Smash Bros. Ultimate Invitational announced for gamescom 2023

With just a few days left to spare, Nintendo has announced there will be a Smash Bros. Ultimate tournament at this year’s gamescom. The thing is, this event is actually being put on by another organization, but it will take place on Nintendo’s stage at the big show.

It’s been revealed that Esports group Team Vermilion is the one putting together the tournament, and it will feature the top eight in 1v1 matches. Furthermore, the ruleset for this tournament falls in line with what grassroots organizations prefer, which should no doubt make fans around the world quite happy.

It’s pretty surprising to see Nintendo of Europe and Nintendo Germany working with fans to host a Smash Bros. Ultimate tournament, as Nintendo usually puts on their own events with a much different focus from grassroots tournaments. Whether this is just a one-off event or an indicator of Nintendo changing their stance on tournaments and Esports in general remains to be seen.