Evo 2024 is down in the books, and what an event it was. When the eyes of the entire fighting game community are in one place, it’s also the ideal location to showcase new information about updates: gameplay balances and additions, character DLC, and much more — and the announcements at Evo this year packed one heckuva punch.
Granblue Fantasy Versus Rising elevates its game even higher
GBVSR had a very strong showing at Evo this year, but it looks like it’s only the beginning of this game’s run as a community favorite. The beautiful yet terrifying Versusia was unveiled near the start of Evo, and she was playable at the CyGames booth. Versusia exudes an aura of raw power, with attacks that look and feel downright cataclysmic. She will be released on August 20, and it will be interesting to see how she affects the game’s dynamic. She’ll be accompanied by various gameplay adjustments, a new Grand Master rank, and additions to the game’s single-player story mode.
Also announced but not playable was Vikila, whose bubbly personality and smaller stature stand in stark contrast to Versusia’s chaos. She’ll be available in October of this year, with a gameplay reveal almost certainly coming before her debut. Vikila and Versusia round out the Season 1 DLC characters, but a season 2 teaser — along with a brief glimpse of beloved character Sandalphon — was enough to get the Evo arena jumping with excitement over what’s to come.
Guilty Gear Strive brings us something old, something new, and something very different
Guilty Gear Strive continues to thrive as one of the most beloved fighting games out there, and this year’s Evo grand finals were a perfect showcase of why this game brings so much passion from its players. Those fans have plenty to look forward to in the near future, as developer and publisher Arc System Works announced their full slate of upcoming DLC characters for Guilty Gear Strive’s fourth season.
Returning to the arena will be longtime series staples Dizzy and Venom, with new looks and, in Queen Dizzy’s case, a proper royal title. Details are sparse on the brand-new addition, Unika, but she’s a character that will prominently feature in the upcoming Guilty Gear Strive: Dual Rulers anime.
Perhaps the most surprising announcement, however, was that of Guilty Gear’s first guest character from a completely different franchise. Lucy from Cyberpunk Edgerunners will step into the arena next summer, and it’s going to be interesting to see how she fits in among Guilty Gear’s famously eclectic cast.
Also coming to GG Strive: a 3-on-3 battle mode. It’s still under development, but you’ll be able to try out the open beta of the mode today, July 25. New stages and character colors will also be added into the mix, so fans have plenty to look forward to over the next year.
Hunter X Hunter Nen Impact packs a punch
The upcoming anime-based title from Marvel vs Capcom 3 developers Eighting and publisher Arc System Works was playable and received quite a warm reception. While the inputs for special attacks are simplified compared to other team-based fighters, the feel of the gameplay is still as frantic and strategic as ever, and the over-the-top personalities and techniques of the beloved Hunter X Hunter cast shine through beautifully. Merurem, the fierce insectoid warrior, was both announced and playable at Arc System Works’ booth. Who else will be revealed before Hunter X Hunter Nen Impact’s debut this winter? Only time will tell.
SNK showcases Fatal Fury: City of Wolves and continues King of Fighters XV support
SNK’s flagship franchise fighter King of Fighters XV, had another excellent year at Evo with a strong cross-national turnout, and they’re still working to keep the game fresh and fun. Two beloved characters were announced to be returning to the arena in December: the beautiful and deadly Vice and Mature.
Fatal Fury: City of Wolves had a huge showcase at the event. A booth offering demos of the game proved to be very popular throughout the weekend, and an exhibition featuring top players from the community showcased just how exciting and explosive the game could be, even at this early stage in development. A new but familiar character for FFCOW was also revealed at the event: Kevin Rian and his young buddy Marky make their return to the ongoing Fatal Fury storyline in their hunt for justice.
Finally, SNK had one more surprise: A re-release of the famous Capcom crossover fighter SvC Chaos is now available on PS4 and PS5 with rollback netcode.
Street Fighter 6 gives us a taste of Terry
Speaking of crossovers, Capcom gave fans a sneak peek of famous SNK and Fatal Fury fighter Terry Bogard’s look and gameplay in Street Fighter 6 right before Top 6. Terry’s coming from the streets of his native South Town to tackle the fiercest combatants in Metro City, and if this trailer is any indication, things are going to get quite rowdy indeed!
Tekken 8 reveals Heihachi Mishima… is alive.
By the time you read this, you might already be playing as Lidia in Tekken 8, who featured prominently at Bandai Namco’s Tekken stations on the Evo show floor. Lidia’s announcement at Evo Japan was met with a lot of fanfare, but things are about to get even wilder in the world of Tekken.
You didn’t think Tekken 8 would actually kill off its eternal patriarch, did you? In a stunning trailer, the Tekken Project team revealed the next DLC fighter: Heihachi Mishima, a man so powerful and unkillable that he has once again re-emerged to wreak havoc on all of his accursed bloodline.
Supporting Heihachi’s re-emergence from the fires of hell will be a new, free single-player story DLC that adds the DLC fighters into the ongoing saga — however, this DLC will be free for all players, so there’s no need to buy the DLC to enjoy it. Both Heihachi and the new story content are tentatively scheduled to be released this fall. Also announced were the dates and location of the 2024 Tekken World Tour finals, which will have its culminating event in Shibuya, Japan.
Under Night In-Birth II Sys:Celes delivers a creepy new combatant
Uzuki, the be-hatted and be-spectacled young lass, is the first DLC character from UNI2’s season pass. She will be available today, July 25 for all players. Uzuki was playable at publisher Arc System Works’ booth, where I got to try her out. She’s brimming with personality: besides having a host of macabre normal attacks packed with range and strength, she’s also got a bunch of tricks up her sleeve for special moves: a random item toss, a coffin full of chaos, and oh-so-many skeletons. Expect further information on the next two DLC characters, Ogre and Izumi, later this year.
With more Evo events planned globally in the coming years, the hype won’t be stopping, and you can expect plenty more announcements and surprises to accompany the competition.