3 ways how Nintendo’s new partnership with ISEA could benefit esports massively

After esports organisers and players were in the dark as to what Nintendo was planning after it changed its rules in November 2023 for how its games can be used at various competitive events, we’ve begun to discover how these changes are bearing fruit.

In partnership with the Interstate Scholastic Esports Alliance (ISEA), it’s been announced that it and Nintendo will be working together to organise friendly esports tournaments in almost 5,000 schools, reaching almost 80,000 students across 23 states. An interesting quote from Bill Trinen, Vice President of Player and Product Experience at Nintendo of America, was also in the press release, praising the potential of the partnership.

It’s interesting in the fact that it’s a shift from what Sony, Microsoft, and other developers have in esports, and it’s why we think this partnership could reap rewards for the industry in the long run.

In a press release on ISEA’s site, an agreement has been reached where a variety of games and consoles will be made available for schools from grades 4 to 12. 

It also goes on to state that Nintendo will donate a large number of Nintendo Online subscriptions and game codes to schools throughout this agreement. No other terms of the deal were mentioned, but it gives the impression that Nintendo wants to help contribute to friendly tournaments in schools, where there isn’t a prize pool or huge events being supported by corporate sponsorships.

School esports tournaments aren’t solely about who takes part and who wins; it’s also about how these events can spur others to look into the industry as a future career. Organizing tournaments and working with companies like Nintendo can give young players a unique insight into how these are run. From the structure of the events to the broadcasting, marketing, and more, there are plenty of potential careers in these categories to look into. 

It’s these events that can turn a hobby into a career, and parents could also be convinced that it’s a legitimate path into a job for their son or daughter. By starting at the school system, both Nintendo and ISEA could help inspire the next generation in ways they may not realize.

Nintendo has had a long and fraught history of esports, especially when it comes to games like Super Smash Bros, by restricting how these titles are played at competitive events. This partnership with the ISEA could be a sign that things are changing, albeit ever so slightly. As it encourages smaller-focused, friendly tournaments, it could lead Nintendo to be more willing to allow some of its games at larger events. 

Games like Mario Kart World and the upcoming Kirby Air Riders would be fantastic additions to esports events worldwide, but it starts by seeing how the 80,000 students fare with “Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and Splatoon 3 to start with. A shift could help grow esports communities thanks to this partnership, as well as signalling that Nintendo could be willing to deal with the esports industry more openly than it has before.

A potential benefit of this partnership could be a pathway from school-level tournaments to larger competitive events. Much like how local teams scale up to regional and national competitors in some sports, esports could adopt something similar. 

For example, students could start by competing in these friendly tournaments held by ISEA and Nintendo, then move toward leagues that mirror the professional formats you see at established esports events. This pathway could help give esports more legitimacy, and it could offer some entrants a pathway to a career in the industry as a qualified player.

Although we’re in the early days of this Nintendo and ISEA partnership, there’s already plenty of encouraging signs. Having these friendly tournaments in schools can help spur some students to look at careers that are more behind the scenes in both esports and games, as well as potentially encourage Nintendo to look at esports more seriously.

The partnership could help spur esports in these different ways that developers like Valve, Capcom, Sony, and others don’t do. Their roles are to service the events, the players, and the viewers. But Nintendo and ISEA have something else to offer, to spur the next generation at an early stage via the school system. Regardless of it being early days, it does sound encouraging as a whole already.