Published , by Ozzie Mejia
Published , by Ozzie Mejia
The competitive Super Smash Bros. community is taking its exclusion from EVO and letting it roll right off their backs. After all, who needs them? Who needs Nintendo, for that matter? The community is moving right along with a new season of the Smash World Tour, which will feature growth like never before for both Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Super Smash Bros. Melee. This year, expect to see a $250,000 USD prize pool and a new global standings system.
The Smash World Tour is touting a return to its original, pre-COVID format and will feature more than 35 in-person major events. The championship pool between Melee and Ultimate will combine for more than $250,000 USD, which is the most in competitive Smash Bros. history. Players can earn points from events around the world, which include countries that are rarely seen in the esports world, like Qatar and Cuba. The full list of events can be found on the Smash World Tour website.
Here are some event tournaments of note:
All of this will lead to the Smash World Tour Championships, which will be contested in an unknown location from December 8-11. It should be noted that this full circuit is being held without Nintendo's blessing, though the tour organizers are still hopeful that Nintendo will support the community's efforts in some fashion. It's also interesting to note that Genesis 8, The Big House, CEO 2022, and Riptide were all offered an invitation to be part of the Smash World Tour, but politely declined. The last noteworthy item is the addition of a new global rankings system, which had previously been done by Panda Global. Panda Global is currently working on its own endeavors, which include a more official Smash Bros. tournament in conjunction with Nintendo.
There's hope that the Smash World Tour will go off without a hitch, but whether COVID-19 resurfaces over the course of the year remains to be seen. We'll be watching the latest from the Smash World Tour. If you want your fill of esports news, chatter, and more, tune in to Wide World of Electronic Sports every Monday at 3:30 p.m. PT/6:30 p.m. ET on the Shacknews Twitch channel.