After already moving the event online due to the pandemic, Evo 2020 has now been outright canceled amid ongoing claims of harassment and abuse within the fighting game community, including one of Evo's leaders.
Throughout yesterday, several Evo participants such as Capcom, NetherRealm, and Bandai Namco had already withdrawn their involvement from the show which left the Evo organizers no choice anyway, but it's certainly the right choice to make regardless, as it's one of the event organizers himself, Joey Cuellar, that has been accused of a lot of abuse.
In a statement on Twitter, the remaining organizers of Evo said they are working toward a "complete separation" from Cuellar and he has been removed of his duties as CEO of the annual fighting game tournament.
Going forward, Evo said the company will be issuing refunds for those who already bought them, and they will be donating to Project HOPE, a humanitarian aid organization which operates around the world responding to crises such as HIV/AIDS and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Cuellar has been accused of preying on underage boys decades ago. In an apology he shared, he seemed to admit to those claims but said he's learned from them. "I was young and reckless and did things I'm not proud of. I have been growing and maturing over the past 20 years, but that doesn't excuse anything."
Evo initially said they would be putting him on administrative leave while they worked out the details, but as participating studios pulled out of the event en masse yesterday, Evo is no longer happening at all in 2020, online or otherwise.
