The organizer of the fighting game tournament Evo canceled Evo Online and withdrew its co-founder and company president after serious allegations were raised about his past behavior. The long-running esports event was previously scheduled to take place in a new online-only format beginning July 4 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Joey Cuellar “will no longer be involved with Evo in any capacity,” the company said. Tony Cannon, another of the organization’s co-founders, will act as CEO in the future. Cuellar apologized in a tweet and said he was “not proud” of his past actions.
The announcement of the event’s cancellation came less than 24 hours after fighting game player Mikey “Crackpr0n” Pham alleged that Cuéllar had behaved inappropriately towards him and other teens in the 1990s and early 1990s. 00. Following the allegations, several companies withdrew from the event, including Capcom, NetherRealm and Bandai Namco, as well as players and commentators, according to PCGamer.
Evo said he will issue refunds to anyone who has purchased a badge for Evo Online, and that he will make a donation to Project Hope equal to the proceeds from the event.
