EVO Japan Offers Smash Pros A Grand Prize Of A Controller

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EVO Japan Offers Smash Pros A Grand Prize Of A Controller

Because of Nintendo’s aversion to classify Smash as an esports title, participants are facing off for a limited edition version of a controller. was previously announced as the headlining game of EVO Japan 2020, but everyone who is attending the event is already taking a major loss according to recent reports. Because of Nintendo’s aversion to classify Smash as an esports title as well as the overarching reach of the Japanese Esports Union (JESU), the event with the largest amount of participants are facing off for a limited edition version of a Switch controller that retails for $80. Despite Smash entrants outnumbering Street Fighter V two-to-one, their reward is a lousy controller that is not traditionally used for the game to begin with. Smash fans and competitors alike usually stick with a GameCube controller, or at the very least, PowerA’s variant of the GameCube controller, and would almost certainly pass up the opportunity to play for money. THEGAMER VIDEO OF THE DAY Source: Nintendo Wire and winners look to collect anywhere between $550 to $9,000. Second tier titles such as , Soul Calibur VI, and BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle can bring home $272 to $4547 based on their placing. Though Smash eclipses these titles with entries, the only thing up for grabs is the controller with no runner-up prizes. RELATED: The reasoning behind this stems from Nintendo’s apprehension to back Smash as an esports title and a fighting game, something that has been a firestorm of a debate within the fighting game community since Melee. Despite almost everyone considering Nintendo’s brawler a fighting game, Nintendo has stayed the course with regards to the game’s classification. Because Nintendo will not endorse the title for esports, and in turn will not register the title with JESU, JESU prohibits Smash tournaments in Japan to have monetary prizes. As ridiculous as it is that a game that has more entries than the next three titles combined fighting for the most meager of prizes, it does reinforce Nintendo’s stance on the title - as well as paint an awkward picture on the state of Japanese esports ahead of a major tournament. Last year, JESU only awarded Yusuke Momochi $558 of a $46,000 prize for not registering with JESU prior to winning the Street Fighter V Asia Premier event. While some will be playing for the infamous controller in Japan, the best Smash players in the world are converging for Genesis 7 that same weekend for a cash prize...which is how it should be. Source: NEXT: