One of the biggest fighting game tournaments in the world will have a new home next year, and perhaps a new spot on the calendar to go along with it.
Alex Jebailey, lead organizer of Community Effort Orlando (CEO), went public on Thursday with the possibility of moving CEO 2017 away from its traditional late-June date. Jebailey created a Twitter poll asking potential attendees if a shift to an August date would impact their ability to attend next year’s event.
The potential change in date is due to the search for a new venue.
This year’s edition drew in a record number of attendees—nearly 5,000—and used essentially every bit of the 60,000 square feet of convention space that the Wyndham Resort in Orlando, Florida had to offer. A lack of space and abundance of body heat within the venue, which has hosted CEO since 2014, were common complaints throughout the weekend.
“June in Orlando has become nearly impossible to find a better venue [with] better rates than the Wyndham,” Jebailey tweeted. “So I’m considering a switch to August.” Jebailey later mentioned that a shift to April was also in consideration in to avoid the heat and humidity of Orlando’s summer months.
In either case, the move would be a significant change in the fighting game world.
Jebailey assumed control of the CEO series just a few weeks before the 2010 edition, which drew in over 350 players. The tournament series has grown significantly since then, with this year’s edition drawing over 3,000 attendees across ten games.
That growth has allowed CEO to become known as the final major tune-up before Evo, the world’s largest fighting game tournament. Many top players use CEO as a measuring stick to figure out what they need to work on in the few weeks between the two events.
In addition to changing dates, next year’s edition might change cities as well. Jebailey confirmed that he was seeking out options in Tampa and Daytona Beach in a tweet on Thursday.
The potential move will not impact the future of the CEOtaku series, an “anime” fighter-themed tournament which also takes place at the Wyndham, Jebailey said. That event is scheduled for October 1 to 2.
