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(Gambling911.com Sports Wire) – Nintendo was among the first gaming companies to embrace eSports back in 1990. This is when Nintendo introduced the Nintendo World Championships. Soon after, the company abandoned that market. But eSports is more than ready for primetime this go-around and Nintendo has jumped back on the bandwagon effective last year.
“We saw success last year with the Smash Bros. Invitational, and Smash Bros. has always been a game in the eSports community,” Reggie Fils-Aime, president of Nintendo of America, said. “What we’re really gratified to see is that the community has now embraced Super Smash Bros. for Wii U because it has the speed and customization they like. We’re also seeing them embrace Mario Kart 8, as well as Splatoon, in a competitive environment. We’ve always been close to the eSports space and will continue to be.”
The eSports fan base is anticipated to be larger than that of American football by next year.
A handful of websites have begun to offer betting on eSports as well as Fantasy eSports, which should continue to propel growth. – Aaron Goldstein, Gambling911.com
