Predictions for Evo 2020 Lineup
Chris’s Excel spreadsheet breakdown.
Street Fighter V, Tekken 7, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate are 100% locks. These are the top three fighting games out and guarantee large entree numbers, viewership, and hype moments. They will be the backbone of the event.
Mortal Kombat 11 and DragonBall FighterZ are all but in. They both have more DLC coming, have high sales numbers, and extremely large fanbases. Netherrealm Studios has a game included each year (whether its Mortal Kombat or Injustice), and Dragonball FighterZ is still the best and most popular anime fighter and 3-man tag game. They are less of a sure thing than the Top 3, but not including these two would be a big surprise.
Samurai Showdown, Under Night-Clr, Soul Calibur 6 and Granblue Fantasy Versus are all in the same boat. SamSho and SoulCalibur have DLC coming, are still actively supported, and were in the EVO Japan lineup, which bodes well for them getting into the main EVO lineup. Granblue and UNI-Clr are new titles but will be out in time for EVO. UNI-Clr has the advantage because of the performance and showing from UNIST last year, while Granblue depends on Arcsys and what game they are pushing. I lean toward Granblue because it’s new, but Arcsys is still actively supporting BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle.
That leads to BlazBlue. Its inclusion in the EVO Japan lineup gives it points in its favor, but it did not have a particularly large showing at EVO 2019. Granblue was not out in time for EVO Japan, and if it had been, I think Granblue would’ve taken the EVO Japan spot instead. My thought is that Granblue will be the focus until Guilty Gear 2020 is out.
Dead of Alive 6 is unlikely due to the "core values" issue from EVO Japan 2019. I still think that bad experience was part of why it wasn’t included in the EVO 2019 lineup. Plus the game doesn't have the entree numbers that would demand a spot.
Power Rangers is a strange one. There is alot of good will toward the game in the Fighting Game Circuit. The gameplay is solid, its actively getting DLC, and it has an established, popular brand to back it up. It's going to have a great side tournament at the event, but it's still a smaller title that lacks the pull to ensure itself a spots.
Super Smash Bros. Melee will likely never be at EVO again. The production hurdles caused by the need to support legacy tech along with Nintendo likely wanting to focus on Smash Ultimate are among the reasons that it wont be back, no matter how deserving it may be.
Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite has issues as well. From a gameplay and community perspective, the game is worth including. But the backlash and public perception of the game means Marvel wont be back in the main EVO lineup until Marvel vs. Capcom 4 (please happen).
Jump Force? Get that trash outta here.
Guilty Gear 2020, King of Fighters XV and Riot Games’ “Project L” are games that will undoubtedly be at EVO sometime in the future, but it is a question of whether or not they will be out by May/June and then be eligible for an EVO spot this year. Hell in the case of “Project L”, will it even be out by 2020?