Arc System Works took us somewhat by surprise when it announced a new Guilty Gear at the EVO 2019 grand finals. It still features the gorgeous aesthetic we’ve come to expect from the franchise but seemed to include more stage transitions. But that’s not all we can expect from the sequel.

Series general director and creator Daisuke Ishiwatari posted a message on Twitter for fans and explained that the next Guilty Gear will be “a complete reconstruction of the franchise.” The goal is to “create a game both new and existing players alike would want to get their hands on.” That seems about in line with Ishiwatari’s comments last year about reducing the number of systems inherent in the fighting game and expanding its user base.

“The core concept this time is unlike those of the past titles—it is neither ‘evolution’ nor ‘returning to roots’; nor is it an addition or subtraction of elements from existing titles. What we’re pursuing is a brand new experience for Guilty Gear. To achieve that goal, we’ve disassembled the current franchise into fragments and sifted out the pieces that make it unique and charismatic, using those pieces to have a complete reconstruction of the franchise,” said Ishiwatari.

He notes that it’s a “high risk move” on the development team’s part. “However, we have an accumulation of plentiful resources and experience, a clear vision of our ideals, and the excitement towards a future of a new possibility.”

The next Guilty Gear will release in 2020. It will be playable on PS4 at the upcoming ArcRevo World Tour Final 2019 on November 16th to 17th. What other platforms could it be coming to? Stay tuned for more details in the coming months.

A few words from Daisuke Ishiwatari on the new #GuiltyGear…

Official Guilty Gear Website: https://t.co/5t2AD9wFxi pic.twitter.com/Dh20lleKH0

— Arc System Works America (@ArcSystemWorksU) August 9, 2019

SNK Corporation had more up its sleeve at EVO 2019 than announcing free characters and another season pass for Samurai Shodown. It announced that King of Fighters XV, a sequel to its flagship fighting game franchise, is in development. Not much more was revealed aside from this, but the logo looks gnarly enough.

When and what platforms it will release on remains to be seen. The last major title in the franchise was King of Fighters XIV, which brought the franchise into the current generation of consoles. It first released for PS4 in 2016, before eventually being ported over to PC. Check out our review of the console version here.

What improvements will King of Fighters XV bring? Can we expect updated visuals or something more in line with Samurai Shodown? Time will tell so stay tuned for more details. It was also announced that SNK would be collaborating with Bandai Namco on Soulcalibur 6, bringing Haohmaru from Samurai Shodown to the game as a playable character. The latter will be available in the next season of DLC.

King of Fighters 15 Officially Announced at #EVO2019https://t.co/pRm0CRLp4y #KOFXV pic.twitter.com/JHdo4GsURj

— Evo (@Evo) August 4, 2019

A number of high-profile announcements were made during the EVO 2019 grand finals. Among them was a teaser trailer for the next Guilty Gear, developed by Team Red and helmed by creator Daisuke Ishiwatari. Check it out below.

There’s a lot that should be familiar to fans, like the animated faux-2D art-style, over-the-top attacks, and attack combos. An official name wasn’t provided aside from “new Guilty Gear“, and even the official platforms weren’t named. A launch for PS4, PC and Nintendo Switch seems a given though.

The last major Guilty Gear title was Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2, an upgrade over Revelator which added two new fighters – Baiken and Answer. It also brought an expansive story and arcade mode along with new stages, new techniques for established fighters, and much more. It’s well worth a look, especially since the title is discounted on Steam. As for the new Guilty Gear, stay tuned for more details on a release.

EVO is the annual fighting tournament where the biggest fighting games in the industry get played by some of the best out there for various prizes and online fame. This year, eight of the nine events is getting sponsered by PlayStation, and that won’t be the only PlayStation related thing the show will have.

On the official EVO Twitter account, we got a tease that some PlayStation related news would be at the event. It doesn’t specify when it will be announced, just that it will be at some point in the event, even giving out its own little hashtag, #EVOPS4.

It’s hard to say what the news could be. It’s too early for anything major about the upcoming PS5 or the PS VR 2. Considering that it’s a fighting game event, it does seem like a decent bet that it’ll be something fighting game related. Could it finally be the time for PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale 2? I wouldn’t hold my breath, but stranger things have happened I guess.

EVO 2019 runs August 2-4 in Las Vegas and will be streamed live on various platforms. Stay tuned for all the updates.

We are excited to partner with @PlayStation for #EVO2019! 8 of the 9 main event titles are presented by PS4. Don’t miss any of the action and stay tuned for more news from PlayStation at EVO! #EVOPS4 pic.twitter.com/BTWlWmGdPB

— Evo (@Evo) July 22, 2019

While the fighting game community has always had a tense relationship with Super Smash Bros. at the best, it seems like the sheer majesty of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has won them over. That’s because according to Joey Cuellar, the organizer of EVO, the premier fighting game tournament held every year, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is currently leading the way in terms of participant registrations.

We don’t have exact numbers, but in a tweet shared by Ceullar, we did get to see standings—Smash was first, with Tekken 7 being second place, and Street Fighter 5 rounding out the top third. Dragon Ball Fighter Z, which broke records with its registrations last year, is down in sixth place right now. Soul Calibur 6 is sadly right near the bottom, at eighth place.

As for why Smash seems to be doing so well, there are multiple reasons—Ultimate, of course, is far bigger than any Smash game has been before, and it was also made with the competitive scene for the series in mind, which probably caused more competitive players to look at it seriously. It also benefits from Super Smash Bros. Melee no longer being a part of the EVO roster—Melee has been a fixture at EVO for years now, and doubtless some people who would previously only have registered for it are now registering for Ultimate (albeit begrudgingly, I would suppose).

https://twitter.com/mrwiz/status/1113067342907363328?s=21

EVO, the premier fighting game tournament, revealed its lineup for 2019 in a live stream yesterday. This lineup will have nine games, as has been the case of late, and will see the return of Street Fighter 5: Arcade Edition, which should have been expected as this has been the case for the last three years straight.

More interesting is the rest of the lineup—Mortal Kombat 11 will be a part of the lineup, as will Dragon Ball FighterZ and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. SoulCalibur 6 gets a peek in as well, as does Tekken 7. On the more niche side, BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle, Samurai Showdown, and Under Night In Birth have all been confirmed for the stage as well.

Are you noticing what’s missing? For the first time in years, Super Smash Bros. Melee will not be a part of the main lineup. For years, it has continued to be showcased at the event, even alongside Super Smash Bros. 4. However, this year, it has finally been retired in favor of Ultimate, which suggests that there is a push to make Ultimate the successor to it all around.

For those of you who are curious, Street Fighter 5, Dragon Ball FighterZ, BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate will be the Sunday games this year.