PlayStation and esports venture RTS have jointly acquired Evo, or Evolution Championship Series, a fighting game tournament series that has been running for nearly 25 years. As the world’s largest and longest-running fighting game tournament, the acquisition is an enormous move by Sony Interactive Entertainment.
RTS is a fresh esports venture headed up by CEO Stuart Saw. RTS has the backing of a number of investors including global entertainment, sports, and content company Endeavor. RTS represents expertise in esports event management, brand and developer consulting, and gaming talent management, making them the perfect partners in this acquisition.
The Evo co-founders, brothers Tom and Tony Cannon, will remain “closely involved in an advisory role” to ensure that the fighting game tournament continues to support the community and growth potential. With the acquisition, Sony hopes to “elevate the global reach, scale and fan engagement surrounding this iconic gaming tournament.” Evo will still take place this year, coming back as Evo Online on August 6-8 and 13-15. There is free entry, and players in North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America will be able to compete in Tekken 7, Street Fighter V: Champion Edition, Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate, and Guilty Gear -Strive- in an open format. Qualifiers will be live streamed, with additional details to come later.
In a post about the acquisition, Sony Interactive Entertainment said:

Our collective t...