A University of Oregon student recently won an international video game championship in Las Vegas.
Evo 2026 drew more than 5,700 competitors June 26-28 for fighting games like Street Fighter and Tekken.
Matthieu “Kojicoco” Fardet slashed and fireballed his way through a 450-person bracket in Granblue: Fantasy Versus Rising, winning more than $16,000.
Fardet, a linguistics major at the UO, said it’s many people’s dream just to make Top 8 at an Evo. But at 20 years old, he’s already won the event twice.
“Two Evos in a game demonstrates dominance,” said Fardet. “It’s something that makes you very seen.”
Fardet said he started playing fighting games at a young age, but he only entered his first tournament in 2024. He credits an online community of other strong players who helped him level up quickly.
In the finals, Fardet played one of his practice partners from Japan for the first time. They faced off on stage in an arena at the Las Vegas Convention Center, in front of a crowd of cheering fans and thousands watching on the livestream from home.
“This is the end stage for you. This is where you get to show the world what you are,” said Fardet. “And the fact that it's become so familiar feels nice.”
Fardet balances practicing the game with his studies at UO. He said it can be difficult to meet attendance requirements for his classes while also making it to tournaments.
He said right now, his winnings are going into mostly savings. He said he doesn’t consider tournament earnings a valid path for a career.
Moving forward, Fardet is looking to get more into content creation and streaming. But he’s also getting his degree next year because, he said, his family feels it's the safe thing to do.
“I’d ideally end up with a flexible job that allows me to continue doing what I do here,” said Fardet. “If in the future l win butt-loads of money—or just make content and it hits off really well—then it would just depend on which course of action would be the most efficient thing to do.”
With this win in Las Vegas, Fardet has qualified to compete in Granblue’s circuit finale early next year, with a grand prize of $100,000. He said he’s considered the favorite to win that event.
“I really feel like I have to keep that money from getting into someone else’s hands, like some sense of obligation,” said Fardet. “It’s, I guess, my job.”
