The Nintendo NX hasn't been announced, unveiled or anything of the sort by the Japanese company, but that hasn't stopped Nintendo from already planning to give some away to a few lucky winners.
So, here's the deal: starting Sept. 11, Nintendo, along with eSports company ESL, will be hosting a Splatoon tournament called the ESL Go4Splatoon tournament, in order determine the best Splatoon team in Europe. Things will start with teams earning points over the next six months, ending in March, which will be used toward entering the grand finals next year. The grand prize is a Nintendo NX, while runner-up prizes include various Splatoon merchandise.
Here is the announcement, per a press release on the ESL website:
"We are ready to roll out the red carpet for our newest Go4 tournament, the European Go4Splatoon cup series! Nintendo's colorful shooter is getting set for weekly 4on4 tournaments, starting this weekend on September 11th. A fascinating prize is waiting at the end of the six-month season, as all players of the winning team will get their hands on Nintendo's next video game system, code-named NX! "
Now, a Nintendo NX is definitely a worthwhile prize that will encourage Nintendo fans with even an inkling of Splatoon skills to participate, but there is still a catch (or three) involved in this entire deal.
First, Nintendo has yet to reveal the NX, and it has made no indication on when it plans to do so. Can you imagine investing your time and effort into a tournament for a product that turned out to be rather poor? Granted, everything we've heard about the NX so far sounds solid, so this isn't necessarily a concern. The point is that contestants are investing six months of their time and effort into a product they know nothing about.
Second, regardless of how participants might feel about the NX later on, one thing is guaranteed: they won't be getting it early. The pools leading up to the grand finals are set to end in March 2017, which happens to be the same month that the NX is set to launch. What's more, there is no specific date set for the grand finals, with ESL only listing the event as occurring in 2017 (presumably, this would happen in March as well, but the language isn't clear). This means that, at the very least, the winners will receive their NX at the same time as everyone else. Fortunately, they'll be getting it for free.
Lastly, the tournament is for Europe, and only people from a select group of countries will be allowed to participate. In fact, the rules clearly state that a team will be disqualified if a member of said team is not from an eligible country, such as the United States or Canada.
Petty concerns aside, this looks like a great chance to show off your Splatoon skills and potentially earn a free Nintendo NX. So, if you think you have what it takes, then sign up for the ESL Go4Splatoon tournament here.
