Sony Interactive Entertainment Acquires eSports Brand Evo

Collaborations include Evo Online, an online-only competition taking place in August.

March 19, 2021

Sony Interactive Entertainment and RTS, a new venture from Endeavor's esports business, announced that they had acquired the assets and properties of the fighting game event Evolution Championship Series from Triple Perfect through a joint venture esports partnership.

Through this collaboration, Tony and Tom Cannon, co-founders, Evolution Championship Series, will continue to be key advisors.

"Tom and I are incredibly excited by the partnership with SIE and RTS," says Tony Cannon, co-founder, Evolution Championship Series. "Both companies bring a wealth of experience and share our passion for what makes the fighting game community so great. We are looking forward to working with them to launch Evo to the next level while remaining true to our roots."

Evo is returning this year as Evo Online, an online-only competition on August 6-8 and 13-15. Entry is free, and players in North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America will be able to compete in Bandai Namco Entertainment's "Tekken 7," Capcom's

"Street Fighter V: Champion Edition," Warner Bros. Games' "Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate" and Arc System Works' "Guilty Gear Strive "in an open format. The online qualifiers will be live-streamed. More details will be shared in the coming weeks on Evo.gg.

"Fighting games have been a vital part of PlayStation's legacy and our community since the very beginning, and we've been thrilled to partner with Evo over the years," says Steven Roberts, vice president, global competitive gaming, SIE. "This joint acquisition with RTS marks a new chapter of collaboration with Evo's co-founders Tom and Tony Cannon and their passionate community of fighting game fans."

As a result of the acquisition, Evo will be operated by the recently-formed joint venture between SIE and RTS. Specific terms of this transaction were not disclosed due to contractual commitments.

"Evo is a unique and iconic community unlike any other in the fighting game space, and we're proud to be partnering with the SIE team and the legends that are Tom and Tony — as well as Mark Julio as head of business development — to help grow Evo," says Stuart Saw, chief executive officer, RTS. "We've got so many exciting plans in store for this year and beyond."