The Evolution Championship Series (EVO) fighting game tournament announced its lineup of games for the 2020 event and there is at least one major omission from the main stage.Mortal Kombat 11(or anyMortal Kombatgame, for that matter) will not be a part of the main stage brackets during EVO 2020.
While a majority of the EVO 2020 main stage fighting games are familiar staples of the tournament, most expected that there would be room forMortal Kombat 11. Typically,NetherRealm Studios fighting games(MK,Injustice) get at least two years to shine on the EVO main stage, and usually they are replaced by the next NetherRealm release.
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In fact, one would have to go all the way back to 2010 for the last EVO tournament that did not feature a NetherRealm game on the main stage. Since then, there has been an alternating trend ofInjusticeandMortal Kombat, dating up through last year. Now the trend is broken.
As far as what games will be part of the main stage presentation at EVO 2020, viewers and attendees can expect to see:
When EVO announced that theMarvel vs Capcom 2Champion Series invitational was part of the main stage, most figured that some fighting game was going to be the odd man out. And given the popularity of some of the other games –Tekken 7replacedStreet Fighteras the EVO finale game last year –Mortal Kombatapparently couldn’t hang.
Of course,Mortal Kombat 11will still be a part of the EVO 2020 festivities but it won’t get the same type of attention as in years past. Usually, the main stage games get prime position on the EVO Twitch streams and they generate the most views leading into the final few matchups.
The omission of Mortal Kombat 11 is probably most surprising considering that one of its best players, “Sonic Fox,” is arguably one of the most well known fighting game players right now. He won esports player of the year at the 2018 Game Awards and took first place at EVO 2019 inMortal Kombat 11. However, Sonic Fox will get a chance to improve on his 2019 second place finish inDragon Ball FighterZ, which is on the main stage. Hisfinal matchup with Go1 inDragon Ball FighterZwas easily one of the best of last year’s EVO.
It’s also surprising thatMortal Kombat 11won’t be on the main stage because EVO would be a perfect opportunity for NetherRealm to discuss the future of MK. Perhaps the devs could talk about a Kombat Pack 2 and tease somenew DLC fighters. That can still happen, of course, but just not on the main stage.
