Summary
The PS5 console used during theGuilty Gear -STRIVE-championship at EVO Japan 2025 allegedly overheated during the grand final match, causing an irreversible setback for one of the finalists. Partially owned by Sony, EVO is one of the world’s biggest fighting game tournaments, featuring titles likeGuilty Gear -STRIVE-,Street Fighter, andTekken.
In the past few years, EVO has become one of the biggest events in the gaming industry, drawing thousands of participants and a massive audience. Today, the championship series is run by Sony and Endeavor, attracting over 400,000 viewers. One major change followingSony’s acquisition of the EVO brandwas the widespread use of PS5 consoles for championship matches. While this move makes sense from a marketing perspective, it has sparked some controversy, most recently during theGuilty Gear -STRIVE-grand final at EVO Japan 2025.
One of theGuilty Gear -STRIVE-finalists, along with several attendees andfighting gamefans, claimed that an overheating PS5 affected the outcome of the match. RedDitto, representing the USA at EVO Japan 2025, suggested that the worked-up console likely caused his controller adapter to malfunction. In the match footage, both RedDitto and his Korean opponent, Kim “Daru” Jae-won, can be seen pausing briefly mid-game, seemingly due to the malfunction. The Arc World Tour champion later tweeted, “I think the PS5 is melting my Brooks adapter,” prompting several fellow pro players to speak out and criticize the event for overusing PS5 consoles in championship tournaments.
This Might Not Be the Last Time a PS5 Overheats at EVO
Another participant tweeted that they had to lend their controller adapter to RedDitto before the final match, claiming the overheating console was “melting” his. This suggests the issue may indeed have stemmed from thePS5’s cooling system, especially given that the event’s consoles run for extended hours, making them prone to overheating. However, there has been no official statement from the EVO Championship Series, and it remains unconfirmed whether the malfunction was caused by the console or the player’s adapter.
Following RedDitto’s controversial loss to his Korean opponent, fellow pro player Punk shared a similar experience. He claimed that he lost in theFatal Fury: City of the Wolveschampionship due to his controller suddenly stopping mid-match. Punk also noted that the same issue occurred during theEVO Championship Series 2024, while he was competing in theStreet Fighter 6tournament. Some fans have reacted to Punk’s tweet, arguing that the Xbox console should once again be one of the event’s platforms, claiming it runs fighting games more efficiently.
