Nintendo is resurrecting a competitive event from the earlier days of the company: the Nintendo World Championships 2017 will be taking place this summer in eight cities across the United States according to a page on the company's official website. A press release from Nintendo has additional details about the event.
The Nintendo World Championships have been held twice in the past: once in 1990, and once in 2015 for the 25th anniversary of the event. The first event had special golden cartridges for some of the best performers. The 26 golden cartridges out in the wild are among the most valuable pieces of Nintendo merchandise; one of them sold for $17,500 in 2012. Three winners in separate categories each had a unique trophy, one of which was unsuccessfully auctioned for the astonishing price of $300,000 alongside a custom controller.
The 2017 version of the event will be doing things a bit differently than the past. Only two age categories will be available for players to participate in: Age 12 and younger or age 13 and older. The younger group will be playing Mario Kart 7 on the Nintendo 3DS, taking on the role of Mario on the Luigi's Mansion course using the Standard Kart, Standard Wheels, and Super Glider. The older group will be playing Bowser on the Game Boy Advance "Bowser Castle 1" course using the same kart setup. The players with the best time trial result in each of the two age groups during the two day event will qualify for the Nintendo World Championships 2017. These qualifying events will be taking place on the following dates and times (all times are local) at select Best Buy locations across the United States of America:
610 Exterior St. Bronx, NY 10451 Aug. 19-20 Saturday 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
181 Curtner Ave. San Jose, CA 95125 Aug. 19-20 Saturday 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
3675 Pacific Coast Highway. Torrance, CA 90505 Aug. 26-27 Saturday 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
2301 Howard St. Evanston, IL, 60202 Aug. 26-27 Saturday 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
9378 N. Central Expressway. Dallas, TX 75231 Sept. 2-3 Saturday 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
1000 W. 78th St. Richfield, MN, 55423 Sept. 2-3 Saturday 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
4001 W. 20th Ave. Hialeah, FL 33012 Sept. 9-10 Saturday 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
17364 Southcenter Parkway. Tukwila, WA 98188 Sept. 9-10 Saturday 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Aside from the competition, anyone visiting the events at these locations will be able to try their hand at a demo of Super Mario Odyssey for the Nintendo Switch and Metroid: Samus Returns for the Nintendo 3DS. My Nintendo members can check in at these particular Best Buys to earn 100 Platinum Points, and the first 200 members to check in at each location will receive a pin as an additional bonus.
Following the conclusion of the qualifiers, a single winner in each age group from each of the eight locations will receive travel for 2 to the final event in New York City. The finals will feature challenges in a variety of as-yet unnamed games. First place will receive a trophy, and second & third place will receive medals.
The Nintendo World Championships 2017 is open to all legal U.S. and Canadian residents excluding Puerto Rico and Quebec. Tickets to attend the finals in New York City will be limited; more details surrounding the finals of the Nintendo World Championships 2017 will be released in the coming weeks.
Will you be attending any of the Nintendo World Championships 2017 events? What do you think of the format of the competition? Let us know in the comments below!
