Nintendo of America announced Tuesday that it has partnered with the Interstate Scholastic Esports Alliance (ISEA).
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Under the terms of this new agreement students will be able to compete in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and Splatoon 3 tournaments (Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch – OLED Model systems) organized by member schools for grades 4 – 12, starting during the new semester this fall. ISEA said in its announcement that this impacts its members, which consists of “80,000 elementary, middle, and high school students across 23 states.” Nintendo will also provide a “large quantity of Nintendo Switch Online memberships and digital game download codes at no cost.”
Any educator who has tried to organize a tournament using a Nintendo title knows that there are always challenges involved with using Nintendo intellectual property, as the company is strict on its usage. More details about its guidelines for scholastic competitions can be found here.
“We support kids who want to celebrate their passion – or discover a new passion – by getting involved in memorable cooperative and competitive play experiences,” said Bill Trinen, VP of player and product experience at Nintendo of America. “Working closely with the ISEA ensures that we are creating a fun experience that is open to everyone.”
Founded in 2022, the ISEA is a United States-focused nationwide coalition of “educator-run scholastic esports organizations serving grades K through 12.” For more details on the organization, check out www.iseaesports.org.