Nintendo World Championships allegedly making a return according to latest leak

The Nintendo World Championships have a dedicated fandom of their own, and it looks like the beloved eSports tournament may be returning. Reputed Nintendo insider @Pyoro_X shared an image of a Nintendo Entertainment System cartridge of the 1990 video game of the same name. While this could be interpreted in different ways, the consensus seems to be the same.

In other words, Nintendo may be reviving its underrated social tournament showcase where it features various competitive matches for different Nintendo first-party games, both multiplayer and otherwise. Here's what we think.

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Could the Nintendo World Championships make a comeback in 2024?

It is hard to determine at this point as we have little outside of this picture as a source. For those unaware, the original tournament revolved around an NES cartridge featuring modified versions of three classic games. These include Super Mario Bros, Tetris, and Rad Racer. Players across various age brackets from 12 years old to adults compete within a strict time limit to see who wins.

Since then, the gaming giant has hosted modern renditions of the Nintendo World Championships over the years, with the last one back taking place in 2017. That year also marked the release of Nintendo Switch, its current gaming console. Players competed across a variety of games in pursuit of victory and glory.

These ranged from iconic offerings such as Super Smash Bros for Nintendo Wii U, Splatoon, and Mario Kart 8, to smaller retro picks like Tetris and even speedrunning sections of Metroid Samus Returns. Since then, Nintendo's catalog has expanded further with newer first-party competitive games continuing to be popular like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Splatoon 3.

It is unclear if a hypothetical Nintendo World Championships event would drop in 2024 given the Nintendo Switch is on its last legs. But on the flip side, a new wave of tourneys can help tide players over until the hotly rumored next-gen Nintendo Switch 2 arrives.

It remains to be seen what kind of events are in store for the future of the Nintendo World Championships.