European Smash Bros. tournament is returning this weekend for the fourth time and with Ultimate now at its disposal, it promises to be bigger and better than ever.
The esports and competitive gaming industry is booming right now. If a title gains any sort of notoriety, and there's a competitive element to it, chances are there are competitions for you to take part in if you think you're good enough. Plus, if you believe yourself to be among the very best at the game, you might make yourself a little money in the process.
There is no franchise that brings out a competitive gamer's edge quite like Super Smash Bros. Last weekend, Ultimate made its debut at CEO, an annual fighting game festival. Pikachu main ESAM got so excited after one victory in particular that he injured his hand. Albion organizers will be hoping no such pop off happens at this weekend's event in London.
Albion is "the ultimate European Smash tournament," according to its organizers, and its location would certainly suggest that to be true, being London's Emirates Stadium. The Emirates is the home of Premier League soccer club Arsenal and has a capacity of more than 60,000. There likely won't be that many people watching a Smash tournament unfold this weekend. It's popular, but not that popular.
The two tournaments taking place, Doubles and Singles, will take place in The Woolwich which can be found inside the stadium. That room can hold 800 attendees at one time, so still pretty impressive. Plus, the entry cap for the event is 1,024 players on the singles side of things, so there will be a lot of Ultimate being played in the impressive venue over the next two days.
As you can see from the schedule above, the weekend will kick off with the start of the Doubles tournament tomorrow (Saturday, July 6, 2019) at 10 am BST (5 am EST). While not playing, or watching the action unfold, attendees can head to the Legends Suite which is equipped with monitors for people to hook up whatever they choose. Plus, there's also a bar and restaurant to keep the avid gamers fed and watered.