Smash Bros, Splatoon, And Mario Kart To Become Officially Recognized Esports In US/Canadian High Schools

Nintendo has announced a partnership with PlayVS to bring several of its most popular online games to high school varsity esports in the US and Canada.

Starting from Fall 2021, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Splatoon 2 will be added to PlayVS’ lineup, allowing high school teams across the US and Canada to compete in officially sanctioned online matches. In addition, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe will be joining the roster in Spring 2022.

In the press release, Nintendo of America’s Senior Director of Product Marketing Bill Trinen had this to say about the partnership:

“We know there are many Nintendo fans with incredible gaming talent who are looking for more ways to explore competitive play and participate in tournaments. Working with a community-focused organization like PlayVS is an important next step as Nintendo expands our support for competitive play and helps more players explore gaming in a competitive space. High school students from all around the country will be able to put their skills to the test in Nintendo Switch games in a competitive setting – and hopefully make some awesome memories along the way.”

To facilitate the competitions, PlayVS and Nintendo will be providing a Nintendo Switch system to hundreds of select qualifying schools that compete in a PlayVS Nintendo title league this current school year. Three thousand select qualifying schools will also be receiving either a copy of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate or Splatoon 2 and a 12-month Switch Online individual membership.

Qualification details are planned to be announced at a later date, and more details can be found here.

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