Sony has sold their ownership stake in the annual fighting game tournament Evolution Championship Series, better known as EVO, to Indian Gaming and event company Nodwin Gaming. This leaves Nodwin and RTS (a talent management and brand consulting company founded by popular streamer Pokimane), who previously purchased the event with Sony in 2021 as joint owners.
Sony has not fully departed EVO, at least not yet, as they will remain as the global sponsor of EVO through 2028. In addition, they are one of the backers of Nodwin Gaming, leaving them at least somewhat invested through that partnership. Phil Rosenberg, SVP and Head of Global Partner Development & Relations at Sony Interactive Entertainment, released a statement in which he stated:
When SIE acquired Evo alongside RTS in 2021, our goal was to help the Evo community grow and spotlight the skills and passion of fighting game fans on a global stage. As SIE transitions to become an Evo sponsor, the momentum for Evo has never been stronger, following a successful Las Vegas event and upcoming expansion to new regions. We look forward to supporting the continued growth of Evo globally.
Saudi Arabian company Qiddiya, which had become one of EVO’s global partners last year, has announced it will be investing in RTS and plans to remain a global partner until 2027. Qiddiya is perhaps best known for spearheading the massive tourism and entertainment project in Saudi Arabia, which aims to build a high-tech city in the region that revolves around sports, entertainment, and gaming.
Sony, for their part, had interwoven pretty significantly with Evo in the time that it had become the owner, leaving fans curious what the future might hold for the event. During this year’s EVO, for instance, a major narrative came from several tournaments held on PlayStation, through the PlayStation Tournaments feature launched in 2022, which allowed fighting game fans to win a trip to EVO as well as play some of the best players present, such as Sonicfox or Justin Wong. In addition, Sony, in conjunction with the frequently featured at EVO developer Arc System Works, has announced Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls, a 4v4 tag fighter that was demoed at EVO 2025. This is, along with the official PlayStation brand fighting stick, FlexStrike, also present at the event.
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