Nintendo Switch fighting game Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is officially the most popular game at this year’s Evo fighting game tournament, according to Evolution Championship Series co-founder Joey Cuellar. Nearly 3,500 players registered to compete in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate at Evo 2019 in August, Cuellar said on Twitter.
Tournament mainstay Street Fighter 5: Arcade Edition drew the second largest crowd, with 1,929 registered players. That figure is down from last year’s count, when 2,484 players registered to compete in Street Fighter 5 (which took second place to Evo 2018’s big draw, Dragon Ball FighterZ).
Growing in popularity is Tekken 7, which has 1,885 registered players, up from 1,538 at Evo 2018. Newcomers Samurai Shodown and Mortal Kombat 11 are the fourth and fifth most popular games at Evo 2019.
Here’s the full list:
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – 3,492
- Street Fighter 5: Arcade Edition – 1,929
- Tekken 7 – 1,885
- Samurai Shodown – 1,719
- Mortal Kombat 11 – 1,567
- Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late[st] – 1,156
- Dragon Ball FighterZ – 1,191
- Soulcalibur 6 – 742
- BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle – 640
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s massive player interest can likely be chalked up to the fact that it replaces two other Super Smash Bros. games — Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Melee — at this year’s tournament. At Evo 2018, Smash Wii U and Melee drew a combined 2,705 players.
Evo 2019 will take place Aug. 2-4 in Las Vegas at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. More details are available on the tournament’s official website.
