Nintendo Of America Exec Says Esports Helped Rekindle Interest In Smash Bros

Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of sales and marketing, Scott Moffitt, has explained how he feels esports has played a crucial role in the success of Super Smash Bros. Competitive gaming competitions – such as the Super Smash Bros. Invitational – helped revive interest in Nintendo’s flagship fighting series, according to Moffitt. The first-ever Smash Bros. Invitational was held at E3 2014, where 16 Smash Bros. players from around the world battled one another for the top spot. Those who weren’t able to attend the event were encouraged to watch it via a livestream on Nintendo’s Twitch channel.

“There does seem to be a ton of pent-up demand for this franchise,” Moffitt said. “ESports has helped to rekindle gamers’ love for this franchise and really prepare the environment for a fantastic launch. I do believe that the record sales are due to a lot of the pre-awareness activity that has gone on, including eSports. The 3DS game also helped satisfy gamers’ demand temporarily before the Wii U game. ESports is one of the things that has helped drive the pre-launch excitement for this game to a fever pitch.”