Fighting games are back on the menu as the first major event of the year, Evolution Championship Series Japan, is well underway.
Fighting game fans around the world have long been awaiting the next big event as, much like with other esports, there has been somewhat of a competitive break along with the holidays and the New Year.
However, the long wait is finally over as EVO Japan 2020 brings six different games to the main event. Fans of Tekken, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Street Fighter, Samurai Shodown, Blazblue Cross Tag Battle, and Soul Calibur will definitely be in for a treat from Jan 24 – 26.
The first two days of the event will feature mostly the open tournaments, with the playoff brackets being played on Saturday and finishing up on with the grand-finals on Sunday.
Most of the events will be played in a double-elimination system, meaning players will have to lose two series to be eliminated. When it comes to the finals, the player coming from the winner’s bracket will have the advantage, only having to win once, while the losers bracket player will need to win twice.
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Evo Japan 2020 Streams
Evo Japan 2020 Main Stream
Evo Japan 2020 Stream 2
Evo Japan 2020 Stream 3
Evo Japan 2020 Stream 4
Evo Japan 2020 Schedule
Day 1 – Friday Jan 24
| Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition | Tekken 7 | Samurai Shodown | Blazblue Cross Tag Battle | Soul Calibur VI | |
| Round 1 | 12:30AM GMT 07:30PM ET (Jan 23) | 03:00AM GMT 10:00PM ET (Jan 23) | 03:00AM GMT 10:00PM ET (Jan 23) | 01:00AM GMT 08:00PM ET (Jan 23) | 02:00AM GMT 09:00PM ET (Jan 23) | 01:00AM GMT 08:00PM ET (Jan 23) |
| Round 2 | – | – | – | 05:00AM GMT 12:00AM ET | 10:00AM GMT 05:00AM ET | 06:00AM GMT 01:00AM ET |
| Round 3 | – | – | – | 07:00AM GMT 02:00AM ET | 11:30AM GMT 06:30AM ET | 08:00AM GMT 03:00AM ET |
Day 2 – Saturday Jan 25
| Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition | Tekken 7 | Samurai Shodown | Blazblue Cross Tag Battle | Soul Calibur VI | |
| Round 2 | 01:00AM GMT 08:00PM ET (Jan 24) | 04:30AM GMT 11:30PM ET (Jan 24) | 12:00AM GMT 07:00PM ET (Jan 24) | – | – | – |
| Round 3 | 04:00AM GMT 11:00PM ET (Jan 24) | 07:00AM GMT 02:00AM ET | 02:00AM GMT 09:00PM ET (Jan 24) | – | – | – |
| Final | – | – | – | 06:30AM GMT 01:30AM ET | 09:30AM GMT 04:30AM ET | 02:45AM GMT 09:45PM ET (Jan 24) |
Day 3 – Sunday Jan 26
| Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition | Tekken 7 | |
| Final | 03:30AM GMT 10:30PM ET (Jan 25) | 07:30AM GMT 02:30AM ET | 12:00AM GMT 07:00PM ET (Jan 25) |
Evo Japan 2020 Prize Pools
Evo prize pools are generally set depending on the game’s popularity, with the more popular games usually offering higher cash prizes. The breakdown for Evo Japan 2020 is as follows:
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
- Winner: Nintendo Switch Pro Controller
Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition
- Winner: 1,000,000 JPY (£6,980)
- Runner up: 400,000 JPY (£2,792)
- Third place: 200,000 JPY (£1,396)
Tekken 7
- Winner: 1,000,000 JPY (£6,980)
- Runner up: 400,000 JPY (£2,792)
- Third place: 200,000 JPY (£1,396)
Samurai Shodown
- Winner: 500,000 JPY (£3,491)
- Runner up: 200,000 JPY (£1,396)
- Third place: 100,000 JPY (£698)
Blazblue Cross Tag Battle
- Winner: 500,000 JPY (£3,491)
- Runner up: 200,000 JPY (£1,396)
- Third place: 100,000 JPY (£698)
Soul Calibur VI
- Winner: 500,000 JPY (£3,491)
- Runner up: 200,000 JPY (£1,396)
- Third place: 100,000 JPY (£698)
Make sure to tune into EVO Japan 2020 for some of the best fighting game action out there, in an even that will undoubtedly be one of the best of 2020.