Evo 2014 is in the history books, with many upsets and rising stars coming out of the grand finals this year. Team Dignitas player Ryan 'Prodigal Son' Hart competed at Evo this year, and while he didn’t make it into the grand finals, he did come out looking ahead to the rest of the Capcom Pro Tour with the determination to take it all. We decided to talk to Ryan Hart about the past, present, and future of his fighting game career.

You have been to quite a few Evo championships in the past, and with each year the event always seems to get bigger and better. How did this year stack up to previous years?

Ryan Hart: Attendance wise I think it was one of the best years ever. Capcom’s new Ultra Street Fighter saw over 2,000 entrants this EVO from all over the world. I felt that once you passed the first two pools it’s literally only killers left in the tournament. It’s super exciting to be a part of it, I got goose bumps every round from the excitement.

Photo credits: @tempusrob - rmpaul.com

What was your favorite moment at Evo this year?

Ryan Hart: Hmm…I think it’s possibly when Luffy won the whole thing! Hahahahaha, I was both so happy and proud to watch Luffy prevail over Bonchan in the grand final. Definitely a monumental moment in Street Fighter history.

The top 8 for Ultra Street Fighter 4 seemed very well rounded from an international sense. With Luffy winning for France, do you feel the international scene has stepped up to the challenge?

Ryan Hart: Yes I do! Europe are awesome at Street Fighter, we have many strong players, most of which can’t actually make journeys across the pond which is a shame. Between USA and Europe I don’t see much between them, I still think Japan have the advantage but I think us in the Western world are not too far behind.

When Luffy won the Evo grand finals, you were one of the first to jump up on stage to congratulate him. Does the greater European scene stay fairly close?

Ryan Hart: Outside of our individual rivalries we are all kinda close I guess. If anything goes down outside of games we always support each other and that’s a great thing.

Photo credit: eSports Max

Right from the beginning of the Capcom Pro Tour, you have had a very strong showing, being the very first to qualify for the Capcom Cup. How do you feel going forward in the remainder of the Pro Tour?

Ryan Hart: I was doing better on AE 2012 to be honest, this new game has just put a spanner in the works in some ways but yea I can’t complain too much as I am enjoying the new game as well. I have to slightly alter my winning formula due to Sagat’s nerfs but I am still on the winning path for Capcom Cup, I’m looking forward to it.

You had mentioned that since Ultra, Sagat hasn’t been as great a choice as it used to be for you. I’d imagine there is a lot of pressure to practice other fighters or find better ways to make your current fighter work. What are your feelings on having a larger fighter pool vs. focusing on a single fighter with a game that’s always changing like Street Fighter.

Ryan Hart: Focusing on one character means you take the rough with the smooth, when your character is strong, you reap the benefits but when your character gets nerfed then well, you have to do some thinking out of the box. Multiple characters means you have more options to juggle around but character and level maintenance is more demanding and stressful.

Following Evo, you had a very strong showing at Dreamhack Valencia, followed by grand finals victory at Triple Threat X back in the UK. Do you feel that after a convincing performance such as this that you have a better handle on Ultra than you did going into Evo?

Ryan Hart: Yea, I’m finally getting used to it now, it was just a shame that EVO cut into my training on Ultra. In fact only the character specialists did well at EVO. Anyone like me that has multiple characters or switched mains did really bad at EVO. I feel that if EVO was next week I’d have done a lot better.

Photo credit: Twitter

With the Capcom Pro Tour being a nearly year long event, how do you feel this impacts the tournament scene?

Ryan Hart: Well it’s great, it gives a bigger prize to work towards throughout the year. Even when there are no tournaments players always have a reason to train and be in shape. I’d like to see something like this for Tekken, KOF, Marvel, etc. I think all major fighting games should have a pro tour. Would make the pro fighting game scene more meaningful and marketable.

The fighting game community has grown tremendously over the past couple of years. Being a veteran of the scene, what advice would you give to people just discovering what’s great about fighting games?

Ryan Hart: I think they should find the one/s they enjoy most and stick with them, play for the enjoyment, have fun and see what comes. Be part of the relevant communities on forums, Facebook, Twitter and pick up all the knowledge you can! :D Be as creative as you can with the game! That’s always bound to produce some fun stuff.

What tournaments can fans look forward to seeing you compete in the near future?

Ryan Hart: Well there’s Super Vs Battle and VSFighting 4 coming up in the UK which will be big then Shadowloo Showdown in Australia. After that I have Dreamhack in September and November, Treta in Brazil and of course the Capcom Cup World Finals in December.

Any shoutouts?

Ryan Hart: Follow me on @ryanjosephhart and of course check out my website for my event info. www.ryanjosephhart.com/events.html . Shoutouts to the Team Dignitas sponsors and ODEE for being awesome always! :D