Las Vegas, Nevada hosted a big crowd of professional and casual fighting game players over the weekend. EVO 2017 showcased some of the most popular brawlers that each has their own group of fans and players. Several retailers, manufacturers, and publishers were also on-hand to cater to the needs of the crowd. Most of the popular titles like “ Street Fighter V”, “Tekken 7”, “Injustice 2”, “Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2”, and more were under the spotlight as international players fought against one another to determine who is the best of the best.
While the tournament matches themselves were the focus of the event, several publishers stole the show with their surprise announcements both for existing games and new ones
Familiar faces make a comeback
Former Capcom partner Arika revealed their new fighting game a few months ago and interestingly exactly on April Fool’s Day. As expected, fans initially brushed it off as a clever trick that recalls the “Street Fighter EX” series and “Fighting Layer” game Arika co-produced and produced respectively. However, the publisher confirmed that the game does exist and features some familiar faces like Kairi, Garuda, and Hokuto. During EVO 2017, the Arika-developed fighting game threw a big surprise for fans as the developer revealed more characters.
Fan-favorite masked hero Skullomania makes a comeback as well as Indian wrestler Darun Mister. Moreover, the game is reportedly getting a limited beta test later this year. It is scheduled to simultaneously launch in Japan, Europe, and North America next year for the PS4.
Arc System Works was full of surprises
The next publisher that whipped fans into a frenzy was definitely Arc System Works.
The publisher seems to have given in to pressure from its players and confirmed a new character. One of the six heroes, Jubei, has finally been announced as a DLC character this summer.
Additionally, they also announced a new cross-over fighting game called “BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle”. It features a 2v2 battle system that showcases several characters from “BlazBlue”, “Persona 4 Arena”, “UNIEL”, and surprisingly from the popular Rooster Teeth series, “RWBY”.
It is also scheduled to be released next year.
'Here come some new challengers'
EVO 2017 had some publishers reveal new characters for their existing titles. “Street Fighter V” officially announced Abigail from its “Final Fight series” as the newest addition to the roster. Meanwhile, Bandai Namco unveiled Future Trunks for “Dragon Ball FighterZ” and Geese Howard for “Tekken 7”, while Capcom revealed Jedah and Gamora during a short exhibition match.
