EVO’s always been that stage where legends are made, the tournament everyone chases. For years, EVO Vegas and EVO Japan were untouchable, flagship stops where the energy, the hype, and the stakes just felt right. So when EVO expanded into France in 2025, people watched closely. Was it a power move, or spreading itself too thin? Add in the fact that Sony now owns the brand, and the FGC had reason to wonder: Is the soul of EVO slipping?
Then there’s the roster. Big names like MenaRD, AngryBird, Big Bird, names you expect to see lighting up the bracket, were missing. That kind of absence shakes event expectations. But EVO France didn’t just survive, it delivered. The crowd was electric, matches were extremely high level. Which then made the doubts fade fast.
In the finals, we had Leshar vs. Blaz, and it was everything you hoped for. Blaz, just 15, coming in from Chile, fighting from losers, was able to reset the bracket with his solid Ryu. But Leshar? He held firm, adapted round by round, and closed it out under pressure. The kind of grit you don’t teach, you earn. I truly hope he gets nominated for player of the year after winning Combo Breaker, CEO, and now EVO France in his 2025 run.
Yet the story of the weekend belonged to Mister Crimson. The French crowd was all in, chants, roars, every hit met with energy that felt like a power-up. He ran deep, inspiring people in a way I’ve never seen at a fighting game event. Even when his run ended at the hands of Blaz in losers finals, his impact had already been made.
By the time EVO France wrapped, the message was loud and clear. EVO isn’t going anywhere. France didn’t just host a tournament, it made made it known to be a new home for biggest fighting game tournaments.The heart of the FGC showed up, loud as ever, and proved that no matter the place or the branding, fighting games still live in moments like these. With this event setting a high mark, we truly look forward to seeing what comes to these new EVO events!
