ELEAGUE and Nintendo Partnering Again for Mutli-Part eSports Showcase

ELEAGUE and Nintendo are teaming up again for an eSports initiative — but it’s not the start of a proper Nintendo eSports program.

Instead, it’s a three-part series showing off some of the top players and tense moments from the Big N’s pre-E3 tournaments this past June.

It’s officially titled ELEAGUE Presents The Nintendo 2019 World Championships and focuses on taking viewers behind the scenes. The series will show off the backstage areas and the various teams from around the world that took part in the summer’s Super Mario Maker 2, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and Splatoon 2 competitions.

The first episode is set to air August 25 (Sunday) at 1 p.m. EST on CBS, with the following two episodes airing at 2 p.m. EST on September 7 and 1:30 p.m. EST September 14, both also on CBS.

ELEAGUE is one of the more widely broadcast eSports brands, with games running the gamut from FIFA to Gears and Mortal Kombat. It’s the brand’s second partnership with Nintendo, following last year’s Super Smash Bros Ultimate-centric broadcast, and it’s safe to say Nintendo is sort of the black sheep in ELEAGUE’s lineup.

That’s because Nintendo has yet to create an official eSports league or recognize some of its most popular multiplayer games as candidates for a proper eSports competition.

Instead, it emphasizes special tournaments. These usually take the form of the yearly pre-E3 competitions or in-game competitions, like the Smash Ultimate online tournaments or recently departed Splatfests, as ways to focus on “fun” competition.

Still, the company is focused on bringing a variety of experiences to as wide an audience as possible, with broadening the Switch’s install base a primary goal. With all that in mind, it’s not entirely surprising Nintendo hasn’t taken The eSports plunge yet, however much its fans might want it.