Evo 2024: No One Expected These Entry Numbers!

A 25-YEAR OLD GAME HAS OVER 1,000 ENTRANTS? WHAT?!?
Evo registration has ended and as customary to their tradition the entry numbers were released for every game. And James was not prepared! 3 games have over 1,000 entrants, and games like Street Fighter 6 has some of the best retention we've ever seen for a year 1 to year 2 transition! Evo 2024 is going to be wild this year!
== TIME STAMPS ==
0:00:00 Intro
0:02:26 Mortal Kombat 1
0:07:22 The King Of Fighters XV
0:09:50 Every Game Deserves Their Spot
0:11:18 Street Fighter 6
0:13:18 Tekken 8
0:16:58 Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising
0:18:24 Street Fighter III: Third Strike (And MvC2)
0:26:21 Under Night In-Birth II Sys:Celes
0:27:05 Guilty Gear Strive
0:30:21 Evo Blog Statistics
0:37:33 Spectators And Cosplay
0:43:02 Closing Thoughts
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• Evo 2024: No One Expec...
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[@BalasielVOD]

Just got into fighting games a few weeks ago, can't wait to watch my first Evo 😮

[@junior1388666]

Welcome, bro! Just prepare yourself for the amount of salt thats coming your way😊

[@BalasielVOD]

@@junior1388666 I played LoL for years

[@madmanmit2618]

I've posted these numbers in other comment sections before, but I want to post this here. It's a list of the top 45 games that have gotten over 1k entrants in the 12 years. I think they're interesting. 1. Street Fighter VI (2023) - 7080 2. Street Fighter VI (2024) - 5265 3. Street Fighter V (2016) - 5107 4. Tekken 8 (2024) - 4646 5. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2019) - 3532 6. Super Smash Bros. WII U (2016) - 2662 7. Street Fighter V (2017) - 2622 8. Dragon Ball FighterZ (2018) - 2576 9. Street Fighter V (2018) - 2496, 10. Guilty Gear Strive (2023) - 2471 11. Super Smash Bros. Melee (2016) - 2372 12. Ultra Street Fighter IV (2015) - 2227 13. Guilty Gear Strive (2022) - 2155 14. Guilty Gear Strive (2024) - 2058 15. Ultra Street Fighter IV (2014) - 1979 16. Street Fighter V (2019) - 1949 17. Super Smash Bros. WII U (2015) - 1926 18. Tekken 7 (2019) - 1896 19. Super Smash Bros. Melee (2015) - 1869 20. Samurai Shodown (2019) - 1726 21. Ultra Street Fighter IV (2013) - 1637 22. Tekken 7 (2023) - 1587 23. Mortal Kombat 11 (2019) - 1574 24. Tekken 7 (2018) - 1544 25. Ultra Street Fighter IV (2012) - 1520 26. Super Smash Bros. WII U (2017) - 1505 27. Super Smash Bros. Melee (2017) - 1425 28. Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising (2024) - 1377 29. Super Smash Bros. WII U (2018) - 1355 30. Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 (2023) - 1352 31. Super Smash Bros. Melee (2018) - 1350 32. Street Fighter V (2022) - 1321 33. Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 (2013) - 1302 34. Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 (2012) - 1297 35. Tekken 7 (2017) - 1283 36. Tekken 7 (2022) - 1215 37. Dragon Ball FighterZ (2019) - 1197 38. Pokken Tournament (2016) - 1180 39. Blazblue: Cross Tag Battle (2018) - 1178 40. Mortal Kombat X (2015) - 1162 41. Under Night In-Birth EXE: Late[ST] (2019) - 1154 42. Street Fighter III: 3RD STRIKE (2024) - 1101 43. The King Of Fighters XIII (2012) - 1072 44. Ultimate Marvel VS Capcom 3 (2014) - 1014 45. The King Of Fighters XV (2022) - 1006

[@DisappointedBuddha]

Best time line. SF6 has a 1650 drop off from 2023 to 2024 but it's directly associated with Tekken 8 rise... Like we have a 2.5D fighter top, a 3d fighter immediately behind it , followed by what is essentially a lite version of an "anime fighter"... dawg that shit is huge for EVO. All we need is for SNK City of the Wolves to round top 4 (may get overshadowed by 2XKO)

[@madmanmit2618]

@@DisappointedBuddha Depends if 2XKO gets released by the time Evo comes around next year.

[@carlosaugusto9821]

@@DisappointedBuddha I doubt that a SNK game will reach that place. 100% impossible for the western Evo at least. Arcsys games will be generally above SNK games.

[@SHABALALAGUY]

Lmao PLEASE upload that Kimberly video James, the time is now!

[@WeedianFGC]

Real men watch 400 Chun vs. Yun matches and they like it!

[@AceBadguy]

Prepare yourselves for a Yun, Chun, and Ken top 8. (Evo Japan's top 8 only had 2 characters in there)

[@LinkinMark1994]

Inb4 a rogue Hugo or Q squeezes in there

[@LinkinMark1994]

Inb4 a rogue Hugo or Q squeezes in there

[@mikejonesnoreally]

This is the United States of America. Hugo was in Top 8 (Grand Finals) of CEO. Calm yourself.

[@han3wmanwukong125]

Makoto gonna win it all tho..

[@DisappointedBuddha]

The big three are now Capcom, Bandai, and Arc. And we allow Arc Vs SNK for that 3rd slot cause that fight is worth watching (CotW is gonna rip that slot away but Hunter Hunter may reclaim it) but NRS doesn't have the juice yet. I wish it did but it don't

[@carlosaugusto9821]

SNK is infinitely below Arcsys right now. SNK might have been influential in the 90s, and logically it still owns a ton of brilliant creations from that time, but it's nothing but the name and the legacy of the 90s. Now Arcsys is also a hardcore fg company that started in the 90s... but it only got grew with time, and has been doing great stuff nowadays. The differences in sales, player base, global popularity and fgc popularity between Arcsys games and SNK games are very clearly set since a long time. It's just a simple matter of comparing numbers... Like these Evo 24 numbers of GGST vs KOF 15. Sure the upcoming FF will probably get an alright number of Evo entrants next year, but that's natural for a first timer. The real power of a fg is, first of all, being able to continue going to next Evos, then not dropping numbers radically in next events. A simple first time performance wont make FF immediately a true rival of GG (which will be 4 year old btw).

[@sinn3r147]

Wait! I need this kimberly video right now James! Cant believe i missed it

[@han3wmanwukong125]

Im sad to say I also abandoned KoF15 for SF6 for the online playability. Even though SF6 ranked is the bane of my existence, the fact that I can actually play people says a lot.

[@ForestTekkenVideos]

On your most recent Tuesday show btw I don't know what I was huffing when I jokingly chatted "Kano is the good guy [of mortal kombat]," I know the good guys of MK are Liu Kang Johnny Cage Jax and Sonya. I probably just shouldn't comment when MK is the subject 😆

[@orewaerojijidaa]

even Daigo Beast 3on3 Tournament last month get 3400 entrant in japan only

[@Ero-Sage]

KoF with only 375 saddens me.

[@dillonharnden-shea57]

As someone who doesn’t play KoF their roster is wack.

[@666slateran666]

It makes total sense, unites states is not the hub of competitive KOF

[@carlosaugusto9821]

Totally expected though

[@carlosaugusto9821]

​@@666slateran666 That reply doesn't work 100% because Evo is a more global tournament than an american tournament now. The early Evos sure, they were actual american tournaments, only meant to serve the u.s fgc interests during the 00s. But afterwards Evo becomes a more commercial event and a more inclusive event. So much that Evo finally gave space to a SNK game (KOF 13) in the 2010s, something that never happened before... Because yeah, there was truly no interest in SNK at north america and europe, not enough to even make a small tournament (like most in the early Evos).

[@666slateran666]

We really are in the fighting game Renaissance. I may not be as old head as some but I've been playing fighting games for 20 years now and they are in the best state possible. So many options it's hard to pick what to focus on lol

[@carlosaugusto9821]

Actually there are no real options outside of around 4 big games. But those top 4 really are stacked, in the current generation.

[@christophermarshall2362]

I'm watching the Street Fighter 6 and Tekken 8 tournaments!

[@GenderNeutch]

those are really interesting numbers. As far as I could tell from a quick search, Strive might not have sold as many copies as MK1 did (and it did so in a much shorter period of time), but one could argue, that maybe Mortal Kombat, in a way, isn't one of the big 3 anymore? It's certainly a popular franchise, but comparing its active players (on Steam, to be clear) to Strive, which has been around much longer, and also seeing these entrance numbers, it seems MK isn't doing so well - neither in a casual nor in a competitive setting. As far as I'm aware MK has always had this cycle of being really popular in the first year or so and then rapidly dropping numbers, I'd argue though, that longevity and consistency are more important to qualify for a spot in the "top" fighting games. No doubt, though, that popularity and flashiness sells copies and MK for sure does a hell of a job promoting the genre.

[@UltraChenTV]

Yeah, in terms of sales, MK will ALWAYS be in the big 3. I guess I meant more in terms of FGC popularity. Although… Igbo meant it that way, MK would NEVER have been in the big 3. 🤔🤔 So honestly, if the Big 3 is referring mostly to sales, MK is still there probably.

[@GenderNeutch]

@@UltraChenTV mhm, yeah, that makes sense, looking at the numbers for calling a game "big". And not only is MK doing a good job of spreading love for fighting games in general, it's also fair that there are titles out there which cater to audiences who want more of a cinematic and flashy narrative experience in their fighting games, and which don't care too much about the pro scene and the competitive side of things.

[@sorubro2193]

Never take chat comments about any game seriously

[@KingOfStreetFighters]

I can totally listen to your HDR rant for 2.5 hours. Do it!

[@duxnihilo]

Would've been 6 games had NRS not dropped the ball.

[@LinkinMark1994]

21:21 so what you’re saying is… Justin Wong is the Freeza of Marvel vs Capcom 2?

[@mikejonesnoreally]

No.

[@runbaa9285]

Prepare for Chun vs Yun vs Ken: The Game in Top 8 😅

[@MG_Gambino]

Might get a random ryu, makoto or dudley pop in 😅.

[@mikejonesnoreally]

Prepare for idiot post #789,655 "warning" us all. Thanks HEAPS Captain blatantly obvious! (While still being utterly naf and wrong.)

[@carlosaugusto9821]

MK1 ended up a big and controversial failure as a competitive game. But then how are we going to describe the game that got even below MK1's numbers? (And kinda far below, not even very close)

[@MG_Gambino]

For 3rd strike i do wonder what theyre playing on. Not everyone play on stick so im curious what theyre gonna use or has it been confirmed that theyre using arcade?

[@UltraChenTV]

I think they are trying to use arcade hardware that accepts USB controllers. I’ve seen those at various gaming centers.

[@ektran4205]

james zaslav is restructuring wb since walter hamada ruined wb

[@UltraChenTV]

That’s good to know hope he shows some love to NRS.

[@666slateran666]

Have you tried Bison yet? Why play kim when you got psycho bombs!!! I know it's not the same but even with bad defense bison is better then her imo

[@UltraChenTV]

Eons better. LOL!

[@malcovich_games]

The stream monsters are definitely gonna be dunking on 3S for that inevitable Yun, Chun, Ken finals. Spectators who don’t understand The Beautiful Game just want variety…

[@Chaoskae]

It’s a 20+ year game, the meta hasn’t really changed. Both people that understand the game and don’t will share the same criticisms lol. If Evo GF finals is Frankie vs Diago it’s still Ken vs Ken. Justin vs Tommy2step is still a Chun mirror no matter how different their playstyles are it’s still the usual. I hope makoto wins 3s so stream monsters can see why people hate that character 😂😂😂

[@666slateran666]

It's hard not to be bored by the meta. It's much more interesting seeing Makoto or something

[@carlosaugusto9821]

​@@666slateran666 And the proof is that western 3S tournaments look more boring, as the scene is more tier whoring overall, but the highest level japanese tournaments are much better to watch because of skilled specialists that managed to make certain mid tiers or even low tiers work.

[@Chaoskae]

@@carlosaugusto9821 Japan is still dominated by CYK. Let’s not pretend like Japan tournaments show more “diversity”

[@SuperLemonfish]

"i don't understand why us players don't wanna pick top tier" "All i did was walldive... Claw is really stupid" There's your answer lol Its a game, we should try to have fun in it. Claw aint fun. (Addendum. Wouldn't it just be nice if we, as gentlemen agreed to never pick geneijin super? Or to not pick sa2 chun?sf3 would have so much more variety and be so much more interesting! I for one have zero interest in fighting genei yun. Ill just take the l lol its not my job to win so why stress over unfair BS, y'know?)

[@UltraChenTV]

I get it. If you’re only planning to play for fun forever, it’s Monopoly house rules. But at WNF, there were people who legit wanted to become good at ST. Top players learning the game. They should be accustomed to it. If they can’t deal with it, being top players from other games, that’s not good. A tournament is a Tournament. Gotta play at the highest levels.

[@FACEHEADD]

It's not WB's fault that MK1 is trash. The game is flat-out awful. The "rushed" argument doesn't work anymore at this point. The game has been out forever and is still trash.