Photo credit: Robert Paul

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How about those Top 6 intros at Evo 2024? This year, the entire team went above and beyond to deliver some of the best intros Evo has ever had. Lets talk about it.

No More Quarters (Street Fighter 6)

Right off the bat, Evo 2023's “Runback City” was a crazy high bar to set for ourselves, but Zaid Tabani and Alex Vazco came prepared.

"No More Quarters" stands as the sequel to “Runback City,” talking about how the FGC is changing, and how scary but incredible that change is.

Of course, we have Mega Ran giving an incredible second verse on the full track, and Mewdeline on the background vocals. We also got Aleks Le, the voice of Luke in Street Fighter 6, to drop some knowledge.

"Sometimes you gotta POP OUT AND SHOW EM!"

The visuals for the intro video were put together by the talented team of Filip “jick_d” Padilla, JD Mannor, and Michael “Meeks” McWethy, and edited by Rubi Hernandez. Since the music for “No More Quarters” was being created as a sequel to “Runback City,” we wanted to give the same consideration to the video, but we didn’t want to simply recreate “Runback City.” We expanded upon the design from last year to symbolize the evolution of Street Fighter 6’s story as we watch it unfold in its second year. We utilized highlights from last year’s tournament interspersed with references from the history and culture of the Street Fighter community to pair with the song’s lyrics, and wrapped it all together with an updated version of the familiar SF6 charm that inspired the original video from Evo 2023.

The public response and success of “Runback City” is what allowed us to form this year’s Top 6 intro graphics team in the first place and elevate the idea of what these videos could be. This intro was a realization of, not just our artistic vision, but the community coming together as a whole.

WAVES (TEKKEN 8)

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For the first year of TEKKEN 8 at Evo, we knew we had to do something special. The Alex Vazco-produced "WAVES" is an electronic dream, distilling some of the best drumstep you've ever heard along with an incredible vocal track from community member Keetheweeb and lyrics by Zaid Tabani.

The song touches on the theme of rising from the ashes and forgetting the past in order to focus on the future, which is the perfect message for the first year of a brand new installment at Evo. Watching the TEKKEN 8 community's amazing story over the year has been both dramatic and inspiring, and the Finals gave us a lot to look forward to in this new era of Good Ass TEKKEN.

Visuals and motion graphics for the TEKKEN 8 intro video were done by jick_d with editing by Rubi. With a new game comes the opportunity to craft a new visual style. For the TEKKEN 8 video, we utilized the iconography of the chain link from TEKKEN 8’s logo and mixed it in with shots of some of the most prominent characters from the game and members of the community. The alternating red and white filter effect throughout the video represents the eternal struggles within the TEKKEN universe, and was synchronized with the music to emphasize the snare hits.

Good meets evil. Angel meets devil. Fist meets fate.

Beasts Of The Valley (Guilty Gear -Strive-)

Have you ever heard that first guitar lick from Slash on "Welcome to the Jungle" and known immediately that you're in for a crazy ride? Or that vocal riff on Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" that immediately places you on a viking ship in the middle of a battle?

"Beasts Of The Valley" is an '80s rock throwback for Guilty Gear -Strive- with David Stewart Jr. from Migrant Motel throwing a lightning-paced verse against a hurricane of insane guitars. The song features powerful production from Ray Casarez and sharp lyrics from Zaid Tabani.

It's like Axl Rose meets Mad Max.

The Guilty Gear -Strive- intro video was edited by Brett Young, with motion graphics from Nick “Pepto Griswold” Fouts and additional 3D graphics from Red (Uzelac). For such a hard-hitting song, we wanted to use some hard-hitting visuals to match. We cut quickly between different gameplay highlights to keep up the energy, and used a variety of visual effects to maximize the impact of the clips.

As the intro builds, you can see various weapons from characters in the game falling into frame to highlight how far Guilty Gear -Strive- has come since release. The continued support for the game shows just how passionate and dedicated the community is, and we wanted to make sure we reflected that in the video for the game’s third appearance at Evo.

Danger! (Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising)

Back in 2022, David Gibson McLean gave us the Evo intro song for Granblue Fantasy Versus featuring vocals from Lacey Johnson. It was a song about surviving through one of the darkest times imaginable and coming together as a community to showcase who we are. It was so good, it even made it into the debut trailer for Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising!

And now they're back. The Paramore-inspired "Danger!" is the intro for GBVSR, serving as a metaphor for leaving the past behind and transforming into who you were always supposed to be. The track also includes a killer topline by Zaid Tabani and Mewdeline.

The editing and motion graphics for the video's visuals were done by Pepto Griswold with 3D graphic support from Red (Uzelac). Back in 2013, A Day to Remember won their long-standing lawsuit with Victory Records. “Right Back At It Again” was their victory anthem, accompanied by one of the most elaborate and beloved music videos to ever grace the pop punk genre. With the music of “Danger!” taking inspiration from tracks like Paramore’s “Misery Business,” it made sense for the video to be a pastiche as well, reflecting the future pop punk and metalcore giants that A Day To Remember would inevitably pave the way for. The style and newspaper motif from their “Right Back At It Again” music video served as the inspiration for the GBVSR intro, with elements of the Granblue universe and the community’s story added in to give it a life of its own.

The newspaper format was the perfect vessel to reference some important events in the Granblue community, the game’s story, and even lore from the mobile game. If you look carefully, there’s a detailed explanation of the community’s fried shrimp meme, complete with the best pun ever written: “The Shrimputation at Hand.” From the characters jumping right out of the pages to using their hands to turn their own page, the video is full of little touches that hint at the ethos of GBVSR: Breaking out and taking fate into your own hands.

NYC Jazzy 24’ (Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike)

We've awaited your return, warrior. The second that "NYC Jazzy 24'" flashed on screen, every 3S fan in the Las Vegas Convention Center knew what was about to happen. They didn't know exactly what it would feel like, however, until they heard Infinite back on vocals for Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike again after 25 years.

"NYC Jazzy 24'" is a revival of one of the greatest fighting game themes ever made, with not only bars from the legend Infinite himself, but another legend, Substantial, running it back on the second verse. Alex Vazco absolutely killed the production on this one with a crazy LIVE saxophone solo from Jordan Mazza.

It's good to be back.

Motion graphics for the intro video were created by Meeks, with 3D graphic support from JD Mannor. Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike posed an interesting challenge in the graphics department since the last time the game was on the Evo lineup was in 2008, which might as well be the stone ages when it comes to recording and video technology. We had minimal footage, so the team had to lean on communities that are keeping the game alive, like Jazzy Circuit and Cooperation Cup, to find usable shots.

We really wanted to highlight the old-school arcade culture, so a lot of the motion graphics used pixel art and other retro design elements to reflect that. The Astro City arcade cabinet featured in the video is a fully detailed 3D model, with references to both 3S and Evo on the exterior. Throughout the piece, you’ll see the cabinet set in different scenes such as New York, Japan, L.A., and Las Vegas to match up with the variety of instruments and cultural music influences in the song and symbolize the “World Warrior” nature of Street Fighter.

We also borrowed elements from the original 3S intro, updating the text from “The epic trilogy unfolds. Live the legend.” to “The epic trilogy returns. Relive the legend.” as a nod to the event, the culture, and this game that has stood the test of time. Players from all around the world met up to compete, and we wanted to do everything we could to give the community the intro it deserves.

Put You Down (UNDER NIGHT IN-BIRTH II Sys:Celes)

"Put You Down" is exactly what you think it is and then some. A moody, dark pop hit with the likes of Casey Lee Williams on vocals and 2XKO's Eugene Kang on production. The song hits that Billie Eilish vibe, with Casey's incredible voice absolutely nailing the chorus, and Zaid Tabani's lyrics smartly weaving in pieces of UNDER NIGHT IN-BIRTH II Sys:Celes's lore and aggressive game flow into focus.

One shift. And you're gone.

Editing and motion graphics for the UNI2 intro video were provided by Shawn “Kamina” Smith with additional motion graphics from Pepto Griswold. UNDER NIGHT IN-BIRTH characters fight in some very ordinary-looking locations, so we wanted to reflect that with the simple design and settings in the video. We also featured the GRD gauge from the game in the intro’s visuals, highlighting the constant back and forth between the two opposing sides as the cycle creeps ever closer to “midnight.” That transition to “DIVIDE” when the GRD timer runs out followed by the pan down when the chorus drops hits every time.

Bleed Em’ Out (Mortal Kombat 1)

"Bleed Em' Out" is Skrillex's "Bangarang" meets Hyper's "Spoiler" meets a FATALITY in the middle of the arena. Tre Watson KILLED the production on this thing with an assist from Alex Vazco as well. This song had some of the craziest changes in the eleventh hour, and it turned into an absolute bop in the end thanks to these two legends.

A perfect, terrifying, and powerful punch for a community that knows how to stand strong.

The MK1 intro video was edited by Brett Young, with motion graphics from Meeks and Pepto Griswold, and 3D graphics from JD Mannor. As the music for this intro went through some drastic changes throughout its development, the visuals also underwent massive shifts during the video’s production. Despite this, we knew that we wanted to include some iconic elements from Mortal Kombat’s history including Scorpion’s fire, Sub-Zero’s ice, and Raiden’s lightning.

Between the striking visuals of these core pieces of Mortal Kombat’s identity, some quick, jumpy editing, and the beautiful full-detailed render of the series’ logo, we created a high-impact intro that pairs perfectly with the power and aggression of the song.

Let’s Roll (THE KING OF FIGHTERS XV)

You're not mishearing. Evo included a K-pop song for THE KING OF FIGHTERS XV. And not just any K-pop song, but an impossible collaboration with Jayoung from Rolling Quartz and former PIXY vocalist U_Chae. "Let's Roll" is a K-pop banger celebrating KOFXV that maintains the Evo project standard of making killer tracks while keeping the FGC DNA throughout.

Jay Choe wrote the lyrics with Young-bae Jo on topline and veteran producer Austin Armstrong at the production helm. It was another wild swing, but one that we couldn't be more proud of.

Editing and motion graphics for the intro video were created through the joint efforts of Kamina and Pepto Griswold. Since the theme for the intro was K-pop, the KING OF FIGHTERS in-universe idol, Athena, was the perfect candidate to take the lead, backed up by some of the other heroines from KOFXV. We used simple, bubbly designs throughout the video while also taking inspiration from anime opening visuals such as Samurai Champloo and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.

What you heard on the Evo 2024 broadcast were just 90-second versions of these celebrations of the FGC. The full-length tracks are all available on the album! We also have stories from Sajam, Alex Valle, Jaidlyn, and MenaRD, who all provide amazing insight to help pull you into the scene and get an idea of how it feels to be a part of this landmark year of fighting game culture.

We can not stress enough how all of these individuals helped bring this album across the finish line. Thank you to our mixers, Jorel Corpus and thebishopgame, as well as The Bakery Mastering and Martina Albano for helping us with mastering. This project doesn't finish, and we don't hear anything, if not for them.

You can hear the full album, RUSH: The Music of Evo 2024, on music streaming platforms and at the following link: distrokid.com/hyperfollow/zaidtabani/rush-the-music-of-evo-2024

You can also check out the full playlist of Top 6 intro videos on the Evo Events YouTube channel: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtQAiM1Y5luy3SvPbVFxscZJ3onm5QDnL&si=8GV3sNgW2xqTBPmR

The video team, led by Esteban Martinez, worked tirelessly all the way INTO the show to make sure these things would sing.

We are so proud to continue this tradition at Evo, and we look forward to celebrating each of our communities more for years to come. Believe.

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