Granblue Fantasy: Versus Rising, the upcoming sequel to Cygames' previous Granblue-based fighting game, will be present at the premiere competitive fighting game tournament, EVO. The Evolution Championship Series, or EVO, is one of the most iconic esports events of all time. This tournament features a number of competitive fighting games, with it also being a prime place to showcase upcoming fighting games as well. While the lineup for EVO 2023 has already been decided, Cygames' upcoming fighting game is set to be playable at the venue.
Granblue Fantasy: Versus Rising was first revealed at Granblue Fes 2023, alongside the similarly anticipated Granblue Fantasy: Relink, near the end of January. Rising in particular was notable, as this sequel is including heavily requested features that the previous game didn't get, such as rollback netcode and crossplay across both PC and PlayStation platforms. This is on top of adding a bunch of new mechanics and an expanded roster, with the dedicated community getting a chance to try it later this Summer.
This was announced on the game's official Twitter account, where it states the developers will be holding an open beta tournament for Granblue Fantasy: Versus Rising, which is being held in Vegas. While the game didn't get picked to be showcased at EVO, especially since it is slated to release sometime this year, players in this open beta tournament will likely help give the game more groundswell before release.
Fans note that Cygames' original release of Granblue Fantasy: Versus had been hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused the game's reach and popularity to not reach its full potential. The pandemic had similarly also affected EVO for a couple of years, where it forced its 2020 physical event to be canceled, with an exclusive online open-tournament event to take its place, before it was officially canceled due to a series of allegations against the tournament's original founder.
EVO didn't return to an in-person tournament until 2022, where it featured a number of newly released fighting games, including the original Granblue Fantasy Versus. With the game having an open beta tournament at the 2023 event, it's likely that Rising is a ways off from release and won't be joining the list of other fighting games that will be released in 2023. Street Fighter 6, for example, will be featured at EVO, as it will have been released for about a month before the tournament itself takes place. It seems Cygames is positioning Rising to be the definitive version to play, with fans getting their first chance to try it out later this August.
Granblue Fantasy: Versus Rising releases in 2023 for PC, PS4, and PS5.
