Interview with Mark Julio of EVO

2019-07-28

Mark Julio, the Director of Business Development at EVO, sat down with us to talk about our long-lasting relationship over the years.

"Evolution Championship Series has always held the community standards and experiences in the highest regard. Giving players confidence and the mental state knowing that they can compete on our tournament stations without worry is a huge reason why we've continued to work with BenQ ZOWIE as our display partner of choice for the past 4 years. The team over at BenQ ZOWIE just gets it. BenQ ZOWIE knows that we're experienced in running fighting game tournaments and they support the community to let us shine at the highest competitive level. That's a hallmark sign of a great partner and sponsor".

EVO is the longest-running tournament in the history of fighting games but still growing each and every year. When asked about the future of EVO, Mark states "I think to no one's surprise, this year has seen the rise of Nintendo's Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The great thing is though, right now we're seeing great numbers from so many of the official titles at EVO 2019, that it's amazing to continue to see growth from new games and old. From a community and tournament perspective, we're always looking to deliver an amazing experience filled with hype, competition, and making sure we showcase the struggle to be the very best. In the same token, we're always looking to improve as an event experience for fighting game fans and just gaming fans from all walks of life".

The BenQ ZOWIE RL-Series console monitors have been the chosen monitor line for many fighting game tournaments around the world. Over the years, BenQ ZOWIE has fine-tuned the RL-Series for competitive gamers within the fighting game community. Mark states that “The proof is in the pudding. BenQ and ZOWIE have continued to show that they are not only the standard when it comes to monitors and gaming displays, but that the company is always looking to improve the experience for the competitor. From a production and competitive standpoint, seeing the small improvements with each iteration is akin to seeing publishers and developers honing their games with updates to provide a better experience for all. You guys are doing a killer job".

With technology and video games progressing at a rapid pace, what will the future of fighting games look like? What will the competitive player want and care about as their competitive esports experience will be affected? When asked about the future, Mark expresses that "We're living in exciting times. With the advent of next-generation gaming consoles like the new Xbox Scarlett and PlayStation 5 already touting amazing technical prowess, it makes you think, what's next for fighting games? Truly a genre that doesn't need or benefit from graphic fidelity or higher/frame refresh rates, but fighting game fans need consistency and reliability. I really hope we get to see more constant frame rates, less chugging during intense moments, and an overall seamless gameplay experience from whatever new fighting games or ports we see on the next generation".

The fighting game scene is expanding rapidly as well. With new fighting games continuing to be released, the competitive scene is expanding rapidly. We asked Mark about the current fighting game trends and what he would love to see grow from the esports scene, he tells us, “From an innovation standpoint and just pure enjoyment of gaming, we're actually in a good place. So many amazing entries for newer titles and franchises. And you know the old guard and old fighting games never die. They just find different ways to share the spotlight. I am looking forward to how publishers and developers help showcase their game to the masses through esports. Hopefully along the way it builds infrastructure and a new level of accessibility where a player can watch, learn the game, competitive state and mentality without having to deep dive into the internet to find it. That's the dream, growing fighting games and sharing the passion that we all share for it already”.

For closing remarks, "We're excited again to partner with BenQ ZOWIE at EVO 2019 and we look forward to seeing everyone in Las Vegas!"

Photo Credit: EVO

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