In another move to show continued dedication to keeping the spirit of the fighting game community (FGC) at the core of its events, the Evolution Championship Series (Evo) team has signed longtime tournament organizer Rick “TheHadou” Thiher as the event series’ general manager.
TheHadou, who is best known as the main man behind another of the FGC’s staple events, Combo Breaker, will now also be responsible for overseeing Evo’s overall strategic vision and direction for the event. This includes running day-to-day operations for the event series and any of its expansions.
“The fighting game community has had an idyllic vision of what Evo could be,” TheHadou said. “As part of Evo’s team, I’m looking forward to realizing that aspiration while delivering memorable experiences for our players and fans in the process. The fighting game genre has attracted new fans across generations. We want to continue celebrating that legacy through Evo by introducing our community to undiscovered audiences for generations to come. “
While joining the Evo team, TheHadou will also continue serving as the event director of Combo Breaker, which has been a pillar of the FGC since being established in 2015.
Ever since the Evo brand was acquired by Sony Interactive Entertainment and RTS in March, the team and its new ownership have maintained their stance on supporting and retaining the legacy of the FGC while working to expand the event. Signing TheHadou is a strong move for both sides of that message, as he has successfully built Combo Breaker into a successful event series and has his pulse on both the new and old aspects of the FGC.
SIE and RTS specifically brought on TheHadou because he has more than 13 years of experience producing events, whether it be smaller tournaments or in his most recent work as a product manager for Twitch working on Twitch Rivals and other events, such as the various Twitch Presents fighting game tournaments.
“Rick brings an exciting vision to Evo and understands the importance that this is a community-driven event, so we must strike the balance between listening to our fans and players and pushing the envelope to innovate the experience for everyone,” RTS CEO Stuart Saw said.
SIE, RTS, and Evo also reiterated that Evo co-founders Tom and Tony Cannon remain closely involved in advisory roles as well.
Evo is set to return as a physical event in 2022, with tentative dates set for Aug. 5 to 7 in Las Vegas. More details about this event, along with other ventures from Evo and its team will be shared in the coming months.
