Nintendo and ESL join forces to bring online tournaments to European Splatoon fans

17/08/2016

17th August, 2016 – Splatoon fans across Europe will soon have a new reason to prep their paint rollers and bring out their blasters, with today’s announcement of six months of online tournaments for Nintendo’s family-friendly Wii U shooter, starting in early September and hosted by ESL, the world’s largest esports company.

At gamescom in Cologne, the top four ranked teams from ESL Play’s early Splatoon qualifiers were getting ready for their final battle, as they were greeted on stage by Nintendo of Europe president Satoru Shibata and Splatoon producer Hisashi Nogami.

“I’m happy to announce that, starting in early September, Nintendo and ESL will team up for official online Splatoon tournaments in Europe,” said Satoru Shibata. "They’ll last for six months, so we hope you’ll all look forward to taking part.”

Wii U owners who have yet to take Splatoon for a spin will also be pleased to know that from 18th August until 1st September, they can take part in the Splatoon Summer Testfire 2016 that was announced just yesterday, and is just a free download* away for any Wii U owner**. To help new players make a splash in their first Turf War matches, Nintendo has released a series of Splatoon – Top Tips! videos covering the basic skills players need to master, straight from the game’s co-director, Tsubasa Sakaguchi.

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More details on the ESL online Splatoon tournaments are set to be revealed in the coming weeks, so stay tuned to the official Splatoon Facebook page or Nintendo of Europe’s Twitter for the latest news.

*Broadband internet connection required. The registration of Nintendo Network ID and acceptance of the network related terms and privacy policies required.

**Depending on the Wii U hardware pack you own and your use of it, an additional storage device may be required to download software from Nintendo eShop.