The
Evolution Championship Series (
EVO or
Evo) is an annual
esports event that focuses exclusively on
fighting games. The tournament is a completely
open tournament and uses the
double elimination format. As with
Super Battle Opera, contestants will travel from all over the world to participate, most notably from Japan. The first Evolution was originally held as a
Super Street Fighter II Turbo and
Street Fighter Alpha 2 tournament called the
Battle by the Bay. It changed its name to the Evo in 2002. Every successive tournament has seen an increase of attendees. It has been held at various venues across the
Las Vegas Valley since 2005.