The Evolution Championship Series announced on Tuesday that the company has brought in Combo Breaker Event Director Rick “TheHadou” Thiher to be Evo’s new general manager. Thiher will take over the day-to-day operations of Evo. However, he will also still be the event manager of the Combo Breaker tournament series. Even though Thiher will not be saying good-bye to Combo Breaker, he said he is ready for a new challenge.
“The fighting game community has had an idyllic vision of what Evo could be. 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,” said Thiher in a press release. “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.“
Thiher’s past
The Evo brand has seen a major overhaul in management over the past year. Sony Interactive Entertainment took control of Evo in March of 2021 in a joint venture with RTS. The people at Sony are thrilled with the idea of bringing in Thiher.
“We have full trust and faith in Rick to propel Evo even further as the premier fighting game tournament while remaining true to its roots,” said Steven Roberts, VP of Global Competitive Gaming for SIE in a press release. “Together with RTS and our valued publishing partners, we are excited to add Rick to the team that is working to bring Evo 2022 to the FGC!”
Thiher managed to make Combo Breaker one of the biggest tournament events in the world. The series has even captured the attention of the biggest fighting games in the industry. Mortal Kombat for example has partnered with the tournament series in the past to produce a special stage in-game.
A long way from the Pit, take a look at where @MortalKombat 11 competitors will be playing Grand Finals at COMBO BREAKER 2019! The #MK11 "Tournament Stage" has transformed into the "No Coast. No Kings." stage in preparation for #CB2019! pic.twitter.com/hla5BRpExr
— COMBO BREAKER (@COMBOBREAKER) May 15, 2019
The team behind RTS believes that Thiher will continue to be a champion of the FGC community. They think he can bring a unique perspective to make Evo even better going forward.
“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,” said Stuart Saw, CEO for RTS in a press release.
Evo has been held online for the past two years due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. There is currently no news on what the future with Thiher at the helm looks like for the 2022 iteration.
