Advertisement

Evo donating $10k to 2017 Pokken tournaments

Pokken Tournament esports will get $10k for 2017, thanks to Evo. (Nintendo)
Pokken Tournament esports will get $10k for 2017, thanks to Evo. (Nintendo)

Esports organization Evo has announced it is donating $10,000 to support Pokken tournaments throughout 2017.

The announcement did not detail whether the money would be going directly to increasing prize pools, or upgrading tournament scope and production.

The news comes after Pokken Tournament just missed out on being chosen as the ninth game to be featured at Evo 2017. Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 claimed first place in the votes with the most donations, leading with $71,690 over Pokken Tournament’s $66,906–a difference of $4,784.

The voting format was decided by users, who could donate money for their chosen game. All proceeds from the vote will go to the Make A Wish International charity.

The voting format for the Evo 2017’s final game has drawn some criticism. In particular, Skullgirls designer Mike “Mike Z” Zaimont openly spoke against the format, believing that it pit communities against one another and built “animosity” between groups.

Pokken Tournament was featured in Evo 2016’s official lineup, but failed to make the cut this year. The game was first released for the Wii U in March 2016.

Evo 2017 will take place on July 14-16 at the Mandalay Bay in Vegas. The event was previously hosted at the Las Vegas Convention Center in its first two days, with finals day moving to the Mandalay Bay Events Center.