The Evolution Championship Series (known as Evo) concluded its flagship event in Las Vegas presented by Chipotle tonight, crowning 16 champions while celebrating the Fighting Game Community and its culture with the biggest and most immersive three-day festival of the year. Representing the largest and longest-running fighting game tournaments on Earth, Evo welcomed tens of thousands over the weekend with millions of fans who tuned in globally.

Next up, Evo will make its European debut at the Palais des Expos in Nice, France, on October 10-12, 2025, which will become the largest fighting game festival in EU history. Registration is still open at https://evo.gg/events/2025-france. Evo also announced it will return to Japan on May 1-3, 2026 and Las Vegas on June 26-28, 2026 along with the second annual Evo Awards in 2026 with more details to be unveiled later this year. Evo Singapore is now scheduled for early 2027.

“We feel strongly about the future of Evo after Japan became the largest in-person tournament in the history of the country earlier this year and now Las Vegas as our most immersive event ever,” said Stuart Saw, CEO for RTS, who co-owns and manages Evo along with Sony Interactive Entertainment. “Our team is focused on delivering unforgettable experiences for our diverse and passionate fighting game community, and we can’t wait to reveal our evolution in France.”

Evo Las Vegas packed a punch for everyone over the weekend, anchored by competitors from 60+ countries across the eight Arena Finals and eight Extended Lineup Finals. The Evo Arena on Sunday sold out, hosting 10,000 fans who enjoyed the newly redesigned space with larger screens to not miss a punch. On Saturday, SonicFox won their eighth Evo championship, only second all-time to fighting game legend Justin Wong’s nine Evo victories. Arslan Ash won his sixth Evo championship tonight in dramatic fashion along with his third consecutive Evo Las Vegas title and second-straight TEKKEN 8 championship. MenaRD became the first Street Fighter 6 champion to win Evo Japan and Evo Las Vegas in the same year and now owns three Evo titles.

Fans were also treated to the opportunity to play unreleased major gaming titles for the first time, including Quarter Up’s (Skybound Entertainment) Invincible VS and Arc System Works’ Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls along with new characters in Street Fighter 6, 2XKO and Fatal Fury: City of Wolves.

“Las Vegas is Evo’s flagship event, so we worked meticulously to refine and improve it this year with curated experiences that celebrate competitive fighting games,” said Rick Thiher, General Manager of Evo. “Every year what I love most about Evo is seeing the first timers explore, while at the same time, welcoming back generations of fans who grew up with the community.”

Major publishers surprised fans tonight during the Arena Finals with new announcements for Invincible VS, Guilty Gear -Strive-, Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls, Virtua Fighter, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, TEKKEN 8, UNDER NIGHT IN-BIRTH II Sys:Celes, and Street Fighter 6.

ARENA FINALS CHAMPIONS

Street Fighter 6 – Capcom

Dominican Saul Leonardo “MenaRD” Mena II stormed through the bracket for his third Evo title after sweeping “Kakeru” from Japan in the Winners Final and the Grand Final in a rematch of Evo Japan from last year.

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TEKKEN 8 – Bandai Namco Entertainment

In a 2024 rematch, Pakistan’s Arslan “Arslan Ash” Ash became a six-time Evo champion after defeating fellow countryman Atif “ATIF” Butt in a thrilling 3-1 Grand Final Reset battle. ATIF swept Arslan Ash in the Grand Final 3-0 before falling in the reset. This marked the third-straight year Arslan Ash has won in Evo Las Vegas.

Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves – SNK’s

Japanese competitor from Osaka, Goichi “GO1” Kishida faced off against Lin “ET” Chiahung of Taiwan three times in a thrilling competition as Kishida scored a victory, 3-2, in the Grand Final Reset. GO1 became the first Evo champion of Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves.

Guilty Gear -Strive- – Arc System Works

American Kyle “Kshuewhatdamoo” Shumate from Dublin, Ohio., took home the title in his first-ever Evo by knocking off fellow American Nathan “RedDitto” Chen of Monterey Park, Calif., 3-0. “Kshuewhatdamoo” dropped his match in the Grand Final, 3-0, before sweeping his opponent in the Grand Final Reset.

Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising – Cygames

American Matthieu “Kojicoco” Fardet who currently lives in Japan, defeated Matthew “Zane” Wanders from Trabuco Canyon, Calif., in a Grand Final Reset victory, 3-1, showcasing an incredible run from the Losers bracket. In 2024, Kojicoco finished in third place, marking the second consecutive year with a top three finish at Evo in Las Vegas.

MARVEL vs. CAPCOM 2 – Capcom

American Ken “Khaos” Villalobos from Los Angeles, Calif., knocked off fellow American Andy “Vigga” Nguyen from Seattle, Wash., for his first Evo championship in another thrilling contest, 3-2.

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Under Night In-Birth II Sys:Celes – Arc System Works

American Jaden “Defiant” E., from Jacksonville, Fla., who finished fourth in Evo 2024, took home the title after defeating fellow Florida native from Palm Bay, Izayah “BigBlack” Davis, 3-2. Defiant came from the Losers bracket and knocked off “BigBlack” in the Grand Final and then again in the Grand Final Reset to become a first time Evo champion.

Mortal Kombat 1 – Warner Bros. Games

American Dominique “SonicFox” McLean from Seattle, Wash., made Evo history winning their eighth overall Evo title, moving second overall to Justin Wong. They pulled out a thriller 3-2 over Nicolás “NicoLas” Martínez from Chile in a rematch from 2024.

EXTENDED LINEUP CHAMPIONS

The King of Fighters XV – SNK

Taiwan’s Lin “ET” Chiahung found redemption tonight after losing the Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves Grand Final earlier in the day to capture his third Evo championship after beating Kofero “Layec” Honesto of Mexico, 3-1. ET is considered to be one of the best The King of Fighters players of all time.

BlazBlue: Central Fiction – Arc System Works

American Ryane “XCaliburBladez” Jimenez from New York defeated “J-Anson” from Japan in the Grand Final, 3-2, to take the BlazBlue: Central Fiction title back to the Big Apple.

Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O – SEGA

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Fellow Japanese competitors faced off as the top seed “Akani Shiwapo” defeated “Itabashi Zangief” 3-1 in the Grand Final.

Killer Instinct – Xbox Game Studios

Roman “Roman22s” Gilbert from Phoenix, Ariz., made an astonishing comeback from the Losers bracket by winning six-straight games over the defending champion Anthony “DaaChronicle” Garcia from Kerman, Calif. This was Gilbert’s first-career Evo title in his fourth Evo appearance.

Rivals of Aether II – offbrand games & Aether Studios

American Justin “Plup” McGrath from Orlando, Fla., knocked off countrymate Nick “Stango” Stanton of Philadelphia, Pa., 3-1. It was a dominating performance throughout the tournament from McGrath, who only dropped a single game earning his first Evo championship.

Samurai Shodown – SNK

Brad “Scrub Saibot” Hanasyk, from Edmonton, Canada, defeated “Watanabe Shachou” from Japan in a Grand Final Reset in a winner-take-all game five. This is Scrub Saibot’s first Evo championship and solidified his position as the top Samurai Shodown player in the world.

Capcom vs. SNK 2 – Capcom

Ryo “BAS” Yoshida from Japan won his third Evo championship winning 2-0 over American John “ChoiBoi” Choi from San Jose, Calif., a 2025 Evo Hall of Fame inductee during the Evo Awards in February and who has competed in every Evo.

Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2 – Arc System Works

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American TJ “Vogue” Huckabee from Lake Forest, Calif., won his first Evo championship 3-2 defeating American Bennett “KTP” Gerlach from Nashville, Tenn., who competed in his first Evo.

Evo produced its most immersive festival yet to unite the fighting game community. Major brands connected with fans at Evo including Chipotle (headlined with the foiled-wrapped Burrito Bus welcoming fans all weekend with free rides to a nearby Chipotle location to satisfy their cravings), AT&T, PlayStation, Qiddiya Gaming, Nacon, Zenni, Red Bull, White Claw Zero Proof, Under Armour, Voodoo Ranger IPA, and Grand Archive TCG.

The Evo Arcade Controller Museum truly came into its own this year with a history of fighting game controllers by PlayStation that channeled the life and soul of the arcade era. The museum also featured an exhibit recreating Evo Moment #37, and its Icons Art Exhibition with guest artists including Shinkiro and jbstyle honoring characters that transcend the experiences found within the games themselves.

At the center of the festival, the Evo Arcade offered fans the opportunity to play for free 300+ classic cabinet games spanning nearly the half of a football field and anchored by the Voodoo Ranger IPA Pop-Up Bar.

The expanded Evo Showcase featured new announcements, collaborations with publishers, and legends including six-time Evo champion Arslan Ash and Japanese influencer Betty facing off against nine-time Evo champion Justin Wong.

Other notable interactive experiences during Evo included the Artist Alley to purchase curated fighting game art at Evo, the Cosplay Contest with Steff Von Schweetz from Las Vegas, Nev., capturing the crown as Cagliostro from the Granblue Fantasy universe and winning an all-expense trip to a future Evo event globally, the BYOC (Bring Your Own Console) community-led area for fighting games, and the new Indie Dev Gallery featuring 14 up-and-coming fighting game publishers for fans to explore.

Incentive Games, a leading B2B games provider, is proud to announce that it has been awarded an Ontario Gaming License by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), effective today. This achievement enables the company to offer its portfolio of real-money games to licensed operators and players across the province.

The license underscores the Incentive Games’ commitment to meeting the highest standards of compliance, security, and operational excellence. The rigorous application process demands robust security protocols and comprehensive responsible gaming measures and affirms the company’s readiness to enter one of Canada’s most dynamic iGaming markets.

The North American market is a strategic focus for Incentive Games, and this milestone follows closely on the heels of the company receiving its Provisional Michigan gaming licence from the Michigan Gaming Control Board earlier this month.

Incentive Games will distribute its real-money gaming content in Ontario through Incentive Studios, the company’s dedicated Real-Money Gaming division, ensuring a focused and tailored approach to the market.

“Ontario represents a huge opportunity for us, and securing this license is a proud moment for the whole team,” said John Gordon, Chief Executive Officer at Incentive Games. “It reinforces our dedication to meeting the highest standards while delivering compelling real-money content. We’re looking forward to building strong relationships in the region and continuing our momentum across regulated markets worldwide.”