Gaming giantNintendois no stranger to eSports – it’s helping to foster a seriously competitive scene aroundSuper Smash Bros.– but it’s taken the intervention of another Japanese company to launch its latest multiplayer title, Splatoon, as a top-flight tournament with a prize pot to match.
Last week, Japanese telco and online gaming company Kadokawa Dwango (Nintendo is a small stakeholder) announced plans to host a major Splatoon tournament, with qualifiers in cities across Japan culminating in a grand final in January 2001; more than $1 million in prize money will be up for grabs.