Streamer and content creator Ludwig Ahgren has announced that he will be hosting a Super Smash Bros Invitational tournament to spotlight talent across the Melee and Ultimate scenes. The Ludwig Smash Invitational will run from October 21 to 23rd in Las Vegas, Nevada, and will be streamed on Ludwig’s YouTube channel.
The tournament will feature a last-chance qualifier on the same weekend, seeing 24 players compete in each 32-player bracket. Notable attendees include Angel ‘Onin’ Mireles, Leonardo ‘MkLeo’ Lopez Perez, and Team Liquid’s Juan ‘Hungrybox’ Debiedma, among others. The Last Chance Qualifier has been capped at 64 players per title, and the top eight of each qualifier will be entered into the invitational.
Each tournament will have a prize pool of $30,000 USD.
Image Credit: Ludwig Smash Invitational
What's Driving This Trend
- Content Creator-backed Tournaments
- More content creators are hosting tournaments to spotlight talent and engage their audiences, creating opportunities for sponsorship and branding partnerships.
- Esports Hybrid Tournaments
- Tournaments that bring together multiple games and genres, like the Ludwig Smash Invitational, offer new experiences for both players and audiences, creating opportunities for cross-promotion and diversified revenue streams.
- Last-chance Qualifier Tournaments
- Qualifier tournaments that offer the last chance to enter the main event create opportunities for underdogs to qualify and for sponsors to get involved with rising stars.
Who This Affects Most
- Esports
- Esports organizations and teams can partner with content creators to create new tournaments and engage audiences in new ways.
- Gaming
- Game developers and publishers can benefit from the exposure and promotion of their games through these events and potentially capture new audiences.
- Sponsorship and Marketing
- Brands and marketers can sponsor these events and players, or leverage their audience engagement to promote their products and services.
