Shack Chat: What do you want to see most at EVO 2022?

It's a big weekend for fighting games, because the biggest fighting game tournament in the world has returned. EVO 2022 is this weekend and it features the top players from around the world competing to call themselves the best. On top of that, it's also going to feature a parade of announcements. The Shacknews staff took this week to think about what they're excited to see from the can't-miss event this weekend, whether it's a game that's being played or a game that hasn't even been announced yet.

Question: What do you want to see most at EVO 2022?

Injustice 3 - Ozzie Mejia, Senior Fighting Game Spectator

Earlier this week, NetherRealm founder Ed Boon noted that among the many announcements coming to EVO, Mortal Kombat would not be among them. The franchise is taking a break for a little while. That doesn't necessarily mean that the studio won't have anything to announce at all.

Nobody has to tell Injustice fans that the third installment of their franchise has been heavily rumored for years. There are many places where the Injustice announcement could be made. Of all of the places to make that announcement, EVO is certainly one of them. And, yes, I would be very cool with that.

Dead or Alive 7 - Sam Chandler, Another Halo crossover, please

I’m not the greatest when it comes to fighting games. I enjoy a bit of Smash Bros, I love seeing my co-worker TJ dominate in just about every fighting game there is, and I have an appreciation for the likes of what MultiVersus is bringing to the table. However, out of all the wild dreams out there, I would love to see another Dead or Alive game announced at EVO 2022.

I remember first picking up Dead or Alive 4 on my Xbox 360 and absolutely digging the fast combat and the opportunity to play as a Spartan from Halo. It’s been three years since Dead or Alive 6, so it could be time for another entry in the series.

TJ Denzer - Bill Lavoy, TJ’s #3 Fan

First leg of the journey is done. Have a bit to wait, so it’s time to relax a bit before the gauntlet. First airport work travel cheers in over 2 years. The tradition is restored. See you soon, #EVO2022. pic.twitter.com/50qGBs90jO

— TJ Denzer @ #EVO2022 (@JohnnyChugs) August 5, 2022

I want to see TJ Denzer at Evo. I don’t even just want to see him there, but I want to see him destroy the competition and be victorious. If I have to break it down to a game (and I don’t), I would say MultiVersus, but the truth is I’m not as interested in games as I am people, and that goes for just about everything, not Evo specifically. You got this, TJ.

Sagat in Street Fighter 6 - TJ Denzer loves kick-based offense

I’m proud to say I’m at EVO this year, fully welcoming the return of the physical event, and while I’m going to do my best to do Bill proud (thanks much, haha), it feels a little selfish to use a Shack Chat to say I hope I win. Oops, said it. Oh, well.

I really want to see Sagat make an appearance early in Street Fighter 6. Based on the leaks that we’ve seen that were confirmed by Capcom, it looks like all of Street Fighter 2’s World Warriors are returning, sans the big, bad Emperor of Muay Thai. If Sagat had been in Street Fighter 5 early in the game, and not in Season 3 way down the line, I would have taken that game more seriously. Street Fighter 6 is shaping up to be quite cool and it’s killing my doubts little by little, but I need Capcom to do right by classic fans like me. If they’re going to include all of the World Warriors, they need to not hold off on Sagat again. Give me those sweet Tiger Shots and Tiger Knees on Day 1.

Darkstalkers - Steve Tyminski, Stevetendo show host, Secret fighting game fan

What do I want to see most at EVO 2022? When you’re good at a fighting game and can perform crazy combos, it adds that wow factor to the game. Fans of the Stevetendo show may be surprised that there are some fighting games that I love as I don’t play them too often on streams. Mortal Kombat and Darkstalkers are two of my favorite franchises and in a perfect world, Darkstalkers would have a new game announced at EVO this year but I’m not holding my breath on that.

An even more "out of nowhere" thing would be someone somewhere having several copies of Mario 35 to play and have a huge tournament. Mario 35 was the battle game we all wanted and needed and is still a shame that we can’t play it anymore.

Tekken 8 or Tekken Tag 3 - Dennis White

Tekken 7 has been holding it down and thriving for 7+ years at this point. I think this year would be an amazing time to announce future plans for the franchise or atleast drop a first look if it has been in production. Could we finally see a main game not focused around the Mishima clan? Also Tekken Tag would be so much fun to revisit in an age where we are seeing more games incorporate team battles into their esports plans. There is plenty of potential to see hype moments in a tag scenario. Fingers crossed!

Power Stone 3 - Asif Khan, Has been to EVO many times

I love EVO’s hype moments filled with pop offs, new character trailers, and game announcements. I specifically would love to see Capcom bring back the Power Stone franchise. Sure, they are working on Street Fighter 6, but come on. Now is the time for a new Power Stone entry. A good one. With rollback netcode and crossplay. Do it for Shacknews, but more importantly, do it for me. Please understand, Capcom.

Skullgirls: 2nd Encore - Morgan Shaver, Peacock Main

I don’t follow EVO super closely, but looking at the confirmed lineup of games for 2022 I saw Skullgirls listed and got super excited. I love Skullgirls, it’s not only one of my favorite indies, but one of my favorite fighting games as well. As such, I’m really looking forward to seeing Skullgirls played in heated competitive matches at EVO 2022. As an aside, it’s not a fighting game but it’d be kind of funny and fun if EVO included competitive Tetris one of these years. Or just events like EVO in general, I’m always rooting for more love to be shown to Tetris as an esport.

Those are our picks. If you're watching one of the many EVO streams this weekend, what do you hope to see? Join the conversation and let us know in the comments.

Shack Staff

Shack Staff stories are a collective effort with multiple staff members contributing. Many of our lists often involve entires from several editors, and our weekly Shack Chat is something we all contribute to as a group.