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Grading EVO 2024: Games, venue, tournament, spectating & execution

TJ Denzer and Will Borger take a look back at EVO 2024 about a month after and discuss what went right, what could be better, and the state of the event.

TJ Denzer and Will Borger

August 14, 2024 9:05 AM

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After some time spent away from EVO 2024 to digest what we experienced, it feels like a good time to grade the whole thing. EVO has become the most important fighting game tournament in the world and one of the most important esports events still in existence. They don’t always get it right, but the new era of EVO has shown a dedication to improving that we respect and admire. That’s why I sat down with fellow fighting game enthusiast and game industry freelance journalist Will Borger to really dig into the nitty gritty of what worked and what didn’t, as well as what we think could be done to improve the experience.

We talk about a wide variety of aspects of EVO. Having covered as journalists and played in tournaments at the event (Will even got out of his pools and scored a Chipotle gift card), we share our experiences and discuss the EVO 2024 from attendee, media, and competitor standpoints. That includes praise for the game spread, consideration of the venue move, a deeper dive into the fiasco of on-site spectator seating for the finals, and much more.

By the end of the entire discussion, Will arrived at a 9 out of 10 for his overall experience of EVO 2024. I landed on a high 8, low 9. We both agreed that the venue move paid off, the games and competition were great, and the convention experience with the booths, artist alley, and attractions were impeccable. The Fight Stick Museum continues to be a treat and the Game Art Museum was an awesome addition this year. Meanwhile, the free play arcade continues to be an amazing collection of new and old games in a variety of genres to keep you busy between events. However, the finals seating felt like a place where EVO organizers need to sort out the problems ASAP. We also discuss whether or not its time to ditch paper and figure out a more digital solution for tournament bracket record keeping throughout the event.

Check out the full podcast of our discussion above and check out our other EVO 2024 coverage as well. Want more videos? Be sure to head over to our YouTube channels at Shacknews, Shacknews Interviews, and ShacknewsVODs for the latest video reviews, gameplay, unboxings, and more on the latest video games, toys, and technology.

TJ Denzer and Will Borger

This is a collaborative project between TJ Denzer and Will Borger.