EVO 2020 has become an online event

Brawlers won't be meeting in person for this year's EVO, but the massive fighting game tournament will still be carrying on as an online event. The new format was introduced in an announcement trailer, which you can watch above.

Competitors will duke it out across five weekends, accompanied by special exhibitions, four open tournaments and more from the physical show's original lineup. Seven games will be featured, which is one down from what was previously announced.

Under Night In-Birth, Dragon Ball FighterZ, Tekken 7, Street Fighter 5, Soulcalibur 6, Granblue Fantasy Versus and Samurai Shodown will all appear as planned, but it looks like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has been knocked off the roster.

The open tournament games are Mortal Kombat 11, Killer Instinct, Them's Fighting Herds and Skullgirls 2nd Encore.

Moving everything online creates some additional wrinkles, especially seeing as these are fighting games where every frame matters. Hopefully the matches won't be undone by technical issues or dodgy netcode, but judging by the response to the announcement, a lot of people aren't convinced.

EVO Online kicks off on July 4 and concludes on August 2.

Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog.