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Pokkén Tournament Coming to EVO, US VGC Nationals, and Worlds

Teapot

Teapot

Virtual Duck Enthusiast
Staff member
Administrator
In a very nice surprise for fans of the fighting genre and Pokémon alike, the Pokémon Company International have announced the Pokkén Tournament Championship Series.

Two qualifier events have been announced so far: Firstly, Pokkén Tournament will be among the lineup at EVO 2016 in July 2016, some four months after the game's release on March 18th. Pokkén will also be present at the US VGC Nationals championships this year, also in July, alongside the main games and the TCG.

The winners of both of these events will qualify for the finals of the Pokkén Tournament World Championships, which will be held at the Worlds finals in San Francisco, California later this year.

This is incredibly important news. We've said before on this fair website that Pokken is the single most important thing to happen to the franchise in years, and today's EVO announcement is an important reminder of why. EVO is attended not by Pokémon fans, not even by Nintendo fans, but by an entirely different crowd.

The announcement that Pokken will be at the US Nats and Worlds is also an important sign: Unlike many Pokémon games in the past, TPCi feel it major enough to stand alongside the main series games and the TCG at the most prestigious Pokémon tournament in the world. It's a clear indicator that Pokkén is here to stay as a mainstay of the series, rather than an amusing but ultimately unimportant side-game.

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Doctor Oak

Doctor Oak

Staff member
Overlord
If you're not that familiar with fighting games, it could be easy to dismiss the importance of the EVO announcement (let alone the confirmation of the game being present competitively at Worlds). But for those who don't realise the significance, this is the equivalent of a sport being picked to be in the Olympics when it comes to the competitive fighting game community. It's highly likely that it's in no small part a request on Nintendo's behalf (much like the controversial exclusion of Street Fighter IV is a request on Capcom's), but for EVO to roster it all the same is a serious vouch of credibility for the game and its credentials to stand alongside those other titles.

The game may be somewhat doomed to a release on a console unmistakably on its way out the door (to a pretty unceremonious end no less), but this announcement is the first true indication that this is a very special game and one that can easily outlast its own hardware confines. Even if the Wii U is hastily dumped in a shallow grave within the next year, I can see Pokken living on with either backwards compatibility support, an NX re-release or an outright sequel for years to come.
 
Linkachu

Linkachu

Hero of Pizza
Staff member
Administrator
I highly approve of all of the above, but I'm crossing my fingers that Pokken will stretch beyond just the US Nationals. I'm certain that if it doesn't happen this year it likely will in the coming years, but Pokken for the Japan/Europe 2016 Nationals too would make for a great Worlds tournament. Guess time will tell what happens in that regard.
 
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