Joey Cuellar
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Evo 2020 canceled after co-founder abuse allegations
Evo 2020's online event won't go ahead after its co-founder was accused of assault.
Tekken Tag Tournament 2 joins EVO 2014 lineup
EVO fighting game tournament founder Joey "Mr. Wizard" Cuellar appeared on a recent episode of iPlayWinner's The Fray, where he revealed that Tekken Tag Tournament 2 would appear at this year's tournament. As we reported in September, EVO 2014 is slated to take place in Las Vegas from July 11 to July 13. As with last year, EVO 2014 will be streamed via Twitch. Though it's not terribly surprising to see the fan-favorite Tekken Tag Tournament 2 join the tournament roster, it's far from the only draw at EVO 2014. Other games appearing at the event include Super Smash Bros. Melee, Ultra Street Fighter 4, Injustice: Gods Among Us, Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom 3, Killer Instinct, King of Fighters 13 and BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma. Alongside the addition of Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Cuellar also revealed that publisher Bandai Namco has signed on as a sponsor for EVO 2014. [Image: Bandai Namco]
Nintendo wanted to remove Smash Bros. from EVO entirely, organizer says
Super Smash Bros. Melee's triumphant return to the stage during this weekend's EVO 2013 fighting game tournament was in greater jeopardy than originally thought, according to statements made by EVO organizer and co-founder Joey Cuellar during a recent episode of Live On Three. "They were not only trying to shut down the stream, they were trying to shut down the event, the smash portion of the event," Cuellar said. "It's their IP, they can do what they want and they didn't present us with any options to keep it open." Cuellar added that after negotiations, EVO was able to reach an agreement with Nintendo that allowed Smash to be kept at the tournament, but not broadcast to the rest of the Internet. "We're not going to press it any further, it's their IP," he added, relaying his attitude at the time. "We respect Nintendo's decision to protect their IP, and we're going to comply with their legal department completely." Of course, that compromise was quickly revised after the fighting game community's reaction to the announcement. Cuellar said that no efforts were made on his end after the initial agreement with Nintendo had been made, so its decision to allow streaming for Smash had to have been in response to other, outside factors. "We're super grateful to Nintendo for letting us do it," he said.
