Evo's 2019 Lineup Marks the End of Super Smash Bros. Melee's Phenomenal Run at Evo

It's Under Night In-Birth's time in the sun.

News by Matt Kim, News Editor

Updated on 26 February 2019

Evo officially announced the nine games that will be headlining this year's Evo 2019 fighting game tournament. The list includes some new games, and surprise picks over last year's roster of games, as well as a noticeable absence: Super Smash Bros. Melee.

Evo is one of the biggest fighting game tournaments in the world, and is a showcase for some of the best players from the most popular fighting games of the year. The nine games that will be headlining Evo 2019 are:

BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle
Dragon Ball FighterZ
Mortal Kombat 11
Samurai Shodown
Soulacalibur 6
Street Fighter 5: Arcade Edition
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Tekken 7
Under Night In-Birth ExeLate[st]

Unlike the past six years, Super Smash Bros. Melee will not be at Evo 2019. And Evo made it clear that Melee will no longer be a tournament mainstay with a short tribute video released during its livestream.

EVO's thank you video for Super Smash Bros. Melee pic.twitter.com/OG8DzW7R8c
— Wario64 (@Wario64) February 27, 2019

Instead, Evo 2019 will offer Nintendo's latest fighting game, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on the Nintendo Switch. While Nintendo always pushes for the most recent Super Smash Bros. entry, Melee held a special place in the hearts of many Smash fans over the years. But it appears that it's curtains for Melee.

Another big surprise this year is the inclusion of Under Night In-Birth. A popular fighting game at the AnimEVO side event, Under Night's been pulled up as a headliner for Evo 2019. This has certainly excited niche fighting game fans and will showcase an eclectic anime fighter to a wider audience.

Evo 2019 will take place at the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada from August 2 to August 4, 2019. You can check out Evo 2019's official website here.

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Matt Kim

News Editor

Matt Kim is a former freelance writer who's covered video games and digital media. He likes video games as spectacle and is easily distracted by bright lights or clever bits of dialogue. He also once wrote about personal finance, but that's neither here nor there.