Dragon Ball FighterZ was the game with the most registrations for EVO this year; but its popularity wasn’t just with the players, it was also with the viewers, as it ended up becoming the most viewed EVO event this year on the video game live streaming site Twitch.

In fact, with over 258,000 concurrent viewers, the game wasn’t just the most viewed EVO event this year, it was the most viewed EVO event ever, at least on Twitch. That goes to show you just how popular Bandai Namco and Arc System Works’ new fighter has been.

There are probably many reasons for this popularity- at its core, it’s an exciting fighting game, with well balanced and accessible mechanics, and a high skill ceiling, meaning it’s great fun to see what players do with the game, and how far they can push its tech. It also looks eye catching and gorgeous, meaning it naturally attracts attention. Additionally, it’s also based on Dragon Ball, one of the most popular media properties of all time, which also naturally attracts a lot of attention, even from those who otherwise would not be interested in fighting games. Overall, it’s just a combination of all the right factors.

Dragon Ball FighterZ is out now on PS4, Xbox One, and PC, with a Nintendo Switch version coming next month.

With the Nintendo Switch beta for Dragon Ball FighterZ coming soon, EVO 2018 seemed like a good time as any to reveal that Cooler would be joining the battle. The elder brother of Frieza, Cooler has been a fairly popular character despite mostly being famous for movie appearances. Check out his debut in the EVO 2018 trailer below at which also features the rumoured Raid Battles.

Much like Frieza, Cooler is capable of transforming, changing his appearance, and raising his Power Level (though he does it before the battle commences). Whether this will make him a major threat against, say, Super Saiyan Blue Goku or Vegeta is debatable. But hey, having more characters is always welcome.

Though there’s no release date for Cooler, it should be within the next month if Bandai Namco’s other reveals are anything to go by. He’ll likely be available with the FighterZ Pass for $34.99 (including past fighters like Fused Zamasu, Bardock, and Broly) along with retailing separately for $5. What are your thoughts on Cooler’s arrival? Let us know in the comments.

To celebrate the Evolution Championship Series (aka EVO) 2018, a special weekend has been announced for some very big fighting games on Steam. Six games are available to play for free until August 6th, 10 AM PST, while also being discounted until the same time for those who wish to purchase them permanently instead.

The games in question include Capcom’s Street Fighter 5: Arcade Edition, NetherRealm Studios’ Injustice 2 and Bandai Namco’s Tekken 7. Arc System Works’ Dragon Ball FighterZ, BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle and Guilty Gear Xrd – Revelator – are also free. Given that BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle is a fairly recent release and critically acclaimed, this is your chance to try the game out and see if it’s for you.

Purchasing any of the above games in question will see save progress transfer over as well. EVO 2018 starts today and ends on August 5th. Though exhibition matches will be held for the upcoming Soulcalibur 6 and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, pools for games like Injustice 2, BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U are the main attraction. The finals, taking place on August 5th, will include these games as well.

The world’s premier competitive fighting game tournament is almost here, and for the first time in years, it looks like Street Fighter 5 has been dethroned from its top spot of having the most number of registrations. Instead, this year, the most popular game at the tournament seems to be Arc Systems Works and Bandai Namco’s Dragon Ball FighterZ, which has 2,530 fighters registered for the event.

Street Fighter 5 still took second place, with 2,421 registrations, while Tekken 7 saw year on year growth, with 1,504 entrants. Super Smash Bros. fell dramatically this year- presumably because of dwindling interest in Melee, and because the Smash Wii U scene is getting ready to move on to Smash Ultimate, which comes out later this year. Smash Wii U had 1,303 registrants, while Melee almost matched it with 1,302 registrants. They were trailed by BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle, Guilty Gear Xrd, and Injustice 2, which had 1,148, 621, and 356 registrations respectively.

Given how spectacular Dragon Ball FighterZ is to look at, and just how much fun it is to watch matches in it, it’s no surprise that it seems to have led the pack on registrations this year. Will things change next year, especially with a new Smash game, which presumably consolidates the audiences for Melee and Wii U? That remains to be seen. For now, Dragon Ball is king.

https://twitter.com/MrWiz/status/1020203089670782976

Street Fighter EX spiritual successor Fighting EX Layer is now available on PlayStation 4, but developer Arika still has post-launch support planned for it. It announced on Twitter that it would be adding two new characters, free of charge – Vulcano Rosso and Pullum Purna. Their release dates will be revealed at EVO 2018, taking place on August 3rd.

Other features that will be coming in the next program update include the option to enter Training Mode after connecting to a match. Arcade Mode is also confirmed, though it may have a different name at launch. Arika is currently planning to release this update by July end.

As for the base game, Fighting EX Layer is currently available only for the PlayStation 4. It sports a 2.5D aesthetic but includes familiar gameplay features like Super Cancels. Perhaps the newest feature for an Arika fighting game is Gougi Boost, which lets players customize a special Gougi deck for use during matches. These grant different bonuses and other special enhancements.

If you’ve played Fighting EX Layer, what are your thoughts on it? Let us know in the comments below.

#FEXL
ARIKA would like to formally announce the following additional characters for our game 「Fighting EX Layer」, which is currently available for purchase on PS4:

-Vulcano Rosso
-Pullum Purna

Furthermore, we plan to make these characters available Free of charge. pic.twitter.com/oioOFEprSl

— FIGHTING EX LAYER (@FightingExLayer) July 11, 2018

#FEXL
Also, in our next Program Update (which we are planning to release before the end of July) we plan to add:

-The option to return to Training Mode after connecting to an Online Match (Return to Training/Continue Waiting for a Match)
-「Arcade Mode Ver0.80」 (Temporary Name)

— FIGHTING EX LAYER (@FightingExLayer) July 11, 2018

It seems like DragonBall FighterZ is winning big at EVO this year so far, at least in terms of the number of registrants. According to Mr. Wizard, it currently has more entries than any other fighting game being featured at the tournament, beating even Capcom’s Street Fighter 5: Arcade Edition, which, if you remember, just got its relaunch this year.

Street Fighter 5 is, however, in second place, while Tekken 7 comes in at a surprising third place. Smash Bros. Melee and Smash Bros. 4 round out the top five respectively. It is to be noted that as of right now, entries are still open, so things might just end up shifting around a bit- but even so, DragonBall FighterZ strong showing indicates that interest in it is strong from not just the mainstream community, but also the competitive fighting one.

EVO 2018 will be held later this year- it will be interesting to see whether FighterZ is able to maintain this level of popularity going into next year.

https://twitter.com/MrWiz/status/973659377117798400