EVO 2020 canceled, will host online tournament instead

As the coronavirus gradually drew closer to becoming a pandemic, international events began to cancel their plans. The organizers of EVO 2020 had faith that this would all be cleared up by their summer event date, but now they aren't so sure anymore. 

EVO 2020 is one of the last major fighting game tournaments to cancel due to the unprecedented spread of COVID-19 in the US. Similarly, another big annual FGC event, CEO 2020, was postponed just last week from June to December, and its sister event, CEOtaku, could also see a shift from September as well. EVO's organizers have announced that they will be refunding tickets and hotel reservations, while a tournament registration cancelation form will be available next week. 

Although we lose the physical event at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, the organizers announced that they would be hosting an online tournament instead. More details regarding the new event will arrive over the coming weeks, and it will be interesting to see how EVO will handle the issues associated with netplay. 

Unlike most other esports events like ESL Road to Rio and The Quarantine Series, EVO has several games that players compete in, which all have their own unique internet experiences. For a few months now, Street Fighter V: Champion Edition has been working on its netcode in preparation for online tournaments while Super Smash Bros. Ultimate had lag related issues during The Quarantine Series: Pound Online's Top 32. The game even had the hashtag "FixUltimateOnline" trending online. 

EVO 2020 was scheduled to take place from July 31 to August 2, with eight mainstage titles on offer. Whether all eight will make it to the online tournament is currently unknown.