While we may not have gotten a new DLC fighter announcement at EVO 2019 from Nintendo, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate still made quite an impact. The hit fighting game closed out the tournament with over 279,000 concurrent views on Twitch at its peak, setting a new record for the event. This was of course Super Smash Bros. Ultimate‘s first year at EVO, as the game has not even been out for a full year. Perhaps this freshness added to the excitement of watching it.
Smash Bros Ultimate has set the record for the highest peak viewership in EVO history for any game at over 279,000
Smash 4 lyfe #EVO19 pic.twitter.com/yTdc3PyrLu
— Rod Breslau (@Slasher) August 5, 2019
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate replaced Melee this year even though Melee had been a tournament staple for the past six years. Super Smash Bros. Melee made its debut 18 years ago on the Nintendo GameCube (feel old yet?). When EVO announced the 2019 lineup of tournament games, they did thank Smash Bros. Melee for the many years it had been part of their tournament. Although the Smash part of EVO may now be featuring the newest entry in the series, you can still head to other tournaments to play Melee (CEO 2019, Super Smash Con, etc). At EVO this year even before it began, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate attracted the most entrants compared to other games being played. This news came from EVO’s President Joey Cuellar back in July.
Whether you love Ultimate or are a die-hard fan of older Smash games, what is clear is that the newest entry is certainly making a name for itself in the tournament scene. As we previously reported, Nintendo just added Tourney Mode to the game. It’s clear the gaming giant wants to make Ultimate a staple in the competitive fighting game circuit, and players have been flocking to compete. We just have to wait and see if EVO keeps it around as long as Melee or if it too ends up being replaced.
