Gab Hernandez 
EVO 2024 is on the horizon and the tournament organizer revealed how many participants will compete across its eight major tournaments.
Fighting games experienced a renaissance in 2023 and early 2024, with a slew of major releases across multiple major franchises. Street Fighter 6 averaged a very high player count, Mortal Kombat 1 was one of the best-selling games of the year, and Tekken 8 will go down as one of the biggest releases of 2024. Alongside this, established titles like Guilty Gear Strive continue going strong.
The rising interest in fighting games meant the competitive scene flourished. EVO 2023 broke records with over 9,000 competitors around the globe competing in the event. Street Fighter 6 soared over the rest of the games with over 7,000 players, with Guilty Gear Strive and Tekken 7 significantly behind. The numbers are a bit closer for the top three at EVO 2024.
Street Fighter 6 set to have EVO 2024’s biggest participant count
Street Fighter 6 will have the highest number of participants at Evo 2024, with over 5,000 players in the tournament.
While it’s a few thousand less than in 2023, Street Fighter 6 faces tougher competition in 2024. Tekken 8 isn’t too far behind, with over 4,600 players in its bracket. In third place, Guilty Gear Strive boasts over 2,000 players, slightly less than 2023.
On the bottom end of the list, Mortal Kombat 1 and The King of Fighters 15 have a staggeringly low player count, not even hitting the 1,000-player mark. Mortal Kombat 1 missed the boat to join EVO 2023 last year, but given Street Fighter 6’s dominance, that might have been a good thing.
Mortal Kombat 1, despite solid sales, still gets regularly beaten by Mortal Kombat 11 in player count on Steam. The game drew criticism for not being as mechanically interesting as previous titles, on top of its matchmaking issues. Meanwhile, The King of Fighters XV faced similar problems for nearly a year before it finally got fixed. These issues likely contributed to the lack of competitors at EVO 2024.
EVO 2024 breaks records for most unique competitors for an esports event
EVO 2024 will make history by having the most registered unique participants in an in-person esports tournament.
With over 10,000 participants registered, EVO 2024 may be the most competitive yet, given the number of participants. Although fighting games don’t draw quite as many viewers as the bigger esports titles like CSGO or League of Legends, they maintain a loyal and steadfast fanbase.
Although fans once worried about EVO’s future after its CEO’s controversial exit, the event reached higher heights without them. With the release of 2XKO soon, EVO 2025 could beat even this year’s impressive numbers.
