Evo is a major event for fighting game tournaments and news. This year, we’ve seen updates announced for some of the biggest games in the genre, including Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8, and Mortal Kombat 1. There’s even a brief teaser for SNK’s next bout. Here’s all the news at Evo 2023 you should know about.
Street Fighter 6 x Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
After a musical performance of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles theme song, Capcom announced a new crossover for Street Fighter 6. Starting August 8, there will be four skins for your custom characters based on the radical reptiles, pizza-riffic emotes, new titles, stamps, mobile wallpaper, and camera frames. This bit of EVO 2023 news was one of the highlights of the show for me.
A.K.I. joins the battle in Street Fighter 6
Capcom also teased its next Street Fighter 6 character, A.K.I. She looks twisted, and poisons your custom character in the trailer. No gameplay was shown, but we do know she’ll be available sometime this Fall.
Ashrah, Havik, and Reptile are in Mortal Kombat 1
Three new characters were announced in a stellar Mortal Kombat 1 trailer. You’ll be able to play as Ashrah, Havik, and Reptile when the game arrives on September 19, 2023. Ashrah is a surprising choice, as she hasn’t been in the series since the PS2 game Mortal Kombat: Armageddon. Regardless, she looks like she fits in with her brutal Fatality. Sareena is also coming back, but as a Kameo fighter this time around.
Johnny returns in Guilty Gear Strive‘s Season Pass 3
Shirtless and ready to strike his foes, Johnny returns as the first character of Guilty Gear Strive‘s Season Pass 3. He swings his katana with a quickening pace, and also unleashes cards, even turning people into them and slashing them up when the opportunity arises. He’ll be available to play on August 24.
Season Pass 3 will include one more character in 2023 and an additional two in 2024. It will also come with two more stages, more color variants for your characters, and two extra colors for the Season 3 characters.
Arc System Works also confirmed that the game’s reached 2.5 million players, making Guilty Gear Strive a huge success for the studio.
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves hypes up the crowd
After The King of Fighters and Samurai Shodown getting acclaim from fans and critics alike, the Fatal Fury series is returning with City of the Wolves. Not much was announced, but there was a little teaser by SNK, showcasing Terry and Rock Howard in the game. The graphics seem to be an upgrade too, with more visual details and improved lighting.
No release date has been given, but SNK fittingly said it is “furiously in development.”
The King of Fighters XV adds Najd and Duo Lon, and KOF XIII gets a re-release date
On August 8, Najd will be available as a DLC character in The King of Fighters XV. Duo Lon will then follow her sometime this Autumn, which starts on September 23 and ends on December 21.
Additionally, The King of Fighters XIII Global Match will hit PS4 and Switch on November 16 with rollback netcode.
Raven and Azucena join the Tekken 8 roster
Fan favorite character Raven and the coffee-obsessed newcomer Azucena are a part of the Tekken 8 roster. Raven is using his shadow skills that might remind you of Naruto’s Shadow Clone Jutsu. Meanwhile, Azucena has an intriguing dodge feature with some tasty counters shown off in the trailer. Tekken 8 still has no release date attached.
League of Legends fighting game Project L adds Yasuo
The in-development 2v2 fighter Project L is adding the champion Yasuo into the mix. His move set includes a far-reaching sword and quick attacks in the air. He can also release tornados and wind walls against his opponents.
“He can outplay with mix-ups, he can go to the air for really technical combos, play defense with his wind wall, or honestly just win neutral with his huge normals,” said lead champion designer Alex Jaffe. Sadly, no release date for Project L was announced amid all the news at Evo 2023.
Plankton is a new character in Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2
The tiny Plankton from Bikini Bottom is joining the bout in Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 in a mech. He has all sorts of weaponry to fight off the likes of Aang, Reptar, and Spongebob SquarePants. He, alongside Squidward, will be a part of the main roster when the game launches later this year.
Killer Instinct is getting a huge update
Cult-favorite Killer Instinct is getting a major update from Xbox Game Studios and Iron Galaxy for the first time in years. It will include better matchmaking, a balance update, and all-new 4K support on Xbox Series X|S. It will be coming this Fall. Now that Iron Galaxy and Xbox are working together on this, perhaps talk of a sequel could arise between the two companies after Rumbleverse‘s shutdown in February.
Under Night In-Birth 2 Sys:Celes is bringing “Dramatic Stylish 2D Fighting Action” in 2024
After more than ten years and many versions, Under Night In-Birth is getting a sequel. It will be launching early next year for the PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, and PC. Sorry, Xbox fans. Additionally, there will be rollback netcode.
Arc System Works says there will be “completely redesigned visuals” and “even more playable characters to be added” down the line. The trailer’s description also touts that there will be “new moves and new battle systems” that further evolve the battle in Under Night In-Birth 2 Sys:Celes.
GranBlue Fantasy Versus: Rising gets a release date
The release date for the sequel Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising is November 30, as announced at Evo. As the festive season begins, we’ll be battling it out as Gran and other characters in a three-part story and a new mode called Grand Bruise. Additionally, there is crossplay and rollback netcode available in this new version of the game. More characters are available too, including Anila, Grimnir, Nier, and Siegfried.
Maypul comes to Rivals 2
Finally, the fox-like combatant Maypul joins the Smash-like Rivals 2. She brings three different plants with her to the battle, including Lily, Terry, and Poppy. She’ll also be the fastest character in the game. Maypul’s combos look thrilling in the trailer itself. The game launches sometime next year.
That’s it for Evo 2023 news cycle. Which fighting games are you most looking forward to next year, and will you be playing as Michelangelo in Street Fighter 6‘s avatar battles?
