money they may be in dire need of, and the fallout of accepting that money.
He writes on X: “Utilizing funding obviously has lingering ethical implications (especially within our FGC), while refraining keeps tournament organisers in financial strain. Our community expects low prices, yet we often chastise TOs who increase their venue/game costs. What are TO’s even supposed to do here?”
There’s an additional element here. In the modern day where money is tight, players willing to go out to a local event can likely only afford to attend a handful, most of which are geographically very local. When choosing which to attend, a player unaware or unbothered by financial ties may very well choose the grassroots event engaging with this fund. After all, it may have more consoles, a nicer venue, the budget to pay for experienced commentators or production staff. Here too, one could argue, those against touching PIF money are left on the back foot.
Others are approaching the fund with a pragmatic approach, like player and content creator Avataryaya, who writes: “This all i’mma say: I’m a firm believer of taking evil sh*t and flipping it.”
There are, essentially, two ways of interpreting this fund and its intention: the involvement of the Saudi Arabian state is simply reality, and the reasons why they are involved in various esports scenes are too. The country wants to attract positivity, tourism, and business.
This fund could be a genuine gesture of care and support, made by those inside Evo who wish to take the newfound heaps of cash they possess and pay it back to the small-scale tournaments that built the global scene. Or it could be a way of gaining greater control with money that’s proved hard for many to turn down already. Or, it could very well be both. That’s the rub for those arguing against the involvement of government money: intent – however well-meaning – doesn’t make the money any less burdensome.
The full extent of the Evo Locals support, how eagerly it’s embraced, and how this support will alter the fighting game space is a big question leading into quarter four of this year when it will be launched in earnest. As are the terms and conditions grassroots events must agree to in order to dip into it. Whatever the case, many around the world will have to decide whether this fund is a much-needed helping hand, or a poisoned chalice.
