The popularity of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has helped it become the best-selling fighting game of all time, which is also reflected in its popularity at Evo 2019, as it’s currently the most registered game for the tournament so far.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was released in December 2018, which means the game will be seeing its first tournament appearances in 2019. The release of a new Super Smash Bros. game is always a major event for the competitive gaming scene and that was especially true for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, as the game included numerous features.
The president of Evo, Joey Cuellar, uploaded a post to Twitter that breaks down how popular each of the gaming tournaments are in regards to how many people have registered for them. The most popular game so far is Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, followed by Street Fighter V and Tekken 7.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has already become a fixture in gaming tournaments, which has led to the creation of tier lists based on their results. The game has also received several patches that seem to be inspired by online rankings and tournament results, with the smaller/harder to hit characters like Olimar and Pichu taking a major hit in the last update.
Evo 2018 was actually a controversial one for the Super Smash Bros. community, as the fans turned on players who picked the notoriously overpowered Bayonetta for use in the tournament. The audience reaction led to the two finalists (who both chose Bayonetta) wasting time for two minutes until they were both officially warned for stalling. Bayonetta has since been nerfed in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Evo 2019 has been criticized for not including Super Smash Bros. Melee for the first time in six years, which drew considerable ire from the Melee fan community. The fact that Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has brought back every character who ever appeared in the series and added new mechanics to make the game faster has led to concerns that it would usurp Super Smash Bros. Melee’s place in the tournament scene. It’s only natural for a brand new and highly acclaimed fighting game to be popular at tournaments, but the question now is whether Super Smash Bros. Ultimate can maintain its popularity for years to come.
Evo 2019 will be running from August 2 to August 4.
