Nintendo America has unveiled plans for the world’s first (officially-licensed) Super Smash Bros tournament series, set to kick off next year.
The company has teamed up with Panda Global – an esports brand – to create a championship circuit for players of Super Smash Bros (for the Nintendo Switch) and Super Smash Bros Melee (on the GameCube).
No details about the event, schedule or even name of the tournament have been released.
But Panda Global and Nintendo have said the circuit will be restricted to the US, with the possibility of Canadian and Mexican players if international travel and in-person events are given the green light.
Super Smash Bros is a crossover fighting game series featuring characters from various Nintendo franchises. The aim of the game is to knock opponents off the stage, instead of depleting their health bars (like traditional fighting games).
But this won’t be the first time Super Smash Bros will be played at tournaments. Albeit previous events were held unofficially.
The first publicised Super Smash Bros Melee tournament kicked off in 2002 and as late as November 2020, another group was slapped with a Nintendo cease-and-desist order.
Only a handful of Nintendo-backed tournaments have taken place and those that did go ahead sometimes came with strict rules.
Not surprising, considering Smash’s game director Masahiro Sakarai once said he wanted Smash to be a game new players can play.
*Featured image from Nintendo
By Samantha Chan \ 22 November 2021