The official lineup for EVO 2019 has been announced, showcasing what games will be played during the world's biggest fighting game tournament. Expected titles such as Street Fighter V, Soulcalibur VI, and Dragon Ball FighterZ are there, but many will likely notice the lack of Super Smash Bros. Melee, which has been a mainstay and viewer favorite since 2013. In its place is the newer Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, which allows for a new generation of players to take the stage. You can also expect to see Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late[st], BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle, Mortal Kombat 11, Samurai Shodown, and Tekken 7. EVO 2019 will occur this year from August 2-4, at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas.

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[Shadowfied]

Oofe. Big oofe.
As much as I love Smash 4 and Ultimate, Melee is the most entertaining to watch on a professional level for me.

 

[ZeroHunta]

RIP Melee.

Goodbye old friend.

 

[KingVamp]

Hate to see die hard Melee fans right now.

 

[andzalot55]

goodbye Melee. You will be dearly missed.

 

[Deleted User]

Where's
SUPER Street Fighter II: The New Challengers?

 

[gman666]

I know I'll get a lot of flak for this, but it's time for newer games to take the stage. Why alienate so many people when finding reliable melee hardware (Controllers with special glitches, CRTs, Melee Discs, and Gamecubes) is a pain?

 

[Kadji]

Good decision - EVO, at least in my opinion, should be reserved for "up to date" titles. Older, beloved games are still going to have individual tournaments and/or side events at EVO - it's not like melee will disappear from the competitive scene just because they don't have a spot at EVO anymore.

Heck, even Fist of North Star (Hokuto no Ken) still has a single yearly tournament in Japan.

 

[CorpseFlower]

I know I'll get a lot of flak for this, but it's time for newer games to take the stage. Why alienate so many people when finding reliable melee hardware (Controllers with special glitches, CRTs, Melee Discs, and Gamecubes) is a pain?

these can answer your question
There's a thing called UCF which fixes "Controllers with special glitches", crt are preference not needed, they are preferred because they are still the fastest monitor, melee is not rare and roughly goes for around $40 which is inexpensive for tournaments and players as most of the other games are same price bracket, and game cube is not rare or expensive plus the wii(5th most sold console ever) can play game cube games.

on a other note
Also since when should competitive care about whats new, I thought it was about the community and sport. Melee is one of biggest game community in the FGC.

 

[Hells Malice]

Given how old and broken it was, it's for the best. People really need to move on.

 

[lordelan]

BlazBlue deserved to be there. Good and well balanced game.
I miss the good King of Fighters Days though.

 

[RedoLane]

No one seem to talk about the return of a classic SNK glory game...…

IZA JINJOU NI!
IPPON NE!

SHOBU!

 

[Sonic Angel Knight]

Mortal Kombat 11 and no Dead or Alive 6? Core Values huh?

 

[MiiJack]

Perhaps they thought that Melee would hinder Ultimate in the competitive scene. They might show Joker during the EVO also.

 

[raxadian]

Well, it was about time. Melee was the equivalent of the Dragon Ball Z nuts always playing Budokai 2.

 

[duwen]

That's tragic... no Guilty Gear!
Melee... meh...

 

[The Catboy]

Nothing of value was lost

 

[CoolStarDood]

And nobody of value cared

 

[Noctosphere]

Nothing of value was lost

I wouldn'T say that
But yea, it had to change someday...

 

[DKB]

I shouldn't be surprised. The game is almost 20 years old. And the controller situation is worse than the joystick faults at EVO. It's a joke at this point.