Nintendo and PlayVS to partner up and offer Smash Bros and Splatoon leagues as eSports for students
Goodbye gym class, hello eSports. Nintendo has just teamed up with PlayVS, an eSports league where students can play competitively with others across the United States. Splatoon 2, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate are set to be added to PlayVS's roster of regional game leagues for high-schoolers, alongside the pre-existing likes of Rocket League, League of Legends, and SMITE. PlayVS explains that it considers eSports to be varsity sports, and Nintendo's Bill Trinen states that Nintendo is partnering with them to bring that "team-based atmosphere" that competitive gaming leagues provide to kids across the country. Smash Bros. and Splatoon 2 will be added to the high school bracket varsity league for participating schools this Fall, while Mario Kart 8 Deluxe will be officially added in the 2022 school year. Nintendo will also be sponsoring the program by providing Nintendo Switch Online subscriptions and the games to 3,000 different schools.
As the premier provider for students in the ever-growing world of competitive gaming, PlayVS enables high school teams around the country to compete against each other through online matches and seasonal leagues. In this partnership with Nintendo, PlayVS becomes the home for high schoolers to compete in officially sanctioned Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Splatoon 2 leagues.
As part of the PlayVS and Nintendo partnership, we will provide a Nintendo Switch™ system to hundreds of select qualifying schools, and 3,000 select schools will receive either a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate or Splatoon 2 game and a Nintendo Switch Online 12-month Individual Membership*. (More details to come!)
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