By Sagar V. Mankar 
On February 15, 2025, the fighting game community came together in Los Angeles for the inaugural Evo Awards, celebrating the outstanding players and memorable moments of 2024. The event not only honored various achievements but also featured significant announcements from game publishers.
Victor “Punk” Woodley, also known as “The Alpha,” was crowned Player of the Year, cementing his status as one of the fighting game community’s most talented competitors.
Punk has been a dominant force in Street Fighter competitions for years, known for his exceptional execution and strategic mindset. He’s been active in the competitive scene since 2009 and reached the pinnacle of his career by winning Street Fighter 6 at Evo 2024.
Throughout his impressive career, Punk has claimed victory at the ELEAGUE Street Fighter V Invitational in 2017 and won various Capcom Pro Tour premier events. He’s represented several major esports organizations including Panda Global, Echo Fox, Team Reciprocity, and currently FlyQuest.
Beyond Street Fighter, Punk has competed at a high level in numerous fighting games including Dragon Ball FighterZ, Mortal Kombat, and Marvel vs. Capcom.
Besides Player of the Year, Punk was also nominated for Best Pop-Off, Match of the Year, and Moment of the Year, but lost to Hayao.
Speaking of Hayao, the event also recognized Hayao for multiple achievements. He took home awards for Best Pop Off and Best Comeback, with both honors stemming from his impressive performances at Evo 2024. His match against FrankieBFG in the Losers Quarterfinals was named Match of the Year, and his remarkable “Moment 38” was selected as Moment of the Year.
Known as the “Hugo God” of Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, Hayao gained significant media attention during Evo 2024’s 3rd Strike throwback tournament. His showmanship and clutch victory over FrankieBFG went viral, drawing comparisons to the iconic Evo Moment #37.
“WHAT JUST HAPPENED!?” #Evo2024 pic.twitter.com/FKlprooTFT
— Evo (@Evo) July 21, 2024
In the content creation category, Stephen “Sajam” Lyon emerged as a major winner. He claimed the two Content Creator of the Year awards while he and IFCYipeS were recognized as the Best On-Air Duo. Sajam’s contributions to the FGC, both as a commentator and content creator, have made him a beloved and respected figure in the community. Sajam previously won the award for best fighting game streamer at the 2024 Streamer Awards.
Speaking of IFCYipeS, he not only won awards for commentary but also emerged victorious in the special Marvel vs Capcom 2 “Tournament of Champions,” which featured four of the greatest MvC2 players in Evo history. IFCYipeS defeated Sanford Kelly to claim this title.
Award Winners
- Best Pop Off – Hayao
- FGC Content of the Year – Stephen “Sajam” Lyon (Sajam Tekken Slam)
- FGC Meme of the Year – Fighting game attacks IRL
- Comeback of the Year – Hayao (vs. FrankieBFG, Evo 2024)
- Match of the Year – Hayao vs. FrankieBFG (Evo 2024 Losers Quarters)
- Best On-Air Duo – IFCYipeS & Sajam
- Best Commentary – Justin Wong (“That is a worthless button!”)
- Best Custom Hardware – Haute Pad T-Series
- Best FGC Cosplay – Chonibu (Kimberly, Evo 2024)
- Best Dressed – Stephen “Tasty Steve” Scott
- Best Button of the Year – Ken’s Crouching Medium Kick (Street Fighter 6)
- Tech of the Year – Victrix Pro KO Leverless Fight Stick
- Marketing Campaign of the Year – Chipotle
- Fighting Game Release of the Year – Tekken 8
- They’ve Got Next – NoahtheProdigy
- Best FGC Local – Tatakai Tuesday
- Best Online Series – TNS Online
- Invitational of the Year – Sajam Tekken Slam
- Evo Hall of Fame – Tokido, John Choi, Alex Valle
- Content Creator of the Year – Sajam
- Commentator of the Year – IFCYipeS
- Player of the Year – Victor “Punk” Woodley
- Moment of the Year – Hayao (“Moment 38,” Evo 2024)
The ceremony also honored three fighting game legends by inducting them into the Evo Hall of Fame: Tokido, John Choi, and Alex Valle. These players have made significant contributions to the fighting game community throughout their careers.
On the game front, Tekken 8 was named Fighting Game Release of the Year, beating out competitors like Street Fighter 6 Season 2 DLC and Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Series.
Ken’s Crouching Medium Kick in Street Fighter 6 won the unusual but entertaining category of Best Button of the Year.
Other Announcements
In addition to the awards, the show featured several major announcements. Evo officially opened ticket sales for Evo 2025 and revealed an extended lineup of games for the main event in Las Vegas from August 1-3. The expanded roster includes:
- Rivals of Aether 2
- Virtua Fighter 5
- KoF 15
- BlazBlue: Central Fiction
- Killer Instinct (2013)
- Samurai Shodown
- Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2
- Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001
- UNDER NIGHT IN-BIRTH II Sys:Celes Adds Ogre
Game publishers also used the platform to make significant announcements. Arc System Works and French-Bread revealed “King of Devils” Sovereign of Demons, Ogre as the next DLC fighter for UNDER NIGHT IN-BIRTH II Sys:Celes, releasing on February 19 for PlayStation 5 and Steam, and February 26 on Nintendo Switch.
Cygames announced the full lineup for Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising’s second season of DLC, starting with Sandalphon on February 26, followed by Galleon in Spring 2025, Wilnas in Summer 2025, Meg in Fall 2025, and Ilsa in Early 2026.
HUNTER×HUNTER fans received good news as NEN×IMPACT got an official release date of July 17, along with confirmation of a tag-team battle mode, single-player content, and plans for four DLC characters in Season Pass 1, which will run through Summer 2026.
SNK also made several announcements for Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, including the addition of Kain R. Heinlein to the roster and details about Season 1 DLC, which will feature Street Fighter’s Ken and Chun-Li as guest characters. An open beta will run from February 20 to 24 with eight playable fighters: Kain R. Heinlein, Rock Howard, Terry Bogard, Hotaru Futaba, B. Jenet, Mai Shiranui, Preecha, and Vox Reaper.