A champion has been crowned! After battling it out through multiple rounds, Thomas Gonda, better known as Ito, has earned the title of Nintendo World Championships 2017 winner.
Full broadcast:
I had an incredible time hosting with lead caster Jordan Kent. We followed 24 competitors through a challenging gauntlet showcasing a wide array of Nintendo games.
The competitors not only had to master games on recent systems like Nintendo Switch and Nintendo 3DS, but also on games spanning many systems throughout Nintendo history, including NES, Game Boy Color, Nintendo 64 and Nintendo DS.
Sixteen of the competitors were the winners of their respective local qualifying rounds at Best Buy retail locations (eight from the 13-and-over group and eight who are 12 and under), while the other eight, including English actor Asa Butterfield, WWE Superstar Bayley and notable gamers from Germany, Mexico and Canada, were invited guests.
Starting with a unique three-game opening stage including a shield-surfing challenge in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, over a series of rounds the 24 were whittled down to two finalists: Gonda and Nintendo World Championships 2015 winner John Numbers.
At this point, the two final competitors participated in a three-part finale in Super Mario Odyssey. After a nail-biting and cap-throwing final round, Gonda emerged victorious.