Nintendo World Championships

The Pioneering 1990 Championship

The inaugural Nintendo World Championships in 1990 was a landmark event in competitive gaming. Conceived by marketing executives Steve Grossman and Jay Coleman of Nintendo's agency EMCI, the tournament toured 29 cities across the United States starting at the Fair Park's Automobile Building in Dallas, Texas. Players from three age groups, 11 and below, 12 to 17, and 18 and above, competed across three days at each stop. The top two scorers became City Champions, winning a trophy, $250, and a trip to the World Finals at Universal Studios Hollywood in Los Angeles.

The World Finals were held in December 1990 at the Star Trek Theater within Universal Studios. Contestants played the special Nintendo World Championships 1990 cartridge, which contained modified versions of Super Mario Bros, Rad Racer, and Tetris. The objective was to achieve the highest cumulative score across all three games within a total time limit of 6 minutes and 21 seconds. Three age group champions were crowned: Jeff Hansen (under 11), Thor Aackerlund (12-17), and Robert Whiteman (18 and over). While no official single winner was named, an informal face-off after the ceremony saw Aackerlund finish first, Hansen second, and Whiteman third.

The prizes for the 1990 champions were substantial, including a $10,000 U.S. savings bond, a 1990 Geo Metro Convertible, a 40-inch rear-projection television, and a golden Mario trophy. Runners-up received a $1,000 savings bond and a silver trophy. The event, sponsored by Pepsi, Reebok, and Nabisco, won numerous marketing awards and established a template for large scale video game competitions.

The Legendary 1990 Cartridge

The Nintendo World Championships 1990 Game Pak is one of the most famous and valuable pieces of video game memorabilia. It was produced exclusively for the competition. Approximately 90 standard gray cartridges were given to the finalists after the championships concluded. The highest known numbered copy is #353. Another twenty-six gold cartridges, resembling the design of The Legend of Zelda gold cartridges, were awarded as prizes in a separate contest run by Nintendo Power magazine.

Both versions of the cartridge have an exposed bank of DIP switches used to set the amount of time a player has to complete the three games, allowing for settings both shorter and longer than the official 6 minutes and 21 seconds. The cartridge's extreme rarity and its role in a historic event have made it the most valuable NES cartridge ever released, with collectors paying six-digit sums for a single copy.

Origins and Predecessors

The Nintendo World Championships had a direct predecessor. The Nintendo Challenge Championship was held in Canada in 1989 and 1990, coinciding with Nintendo's 100th anniversary. This was Nintendo's first annual nationwide video game competition series. Following this, Nintendo assumed full distribution and marketing from its partners and rebranded its competitions as the Nintendo World Championships for the larger 1990 United States tour.

After the 1990 event, Nintendo sponsored similar competitions including the Nintendo Campus Challenge in 1991 and 1992 and Nintendo PowerFest '94. These events continued the tradition of custom game cartridges and nationwide tours but under different names, making the 1990 NWC the most famous and foundational of this early series.

A 25-Year Hiatus and 2015 Return

Nintendo revived the Nintendo World Championships name in 2015 for the original event's 25th anniversary, as part of the company's E3 coverage. Qualifying rounds began at eight Best Buy locations across the United States, where contestants competed for the high score in a custom mode of Ultimate NES Remix. The eight location winners joined eight players invited by Nintendo, including six speedrunners and two celebrity contestants, to form the sixteen finalists.

The competition in Los Angeles used an elimination tournament format with a repechage bracket named the Underground. The event was streamed online and featured a wide selection of games from Nintendo's history. Notable competitors who did not reach the finale included Trihex, Arin Hanson, and The Mexican Runner. The final round was a contest within the then unreleased Super Mario Maker for Wii U, played by finalists John Numbers and Narcissa Wright.

The Super Mario Maker finale involved custom levels described as hellish and sadistic. In the first two levels, players were alternately blindfolded while the other played. The fastest player earned a 5-second advantage for the final level, where they raced simultaneously to the end. John Numbers won the championship. Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto made a surprise appearance to present the trophy and autographed New Nintendo 3DS XL systems to both finalists. An edited one-hour television special later aired on Disney XD.

The 2017 Championship

Nintendo announced the return of the championships in August 2017. Qualifying rounds took place at selected Best Buy locations in eight U.S. cities. The 2015 champion, John Numbers, successfully qualified again. Sixteen qualifiers were joined by eight invited competitors, including actress Bayley and actor Asa Butterfield, to form the contestant pool.

The main event was held at the Manhattan Center's Grand Ballroom on October 7, 2017. It was streamed via YouTube and Twitch and simulcast on Disney XD. The format again included the Underground repechage bracket, which was noted to be more forgiving than in 2015, giving multiple contestants a chance to advance. The competition featured gameplay from recent and retro Nintendo games. The overall winner was Thomas Gonda, who defeated the defending champion John Numbers in a challenge based on the then unreleased Super Mario Odyssey.

Legacy and Cultural Impact

The Nintendo World Championships hold a seminal place in esports history. The 1990 event is widely regarded as one of the first major organized video game competitions. Its structure, from city qualifiers to a grand national final with corporate sponsorship, set an early standard. The immediate aftermath saw champion Thor Aackerlund become a video game spokesperson for Camerica Corporation, a Nintendo competitor, while Jeff Hansen represented the United States in international matches against Japanese champion Yuichi Suyama.

The championships have also left a lasting mark on Nintendo's culture. The 2015 and 2017 revivals tapped into nostalgia while introducing the concept to a new generation. Contestant Joshua Ovenshire said the event should be a staple at every E3 and that being a part of it was like being part of Nintendo history. In 2014, Nintendo released a Nintendo World Championships Remix within NES Remix 2, using online leaderboards for amateur competition. In 2024, this concept expanded into a full retail release with Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition for the Switch, allowing global players to engage with the championship's spirit.