Calling All Gamers — the Evo Lineup Is Finally Set to Feature 'Skullgirls' This Year

Updated May 14 2020, 1:14 p.m. ET

Gamers across the globe were understandably disappointed when fighting video game tournament Evo was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, fans are now looking forward to watching and participating in the tournament online. The lineup, which was announced earlier this year, has garnered quite a bit of controversy, but there's one thing most gamers are looking forward to.

For the first time ever, Evo will be featuring the popular 2D fighting game Skullgirls, which is incredibly monumental for avid fans of the game worldwide.

What is 'Skullgirls'?

If you aren't already familiar with Skullgirls, let us bring you up to speed — according to Steam, it's a quick 2-D fighting game that debuted back in 2012, which challenges players to control intense fighters in a world called Dark Deco. Longtime fans claim it challenges even those well-versed in fighting game, but it's also quite accessible to newbies as well.

Skullgirls 2nd Encore, which was released back in July 2015 to PlayStation 4 and Playstation Vita, is now available on PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation Vita, according to Fandom. It's essentially an enhanced version of the widely beloved game, reprising old characters with more capabilities than before.

Fans are anticipating 'Skullgirls's first (official) time at Evo this year.

Until this year, Skullgirls had not made an official debut at Evo, which had always been somewhat surprising — Reddit user fkwillrice noted it had been played at Evo shortly after its debut, however, Averious noted that it was simply incorporated into a side tournament back in 2013 or 2014. It was added shortly after Evo announced its online tournament.

In the past, gamers on Reddit were somewhat perplexed by Skullgirls' absence from the popular gaming tournament, and many speculated it might be due to the games' fanbase, which is smaller than other major games. Others thought it could be because it's praised more for its storyline than its fighting. Either way, fans are excited it's going to be there — see what they had to say about its official debut, below.

'Super Smashbros Ultimate,' however, was removed from the lineup.

A few weeks after Evo cancelled its physical tournament in Las Vegas, fans were thrilled to hear they would still be holding an online tournament. Although a majority of the lineup remained exactly the same, there was one exception: Super Smash Bros Ultimate was no longer being played, which left fans devastated. 

According to Shack News, this is largely due to the fact that Super Smash Bros Ultimate's online gameplay tends to be low quality, so its absence may be for the best.

Evo's online tournament is definitely something to look forward to, and between its first virtual tournament, and with Skullgirls incorporated into the official lineup for the first time, it's bound to be seriously a legendary year for the gaming event. Needless to say, we're hyped beyond belief.

Tune into the Evo Online livestream during any of the following dates: July 4 and 5, July 11 and 12, July 18 and 19, July 25 and 26, and July 31 and Aug 2.

ncG1vJloZrCvp2Oxqr%2FTq5icrJmbxm%2BvzqZmqWeVq7xuv8quo6Wfmae5tA%3D%3D