Nintendo is continuing to invest in an esports future for it’s newest fighting game—at least in Japan.
The ARMS Japan Grand Prix 2017 has been officially revealed as part of the ARMS Online public sparring tournament that took place on July 1. The tournament pitted each of the 10 ARMS character against one another to see who are the best fighters currently available—Mechanica won.
The tournament will be exclusive to Japan, with qualifiers taking place sometime this year in Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, and Fukuoka. The exact dates and details are currently unknown, however, with Nintendo planning to release a full list of dates and a schedule at a later time.
This isn’t the first tournament that Nintendo has created around the company’s newest game though. Nintendo recently held an ARMS E3 Invitational, which had members of the public face off against fighting game legends, such as well-known Street Fighter player Alex Valle, for a chance to win the crown.
ARMS producer Kosuke Yabuki has been in favor of the game having an esports future for a while now. Yabuki revealed in a past interview that he hopes ARMS will eventually become the world’s first motion controlled esport.
With Nintendo looking to invest in this idea, it’s possible that Yabuki’s dream could one day become a reality—and the ARMS Japan Grand Prix is definitely a step in the right direction.
