Sony should and probably will continue to stay a global sponsor of EVO at least in the short term as Nodwin Gaming takes over as one of the most premium tournament organizers in the fighting game community.
Sony Interactive Entertainment has divested its ownership interest in Evolution Championship Series, popularly referred to as EVO, in a deal with NODWIN Gaming, an Indian gaming and entertainment company that is a subsidiary of Nazara Technologies and owned by Sony Group Corporation.
The financial terms of the deal are not disclosed but NODWIN will become the new majority shareholder and co-owner of the best fighting game tournament. Although SIE no longer owns EVO, it has reported that it will continue to sponsor EVO worldwide through 2028, to ensure the event continues and remains a staple in the fighting game community.
This was announced through a „Business Update” blog post on the official EVO site, where this change of ownership was described as a significant step towards its transition. Phil Rosenberg, Vice President and Head of Global Partner Development and Relations, IE said:
When SIE acquired EVO alongside RTS in 2021, our goal was to help the EVO community grow and spotlight the skills and passion of fighting game fans on a global stage. As SIE transitions to become an EVO sponsor, the momentum for EVO has never been stronger, following a successful Las Vegas event and upcoming expansion to new regions.
We look forward to supporting the continued growth of EVO globally.”
This ownership transition is taking place as EVO continues to grow, with the 2025 event in Las Vegas breaking records as more than 10,000 players competed in games such as Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8 and Mortal Kombat 1. VO is growing and will roll out new regional tournaments, including one in Europe.
In the recent past, NODWIN has been on an acquisition spree as it has acquired entities such as AFK Gaming among others to cement its global presence. It has attracted a total of 63 million dollars in funding over five rounds to investors such as Sony and Pratithi Investments.
It also announced Qiddiya, a Saudi Arabian entertainment and gaming project, as the new international partner of EVO and an investor in RTS.
As SIE pulls back its ownership stake, it still hopes to continue sponsoring, which would likely mean PlayStation has its logo at EVO events, where it might have a display of upcoming products like the newly announced FlexStrike fight stick, and demos of upcoming fighting games like Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls.
