Evo 2015

Event Background and Setup

The Evolution Championship Series 2015 was officially announced on January 20, 2015, during a livestream featuring organizer Joey Cuellar and Twitch's Mike Ross. The event took over the ballrooms of the Bally's and Paris Las Vegas hotel and casino complex. With a total prize pool of 300,000 dollars distributed across nine separate game tournaments, it represented a major moment for the fighting game community.

The schedule ran from Friday morning through Sunday, with the finals for five of the headline tournaments concluding on the final day. Broadcasting was a massive undertaking, with eight official Twitch channels dedicated to covering the action, ensuring fans could follow every bracket. The Sunday finals were presented on the primary Evo Twitch channel, drawing a global audience.

The Game Lineup and Platform Choices

The roster of nine games featured a mix of established staples and notable newcomers. The list included Ultra Street Fighter IV, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, both Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Melee, Guilty Gear Xrd, Killer Instinct, Mortal Kombat X, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, and Tekken 7, which made its global tournament debut at the event.

Specific platform decisions generated discussion. In June, Cuellar confirmed the Ultra Street Fighter IV tournament would use the Xbox 360 version, avoiding the problematic PlayStation 4 port which suffered from glitches, input delay, and visual issues. This was a significant choice as it was the final year for the game at Evo before Street Fighter V's release. For Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, the technically outdated PlayStation 3 version was selected due to an arcade-only balance patch being exclusive to Asia.

Reactions to the lineup were mixed. Some publications noted that seven games were obvious inclusions, but expressed surprise at Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, which could no longer be patched, and Super Smash Bros. Melee, which returned for a third straight year alongside the new Wii U version. The absence of King of Fighters XIII and the BlazBlue series, after a major final in 2014, was seen as a disappointment by some observers.

Record Participation and Notable Attendees

Evo 2015 shattered participation records, particularly for the Super Smash Bros. series. The Wii U version attracted 1,926 players, while Melee drew 1,869, making it the largest Smash tournament ever at that point. This was a massive jump from the 970 competitors in the Melee tournament just a year prior. Cuellar noted both Smash games had over a thousand registrants within a month of the announcement.

Ultra Street Fighter IV remained the most popular single game tournament with 2,227 entrants. In contrast, Killer Instinct had the smallest field with 397 participants. The event also saw appearances from notable figures outside the competitive scene. Actress Jamie Lee Curtis attended, cosplaying as the Street Fighter character Vega. Bill Trinen of Nintendo had planned to compete in the Wii U tournament but canceled following the death of former Nintendo president Satoru Iwata.

Ultra Street Fighter IV: A Dramatic Finale

The Ultra Street Fighter IV tournament, with a prize pool of 72,270 dollars, served as the game's Evo swan song and delivered high drama. The Top 8 featured a mix of veterans and new talent. Notably, both GamerBee and Eduardo Perez had announced their retirement and did not expect to make it so far. Reigning Capcom Cup champion Yusuke Momochi was present, alongside younger players like NuckleDu and Fuudo, and the surprising AiAi, who had no major tour wins that season.

The Grand Finals pitted Momochi against GamerBee. After GamerBee forced a bracket reset, Momochi switched to Evil Ryu. The match took an extraordinary turn when Momochi's arcade stick malfunctioned and disconnected during a round. Following tournament rules, he was forced to forfeit that round. In a display of sportsmanship, GamerBee did not take advantage of the situation to build his Super Meter. Momochi's teammate and partner, Chocoblanka, loaned him her stick, allowing him to continue. Momochi ultimately triumphed in the final round, claiming the championship.

Super Smash Bros. Dominance and Upsets

Despite its huge player count, the Super Smash Bros. for Wii U tournament concluded early on Saturday, somewhat overshadowed by other events. The tournament was dominated by ZeRo, who won the entire competition without losing a single set.

The Melee finals on Sunday provided more spectacle. Two-time defending champion Mango was eliminated in the loser's bracket semi-finals by Hungrybox and his Jigglypuff. Hungrybox then advanced to face Armada in the Grand Finals. Armada, playing Fox, defeated Hungrybox to become the new Melee champion. During the awards ceremony, Mango received a standing ovation from the crowd as a sign of respect for his previous achievements.

Other Tournament Highlights

The Guilty Gear Xrd tournament produced a memorable moment of hubris. During the winner's bracket semifinals, player Woshige scored a first knockout against Ogawa and stood up to celebrate, believing he had won the match. The match was not over, however, and Ogawa easily defeated Woshige's character in the next round. Ogawa maintained his momentum and went on to win the entire tournament.

The event also featured competitions for Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Mortal Kombat X, Killer Instinct, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, and the debut of Tekken 7 on the global stage, rounding out a weekend packed with high-level play across the fighting game spectrum.

Major Game Reveals and Announcements

Evo 2015 served as a platform for major game announcements. During the Sunday finals, Capcom revealed Necalli as the eighth confirmed character and first newcomer for the upcoming Street Fighter V. NetherRealm Studios and Warner Bros. presented a trailer for Tremor, the fourth Kombat Pack challenger for Mortal Kombat X, with a release date set for just two days after the event.

Perhaps the most significant announcement for the future of the genre was the reveal of Rising Thunder, an indie fighting game developed by Radiant Entertainment, a studio founded by the Cannon brothers. The game's service would later end in March 2016 after Radiant Entertainment was acquired by Riot Games.