Nintendo Invites Fans to Watch Two Days of Tournament Competition Live During E3

REDMOND, Wash., May 24, 2018 – Nintendo has released new details about who will be participating in its two competitive gaming tournaments next month, as well as how people can get in to watch all the action in person. The Splatoon 2 World Championship and Super Smash Bros. Invitational 2018 will run June 11-12 at the Belasco Theater at 1050 S. Hill St. in Los Angeles. The event will be just one of Nintendo’s activities during the E3 video game trade show, which runs June 12-14 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

At 12:30 p.m. on Monday, June 11, fans can start lining up at the theater for a chance to receive a wristband that will grant them access to watch the opening rounds of the Splatoon 2 World Championship. Space within the venue is limited and fewer than 500 attendees will be admitted into the event. Wristbands will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last. The doors are scheduled to open at 2:30 p.m., followed by the opening rounds starting at 3:30 p.m. Those who are not able to watch the competition in person can still catch all the action on the livestream at https://e3.nintendo.com/.

All the action will be called by sportscaster and Nintendo World Championships commentator Jordan Kent, senior editor at CNET Ashley Esqueda and Splatoon 2 U.S./Canada Inkling Open 2018 announcer Nine. Splatoon 2 teams from around the world have bested their rivals to compete in Los Angeles:

• • Representing Japan is GG BoyZ: Despite coming to E3 2017 as the clear favorites to win, Japan was upset by U.S. team Deadbeat. Dynamon returns to E3 2018 with this new team after winning out over 800 teams in Japan and is looking to bring the trophy home.
  • Representing Australia/NZ is Yeah Nah: Arriving as the undefeated champions of the 2018 AUNZ Splatoon 2 Cup, this new team includes 2017 Splatoon 2 World Inkling Invitational participant Latias, who returns to E3 2018 with the goal of scoring key upsets.
  • Representing US/Canada is SetToDestroyX: After defeating Japan in the 2017 Splatoon 2 World Inkling Invitational, key members of the U.S. team Deadbeat became SetToDestroyX and continued their dominance by winning tournament after tournament. They return to E3 2018 ready to defend their title after winning out over 500 teams from across the U.S. and Canada.
  • Representing Europe is BackSquids: The winners of the Splatoon European Championship in Montreux, Switzerland, this German team brings a fresh name and team spirit aplenty to E3 as they try to take on the rest of the world.

At 10 a.m. on Tuesday, June 12, fans can line up to receive a badge for the Splatoon 2 World Championships finals and Super Smash Bros. Invitational 2018. Space within the venue is limited and fewer than 500 attendees will be admitted into the event. Badges will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last. Doors are scheduled to open at 12 p.m., with competition starting at 1 p.m.

Each of the competitors in the Super Smash Bros. Invitational 2018 tournament will be playing the upcoming Super Smash Bros. game for the Nintendo Switch system for the first time at this event. All the Super Smash Bros. action will be called by announcers Jordan Kent, VikkiKitty, Vish and TKbreezy.

“These competitions feature some of the top players from around the world, and they always put on an amazing show,” said Doug Bowser, Nintendo of America’s Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “Each day of the event will feature fun giveaways, and fans are encouraged to dress up and show their Nintendo spirit. Be sure to get there early on both days.”

The competitions are open to everyone to attend and watch, but space will be limited. All attendees are expected to follow the attendee policy at https://e3.nintendo.com/attendee-policy/. Attendees who are My Nintendo members can check in with their My Nintendo QR Code to receive a gift item, while supplies last. Gift items will be different for each day: The June 11 gift is a Splatoon 2 World Championship Pop Socket, and the June 12 gift is a set of three pins (featuring the Nintendo Switch logo, the My Nintendo logo and a special mystery pin). Giveaway items are limited to one per My Nintendo member per day. Learn more here.

Those who are unable to be in Los Angeles can still watch all the action livestreamed on https://e3.nintendo.com/ and Nintendo’s YouTube and Twitch channels.

About Nintendo: The worldwide pioneer in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Nintendo Switch^™ system and the Nintendo 3DS^™ family of portable systems. Since 1983, when it launched the Nintendo Entertainment System^™, Nintendo has sold more than 4.6 billion video games and more than 725 million hardware units globally, including Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems, as well as the Game Boy^™, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS^™ family of systems, Super NES^™, Nintendo 64^™, Nintendo GameCube^™, Wii^™ and Wii U^™ systems. It has also created industry icons that have become well-known, household names, such as Mario, Donkey Kong, Metroid, Zelda and Pokémon. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Americas. For more information about Nintendo, please visit the company’s website at https://www.nintendo.com.