One more round for Street Fighter V
Without hyperbole, it’s safe to say that Evo 2022 was a huge success — perhaps one of the greatest editions of the Evolution Championship Series ever, in fact. Returning in a physical capacity for the first time in years, fighting game fans were treated to hundreds of exciting matchups, some quality presentation, a fistful of exciting reveals, updates, and announcements, and some amazing in-ring action.
And the good times are set to continue, as it has been officially announced that Evo will be returning not only to western shores in 2023, but also in the east, as Evo Japan makes its own grand stage return next spring. The Japanese iteration of the event will take place at Tokyo Big Sight in Odaiba, Tokyo, for the weekend of March 31 — April 2. While a full card is yet to be announced, Arc System Works’ Guilty Gear Strive, SNK’s The King of Fighters XV, Bandai Namco’s Tekken 7, and Capcom’s Street Fighter V: Champion Edition are all confirmed to be in attendance.
The appearance of SFV on the main card is something of a curiosity, given that Capcom is looking at a spring 2023 release for its successor, Street Fighter 6. The Industry’s Chris Moyse is still betting on a February release, but one would imagine that such a launch date (March at the latest) would be just a tad too late to see the new fighter headline the Evo Japan card. Still, it’s quite clear that Capcom will want SF6 out in plenty of time to qualify for next year’s Evo USA, so the predicted date still stands.
Evo Japan will return in March 2023. Be sure to check out all of the fighting game headlines from the past weekend over in our round-up guide right here.
