Evo Japan, the companion event to fighting game tournament Evo Championship Series, kicked off on Friday in Fukuoka, Japan. It’s the Japanese tournament’s second year, and it’s off to an auspicious start, thanks to a segment that focused on upcoming fighting game Dead or Alive 6.
That segment, ostensibly meant to promote Dead or Alive 6, lead organizers of the tournament to take their Twitch broadcast offline and apologize to viewers.
Evo organizers appeared to take issue with presenters’ demonstration of Dead or Alive 6’s free-camera controls, which they used to zoom in on female fighters’ body parts. Another portion of the segment paused during a fight between wrestler Bass and fighter Nyotengu. Suffice it to say, the two were engaged in a grappling move that looked highly suggestive.
But it may have been other on-stage antics involving a pair of spokesmodels that led organizers to cut the stream. Gravure models Saki Yoshida and Yuka Kuramochi posed for the cameras, then mimicked the infamous “jiggle physics” of the Dead or Alive series, much to the delight and bewilderment of raucous Twitch chat, which joked that the two were violating the streaming platform’s terms of service.
Evo Japan organizers shut down the stream shortly after.
“The DOA ad that aired on our stream does not reflect the core values of Evo or the [fighting game community],” Evo co-founder Joey “Mr Wizard” Cuellar said in a since-deleted tweet. “We ended the stream temporarily to protect the integrity of our brand. We sincerely apologize to our fans.”
On stream, Evo business developer and commentator Mark “MarkMan” Julio apologized for the display. “I just want to get on stream and apologize on behalf of Triple Perfect and the Evo Championship Series,” Julio said. “The stuff that was just on screen just recently from one of our partners that were showcasing their recent title that is going to be coming out does not reflect the content and intention of Evo so we do apologize if we offended anyone during the broadcast.”
Dead or Alive 6’s Evo Japan representation stands in contrast to how Team Ninja and Koei Tecmo have pitched the game, deemphasizing the sexualized nature of its female fighters in early previews. The game’s attention at Evo is also overshadowing Koei Tecmo’s other announcements, which include a demo version of Dead or Alive 6 that will be available Feb. 22-24 and a pair of guest characters from SNK’s King of Fighters series: Mai Shiranui and an unannounced fighter.
Dead or Alive 6 will be released on March 1 for PlayStation 4, Windows PC, and Xbox One.