It looked like a massive Evo was coming this summer. Last year’s Evo Vegas was massive, with 8,541 unique registered competitors and 14,500 attendees. Then, Evo Japan earlier this year was even bigger, with 9,875 total participants. It was mostly for Street Fighter 6, but still.

By all accounts, it seemed like Evo Vegas 2026 would be insane. However, the numbers are in, and it’s even worse than I could have ever imagined.

The final numbers came in today, and it’s bad. Street Fighter 6 is the biggest, with 2,414 entrants. Rivals of Aether II only has over 1,000 entrants because Ludwig Ahgren artificially inflated it. But everything else has shrunk. Massively. The smaller games have barely any entrants.

As noted by one account on X, registrations have dropped drastically. This is apparently the lowest reported registration number for Evo since 2014. And as the account pointed out, it’s not due to the games themselves.

The first issue is an obvious one: the Saudi Arabian buyout. Evo was purchased by Saudi company RTS earlier this year. The initial backlash was similar to that faced by the Esports World Cup, with fans feeling that Saudi Arabia was attempting to control the entire esports industry as part of its “esports washing” plan. Many see these massive esports events as a way for the country to mask its controversial treatment of LGBTQ+ and female citizens.

But the concern spread beyond this for the FGC. A community that really values authenticity and grassroots passion, many feared that Evo would lose its culture once RTS announced a massive Evo circuit with tons of new locations, including Saudi Arabia. Before this, Tekken GOAT Arslan Ash had already feared that Evo Vegas was losing its prestige after Paris and Singapore were announced.

It got even worse. Evo Japan’s treatment of the Kemonomichi Legends LIVE first-to-10 match against Daigo Umehara and Saul Leonardo “MenaRD” Mena IIhad the fighting community furious. Rather than treat it like a fight to the death, the broadcast seemed to be pushing hype and turning it into a spectacle.

It seemed like the FGC’s fears were coming true: Evo was losing its original culture and turning into another over-the-top Saudi Arabian production. Evo Japan was a bit of a disaster and it seemed like Evo Vegas was getting the same treatment. Evo announced all kinds of showmatches with content creators who barely even play fighting games, making it seem like new management just wanted easy views rather than staying true to the culture.

I believe it’s very likely that the FGC doesn’t feel the same level of excitement as anxiously awaiting a once-a-year epic. Flying and booking a hotel for a lackluster fighting game event that will just pop up against in a few months doesn’t seem worth it to a community that’s already broke. Before, it felt like Evo Vegas was an exclusive club, like a secret handshake. Now, it’s just some Saudi event like all the others.

The second issue is also rather obvious: the event is in the United States. The economic and political state of the U.S. has been a huge topic of discussion in the esports world and beyond. Many esports fans, pros, and staff have been wondering if events should even be held in the United States right now.

Visa issues have continued to be a huge problem, exacerbated by the Trump Administration’s xenophobia. Many esports pros can’t get their visas figured out in time, whether it’s because the team isn’t prepared for the longer process or because the U.S. is blatantly denying them. It’s not an esports-specific problem; important staff from the World Cup are also being turned around at the airport.

But even pros and fans who can get to events in time are questioning if they want to go. Similar to the issue with Saudi-funded events, many feel uncomfortable with the anti-transphobic and sexist rhetoric from the United States president. Minorities and foreigners are also afraid after seeing all of the ICE raids earlier this year, with the Trump Administration promoting racial profiling and kidnapping.

After seeing Evo’s low registration, one Redditor noted: “Yes, a lot of international competitors either already know they can’t go to the US right now, or they’ve seen what’s happened to other people who tried and decided not to risk it. Not a good time to visit the US.”

Let’s just say there are fans who aren’t afraid for their lives. They are afraid for their wallets. Flying to the United States and staying in a Las Vegas hotel is expensive. Flight prices have gone up. When I was looking at hotels out there, many were $200-plus a night.

Added one fan: “Unless you buy into Evo Vegas’ prestige too much, there’s just little reason to attend it given costs when you can likely make a trip to another major closer to you.”

Nobody has to deal with these political and economical issues now that there are like 23049823498 Evo events. Just attend a closer one.

The prestige of Evo Vegas is gone.

I’m attending Evo Vegas later this month and have some hope that the Top 8’s will still be exciting and there will still be a passionate community giving me goosebumps. The beauty of the FGC is the passion. But Evo used to be the one place where every fighting game community could come together and feel they belong. Now, it just feels like it could be another generic esports event.

Let’s hope not.