From new characters to rollback, here are all the major announcements from EVO 2022

During the weekend, the annual fighting game tournament EVO returned as a live, in-person event for the first time since 2019. EVO 2022 crowned many new champions since Saturday. It also brought some news on current and upcoming titles. EVO 2022 featured a plethora of new announcements, ranging from a Tekken 8 tease to rollback netcode for Dragon Ball FighterZ. And that’s just the start.

For many in the fighting game community (FGC), EVO is a celebration of fighting games and player skill. The yearly show often brings fresh reveals, and thankfully EVO 2022 was no exception when it came to exciting announcements. Here is a list of what you may have missed during the event.

Rollback Netcode for Dragon Ball FighterZ and Samurai Shodown

If you ask anyone in the FGC what kind of netcode is needed for fighting games, they’ll likely shout “rollback.” Rollback netcode is a newer technology, allowing players to connect to opponents around the world with few latency issues. It supersedes delay-based netcode, which has existed in fighting games for many years. During EVO 2022, it was announced that both Dragon Ball FighterZ and Samurai Shodown will both soon have rollback netcode. For the former, the update is coming alongside a next-gen edition for consoles.

A message to the DBFZ community from Hiroki-San at #Evo2022! pic.twitter.com/R79RemTHQ9

— Bandai Namco Esports (@BNEesports) August 7, 2022

Bandai Namco teases a possible Tekken 8 reveal for later this year

Following the conclusion of the Tekken 7 showcase, Bandai Namco brought some surprising news. The publisher/developer released a… strange clip starring series mainstay Kazuya Mishima, possibly teasing the reveal of Tekken 8 for this year’s The Game Awards. Tekken 7 launched in 2015, so a sequel has been a long time coming. Sadly, we won’t know for sure until TGA streams this December.

GET READY. @TEKKEN pic.twitter.com/6tmtqANkBi

— The Game Awards (@thegameawards) August 8, 2022

Guilty Gear Strive Season 2 launches with a new DLC character, Bridget

Out of all the EVO 2022 announcements, the one for Guilty Gear Strive Season 2 is likely alone in the “now available” category. With Season 2, Bandai Namco and developer Arc are offering four new characters for Guilty Gear Strive, starting with Bridget. The pass is also getting new color packs for fighters, along with two more stages to be launched later. The developer also (finally) confirmed Bridget is a transgender woman. She is the second LGBTQ+ character to join the roster, following the inclusion of the non-binary Testament earlier this year.

Fatal Fury/Garou gets a new game after more than 20 years

There hasn’t been a new Fatal Fury, or Garou, game since 1999. Soon, however, that will no longer be the case. SNK has teased the next game in the long-dormant franchise, but didn’t offer much else in lieu of details. We’ll have to wait and see what the future of this classic fighting franchise looks like.

Juri and Kimberly join the ranks of Street Fighter 6

Capcom is going to be marketing its upcoming Street Fighter 6 for a while. As is the case, we’re going to get plenty of character confirmations up until launch. During EVO 2022, the developer made one such announcement: Juri and Kimberly are coming to Street Fighter 6. The former is a longtime favorite of many Street Fighter fans, so her inclusion is a happy one. Kimberly, on the other hand, is new to the franchise. Based on her trailer debut, she looks to have enough energy to power a small city. Both characters (and the game, so far) look great, and I can’t wait to see how they shine in the hands of pros.