Evo, the shorthand name for the prestigious Evolution Championship Series fighting game tournament, will be an in-person event again for the first time since 2019. Evo was just one of many events that had to do things differently because of COVID-19, and even though the upcoming Evo will be at a convention center once again, general manager Rick Thiher tells The Verge<\/em> that things are just different now.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe market is not the same as it was when we went on hiatus in respect to COVID,\u201d Thiher said. \u201cHaving COVID not really fully passed at this time, that hiatus has created new concerns, new needs, and has really restructured expectations both for the workforce and even the endemic tournament organizers that we work with to help put Evo together.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are a lot of challenges to work through for this year\u2019s event, according to Thiher. Potential attendees haven\u2019t been going to events regularly because of the pandemic, so they may not be planning for this one. The costs of putting on an event have gone up. And many of the people who assist with putting on the show have moved on to things like other jobs and starting families, or have just gotten out of the practice of helping out with Evo every year.<\/p>\n