Evo 2019 lineup announced, Smash Bros Melee is out

Steven Rondina Published 27/02/2019

Evo 2019’s games lineup comes with a few surprises.

The selection of main stage games for this year’s Evolution Championship Series was revealed by directors Joey “MrWiz” Cuellar and Mark “MarkMan” Julio on the official Evo Twitch channel. The nine games included this year will be Street Fighter V Arcade Edition, Tekken 7, Blazblue: Cross Tag Battle, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Dragon Ball FighterZ, UNDER NIGHT IN-BIRTH Exe:Late[st], Soul Calibur VI, Mortal Kombat 11, and Samurai Showdown.

The biggest resulting discussion was the omission of Super Smash Bros. Melee. The Gamecube title stands as one of the most enduring in fighting games, and has been among Evo’s biggest and most popular attractions since first being added to the lineup in 2013. Though it hasn’t seen a serious decline in either participation or viewership, the game was kicked off the main stage entirely.

This drew resoundingly negative reactions from fans and pro players alike, with many wondering aloud if this was the result of Nintendo’s rumored frustration with the older game’s enduring popularity. Though Smash Bros. will remain a part of Evo with Ultimate, the removal of Melee still raised eyebrows.

Of course, Melee wasn’t the only mainstay to be removed from the proceedings. Guilty Gear Xrd was ejected after four years of play, while Injustice 2 has been bumped after two. Injustice was replaced with NetherRealm Studios’ upcoming release Mortal Kombat 11, while Guilty Gear’s future is unknown.

A surprising omission among new releases is Dead or Alive 6. The Team Ninja series generated controversy with a risque demonstration at Evo Japan, but is still set to be one of 2019’s biggest new fighting games.

Though much of the discussion on Evo’s lineup was on which games won’t be there in 2019, there are some exciting new additions.

Soulcalibur returns to the main stage for the first time since 2012 with Soulcalibur VI. Classic SNK series Samurai Showdown will make its Evo debut with its upcoming reboot. UNDER NIGHT IN-BIRTH Exe:Late[st] will appear on the main stage after being one of 2018’s most popular side events.

Evo 2019 will begin August 2.

Steven Rondina

About Steven Rondina

Steven Rondina is a true lifelong gamer. His earliest memories are of playing video games, and he has continued playing them throughout his life with no plans to stop any time soon. Steven’s favorite franchises in gaming include Pokemon, Dark Souls, and Counter-Strike. He has previously published with Bleacher Report and other gaming outlets.

View full profile

Read Also

GTA

Will will GTA VI be delayed (again)? The prediction markets don’t think so Michael Hassall Grand Theft Auto VI (GTA6) is on track to be one of the important gaming titles not just of 2026, but of this generation. With the game expected to set a new standard in the gaming industry, as well as a new pricing standard, anticipation for what many expect to be a game of the year, is high. The open-world crime action game is slated for release later this year, ...

Twitch

PUBG announces $100,000 Streamer Challenge for PAYDAY mode Khizar Mundia PUBG is hosting a limited-time challenge where streamers can compete in PAYDAY mode for a chance to win a share of the $100,000 prize money. PUBG’s latest gameplay mode is introducing a new direction for the game, as the battle royale will now feature a heist mode. This highlights Krafton's desire to give its players more in terms of varied content. PUBG's collaboration will also feature a tournament where streamers ...

GTA

Even the Bank of America has an opinion on GTA 6’s price Michael Hassall GTA VI might be the most anticipated video game of all time, and dozens of questions are currently swirling about the upcoming release, from gameplay elements like what the story is going to be, to more pressing items like just how much is this game going to cost us? Well, in a recently published Forbes report, Bank of America industry analyst Omar Dessouky stated that the financial institution believed the ...

Slots

Roobet enters the prediction market space with new integrated feature Fariha Bhatti Roobet has become the first major crypto casino to integrate a prediction market directly into its platform. Here’s everything you need to know about how the potentially game-changing Roobet prediction market works. Prediction markets have become a popular alternative for users who find traditional trading too complex. In 2026, major platforms like Polymarket and Kalshi are the two most popular players, though the prediction market has still remained somewhat new ...

News

Shuffle opens FIFA World Cup 2026 hub with exciting promos Fariha Bhatti With a month to go before the 2026 World Cup kicks off, Shuffle is getting ahead of the game with the launch of its very own FIFA World Cup Hub. Shuffle has quickly become the go-to for gamblers looking to play their favorite slots or place bets on the running sports and esports event. The crypto-casino website offers markets for almost every sporting event, along with thousands of online slots ...

Kick

What is Clavicular’s Looksmaxxing and why is everyone talking about it? Fariha Bhatti You’d think Braden "Clavicular" Peters coined the term Looksmaxxing, but long before it went viral, people were already chasing the same idea. Here’s a look at what it means to Looksmaxx. The streaming world has produced its share of viral trends, but Looksmaxxing might be the most significant one to cross over into the mainstream. The term traces its roots back to around 2010, originating in niche online communities. It ...

Slots

This is how Provably Fair casino games work Ian John Crypto casino gaming has evolved what an online casino can offer to its customers and one of the key ways that this has manifested itself is in greater transparency when it comes to fairness and game mechanics. These games are called Provably Fair games and they sit directly at the heart of what this new generation of games has to offer. In the past, players have had to trust whether ...