Suzuki Motor Corporation has announced that it will sponsor the Evolution Championship Series (Evo), one of the world’s biggest fighting game tournament series, starting in 2026.
In 2026, Suzuki will sponsor three major EVO events. These include Evo Japan 2026 from May 1 to 3 at Tokyo Big Sight, Evo 2026 from June 26 to 28 at Las Vegas Convention Center, and Evo France 2026 from October 9 to 11 in Nice, France.
Suzuki said the goal of this sponsorship is to support the growth of esports and connect with the global fighting game community. The company also highlighted Japan as the birthplace of fighting games and said EVO plays an important role in bringing players and fans together from different countries.
As part of its presence at these events, Suzuki will display a special motorcycle called the Hayabusa Tuned by JURI, inspired by the Juri character from Street Fighter 6. This follows a similar themed bike, the GSX-8R Tuned by JURI, which was shown at earlier events.
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Suzuki first entered esports in 2025 through a partnership with Capcom, the company behind Street Fighter. In March 2025, it sponsored CAPCOM CUP 11 and the Street Fighter League World Championship held at Ryogoku Kokugikan. Later in July 2025, Suzuki signed an esports partnership agreement with Capcom to support several Street Fighter 6 tournaments.
EVO is organised by RTS Management and brings together top players from around the world to compete in popular fighting games like Street Fighter 6. The event has grown beyond its main tournament in the United States and now includes multiple international editions. The sponsorship arrives during a period of international scaling for the tournament series. The organisation has already announced plans to expand further into Brazil, Mexico, Morocco, Singapore, China, and the Middle-East for the 2027 season, along with a new tournament named Fighting Game World Championship.
For EVO’s sponsorship lineup, the organisers have already revealed a few key brands, with Levtech as the title sponsor and Ajinomoto coming in as a supporting sponsor for EVO Japan 2026.
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