History of Evo Japan 2018 in Timeline

Evo Japan 2018, held in Tokyo from January 26-28, marked the first Evolution Championship Series event outside the United States. The fighting game tournament featured competitions in popular titles like Street Fighter V, Tekken 7, and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. The event drew over 5,000 registrants, with Street Fighter V and Tekken 7 boasting entrant numbers comparable to Evo 2017.

May 2011: Postponement of Initial Event and [sài] Pre-Tournament

In May 2011, the event was originally scheduled but got postponed because of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. A pre-tournament named [sài] was held and included Tekken 7, Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2, and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Street Fighter V was excluded from [sài] due to licensing issues.

2013: Tekken Tag Tournament 2 victory by Jae-min "Knee" Bae

In 2013, Jae-min "Knee" Bae won the Evo 2013 Tekken Tag Tournament 2, and in 2018 he won the Tekken 7 finals.

2017: Comparison of entrant numbers with Evo 2017

In 2017, Evo Japan 2018's Street Fighter V and Tekken 7's entrant numbers were on par with their respective Evo 2017 numbers.

2017: Entrant Number Comparisons with Evo 2017

In 2017, Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2, The King of Fighters XIV, and BlazBlue: Central Fiction had more entrants at Evo Japan 2018 than at their respective Evo 2017 events. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U saw a decrease in entrants.

2017: Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2 victory by Nage over Omito Hashimoto

In 2017, Omito Hashimoto was the champion of Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2, but was eliminated by Nage in the second set of the grand finals.

2017: Evo 2017 Competitor Pass Pricing

In 2017, competitor passes for Evo 2017 ranged from $55 to $75 depending on when players registered, with an additional $10 fee for each game entered.

April 2018: SNK and Bandai Namco Announcements at Evo Japan 2018

In April 2018, SNK announced Oswald for The King of Fighters XIV, three additional DLC characters for the title, Nakoruru from Samurai Shodown as a character for SNK Heroines Tag Team Frenzy, and an online version of The King of Fighters '97 named The King of Fighters '97: Global Match. Bandai Namco revealed Nightmare, Kilik, Chai Xianghua, and Grøh for Soulcalibur VI.

May 17, 2018: Financial Loss of Evo Japan 2018

On May 17, 2018, it was revealed that Evo Japan 2018 incurred a loss of over one million dollars, primarily because it was a free-to-enter event.

2018: Evo Japan 2018 Location

In 2018, Evo Japan 2018 took place in Tokyo, Japan, marking the first time the Evolution Championship Series was held outside of Las Vegas. The first two days occurred at Sunshine City, and the third day at Akiba Square.

2018: Evo Japan 2018 Streaming Details

In 2018, Evo Japan 2018 was streamed on Twitch in English, Japanese, and Chinese. Capcom also ran their Capcom Fighters stream for Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition. The ARMS finals were on Friday, The King of Fighters XIV and BlazBlue: Central Fiction finals were on Saturday, and the rest of the lineup concluded on Sunday, with Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition as the closing game.

2018: Evo Japan 2018 Game Lineup Announcement

In 2018, Evo Japan 2018's game lineup was announced via a YouTube trailer, featuring seven games: Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition, Tekken 7, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2, BlazBlue: Central Fiction, The King of Fighters XIV, and ARMS. This lineup reflected the event's location, and it marked the first time ARMS was included in an Evo event.

2018: Evo Japan 2018 Participation and Entrant Numbers

In 2018, participation in Evo Japan 2018 was free, attracting over 5,000 players. Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition had 2,256 entrants, and Tekken 7 had over 1,000 entrants.

2018: Evo Japan 2018 Fighting Game Event

In 2018, the Japanese Evolution Championship Series, also known as Evo Japan 2018, was held in Tokyo, Japan. It was the first Evo event to take place in Japan and outside of the United States. Tournaments were held for fighting games like Street Fighter V, Tekken 7, and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Over 5,000 people registered for the event.