After a 25-year hiatus, the Nintendo World Championships will return at this year's E3, the game maker announced today.
"For the first time in 25 years, some of Nintendo's biggest fans will get to go head-to-head in a gaming showdown for the ages. Join a worldwide audience by watching the live stream on Sunday, June 14," the company said on its E3 website. Qualifying competitions will begin on May 30; Nintendo promised more details about how to enter soon.
In a teaser video for the event (below), Nintendo president and COO Reggie Fils-Aime gives up his job to "train" for the big event by playing a number of classic games, with the help of some familiar faces.
As IGN, PCMag's sister site, noted, the Nintendo World Championships in 1990 were a three-day event in Dallas that signaled the start of a 30-city promotional tour throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Fans played games like Chip & Dale's Rescue Rangers, Astyanax, Batman, Robocop, and Super Mario Bros. 3. In the pre-Internet era, Nintendo "Game Counselors" were also on hand to answer obscure questions from super gamers, IGN said.
Last year, an extremely rare Nintendo World Championships game cartridge appeared on eBay and sold for $100,000, but the buyer eventually backed out. Manufactured for the 1990 competition, the cartridge was one of 116 total, while only 90 official gray carts were given out to finalists.
Nintendo's big E3 press conference, meanwhile, is scheduled for 9 a.m. PT on Tuesday, June 16, where the company will provide details on upcoming games and more. Nintendo will also have a presence on the show floor via its "Treehouse" through June 18.