In the launch trailer for the Nintendo Switch we got a glimpse of the future of Nintendo eSports. The vision included players snapping in their consoles in front of a huge crowd and playing some Splatoon. It seems Nintendo want to kick start this dream with a new League in partnership with BattleFY called The Splatoon Showdown Series. They’ve also partnered with a new organization called Leagues Under the Ink, a new eSports venture.
Splatoon Showdown Series kicks off in November and will include four modes for the competition: Turf War, Splat Zones, Tower Control and Rainmaker. Each mode will have two separate Qualifiers and a Grand Final day, with the following schedule:
Turf War
- Qualifier 1: November 5th, 1:00 PM Pacific
- Qualifier 2: November 6th, 1:00 PM Pacific
- Finals: November 12th, 10:00 AM Pacific
Tower Control
- Qualifier 1: November 12th, 1:00 PM Pacific
- Qualifier 2: November 13th, 1:00 PM Pacific
- Finals: November 19th, 10:00 AM Pacific
Splat Zones
- Qualifier 1: November 19th, 1:00 PM Pacific
- Qualifier 2: November 20th, 1:00 PM Pacific
- Finals: November 26th, 10:00 AM Pacific
Rainmaker
- Qualifier 1: November 26th, 1:00 PM Pacific
- Qualifier 2: November 27th, 1:00 PM Pacific
- Finals: December 3rd, 10:00 AM Pacific
Unfortunately the competition is limited to North America, but that doesn’t mean this isn’t big news. Splatoon offers something different to the eSports scene and creates an important bridge between fans of hardcore eSports, and those who feel they’re more casual. To put it plain and simple, while people might find an FPS game like Counter-Strike and Call of Duty a bit violent and hard to follow, a game where cartoon characters are shooting paint at each other might be slightly more appealing.
For the better part of a decade Nintendo has held Super Smash Bros. as their flagship eSports title, and it has done considerably well under the same premise of being a more casual, yet competitive, fighting game. Splatoon has a similar style, in my opinion, and can bring something fresh to the eSports scene, especially with the upcoming Nintendo Switch.
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Last Updated: October 26, 2016