Top North American Splatoon 3 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Players Head to Japan for World Championships

They’re Back! On April 12 and 13 (U.S.), In-Person Competition Returns With Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Holding Its First-Ever World Championship

REDMOND, Wash.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#nintendoswitch–Every splatter of ink. Every red shell. Every moment of colorful victory and last-second wave of the checkered flag. On April 12 and 13 in the U.S. (April 13/14 in Japan), the world will be watching – but more importantly, the world will once again be playing together. Who will win it all and take home the championship glory?

Nintendo of America can’t wait to cheer on all of the players representing North America at the Splatoon 3 World Championship 2024 and the first-ever Mario Kart 8 Deluxe World Championship 2024. Both events were rescheduled after originally planned for Nintendo Live 2024 TOKYO, and fans around the world will be able to tune in and watch on the official Nintendo YouTube Channel, with the Splatoon 3 World Championship 2024 Round Robin kicking off on April 12 at 10 p.m. PST, the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe World Championship 2024 starting on April 13 at 7 p.m. PST and the Splatoon 3 World Championship 2024 finals happening on April 13 at 10 p.m. PST.

North America will have a big presence at both events, with an individual player and a team prepared to face off against opponents from Europe, Japan, Hong Kong/Taiwan, Australia and New Zealand, and South Korea. Follow their ongoing stories as they compete for international bragging rights:

• Jackpot’s Big Comeback: The Splatoon 3 World Championship 2024 represents something special for team “Jackpot,” comprised of players Madness, Leafi, Jared, .q, max! and Ren. After being eliminated in the first round of the Splatoon 3 Enter the Splatlands Invitational 2022 (held during PAX West), Jackpot rebounded with a huge win at the Splatoon 3 Championship 2023 at Nintendo Live 2023 SEATTLE – punching their ticket to Japan for the World Championship tournament.
  • When asked to describe their strategy, Jackpot prides themselves on their balance between fast-paced, take-no-prisoners attacks and “fun, goofy” unpredictability.
• Kevo’s Need For Speed: Being the first player from Mexico to ever win a Mario Kart 8 Deluxe North American tournament isn’t enough for Kevo. He hopes to harness his aggressive style to dominate his international rivals the way he did during the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Championship Cup 2023 at PAX East 2023. Kevo earned his trip to Japan with another dominant recent performance, this one a successful defense of his North American Champion crown at Nintendo Live 2023 SEATTLE.

For more on the contestants on their road to Japan, check out these videos:

• Team Jackpot and the Splatoon 3 World Championship 2024: https://youtu.be/7CwcFE3ToDs
• Kevo and the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe World Championship 2024: https://youtu.be/xevMVuO8SRM

Nintendo is thrilled to once again play host to some of the top Splatoon 3 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe players in the world and celebrates this return to in-person competition and community connection for the first time since 2019.

About Nintendo: Nintendo Co., Ltd., headquartered in Kyoto, Japan, has created franchises that have become household names worldwide, including Mario^™, Donkey Kong^™, The Legend of Zelda^™, Metroid^™, Pokémon^™, Animal Crossing^™, Pikmin^™ and Splatoon^™, through its integrated hardware and software products. Nintendo aims to deliver unique, intuitive entertainment experiences for everyone, manufacturing and marketing video game devices such as the Nintendo Switch^™ family of systems, developing and operating applications for smart devices, and collaborating with partners on a range of other entertainment initiatives like visual content and theme parks. Nintendo has sold more than 5.6 billion video games and over 800 million hardware units globally. From the launch of the Nintendo Entertainment System^™ more than 30 years ago, through today and into the future, Nintendo’s continuing mission is to create unique entertainment that puts smiles on the faces of people all over the world. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Americas. For more information about Nintendo, please visit the company’s website at https://www.nintendo.com/.

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Christian Cooper

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