Splatoon 3 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe players across Australia and New Zealand will get a chance to compete for prizes and glory in the Splatoon 3 AU/NZ Championship 2023 and the Mario Kart AU/NZ Championship 2023, culminating in a live Australian and New Zealand final at PAX Australia 2023.
Starting in August, Nintendo Australia is hosting a series of online qualifying events for each championship. These open qualifiers will determine the top teams and players who will compete in the finals on Sunday, 8th October at PAX Australia 2023. There are multiple ways to play and participate, and players of all experience levels are welcome. More details about these exciting events can be found at Nintendo Australia’s website.
Australia and New Zealand’s freshest Splatoon 3 squads will be decided through Turf War and Anarchy Battle modes, where strong teamwork and clever strategy will be needed in heated four-on-four match-ups. Registered teams will face off against each other in Turf War best-of-three single elimination bracket, with the quarter and semi finals in Turf War and Anarchy Battle best-of-five single elimination. The winning team from each qualifier will be invited to the Live Grand Final at PAX Australia on Sunday, 8th October 2023.
To determine the Australian and New Zealand Mario Kart 8 Deluxe champions, racers will compete in 150cc Race Mode with normal items across a variety of courses, accruing points with the top two racers per qualifier (for a total of 12) qualifying for the Live Finals at PAX Australia on Sunday, 8th October 2023.
The schedule for the online qualifying events for both the Splatoon 3 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe AU/NZ Championships 2023 are below. Both tournaments will host qualifiers across August and September, allowing players and teams multiple chances to reach the finals at PAX Australia 2023.
| Nintendo Switch Game | Online Event | Date | Time |
| Splatoon 3 | Online Qualifier #1 | 19th August | 11:00am AEST 1:00pm NZST |
| Online Qualifier #2 | 27th August | 11:00am AEST 1:00pm NZST |
|
| Live Grand Final | 8th October | To be confirmed | |
| Mario Kart 8 Deluxe | Online Qualifier #1 | 1st September | 4:00pm – 10:00pm AEST 6:00pm – 12:00am NZST |
| Online Qualifier #2 | 2nd September | 12:00pm – 6:00pm AEST 2:00pm – 8:00pm NZST |
|
| Online Qualifier #3 | 3rd September | 12:00pm – 6:00pm AEST 2:00pm – 8:00pm NZST |
|
| Online Qualifier #4 | 9th September | 12:00pm – 6:00pm AEST 2:00pm – 8:00pm NZST |
|
| Online Qualifier #5 | 10th September | 12:00pm – 6:00pm AEST 2:00pm – 8:00pm NZST |
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| Online Qualifier #6 | 11th September | 10:00am – 4:00pm AEST 12:00pm – 6:00pm NZST |
|
| Live Finals | 8th October | To be confirmed |
More details about how to enter the online qualifier events can be found at https://www.nintendo.com.au/tournaments.
Splatoon 3 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe are both currently available for the Nintendo Switch system. Players who are interested in taking part in the tournaments can head online now to start practicing; online play can be accessed in both of these games with a Nintendo Switch Online membership. A free seven-day trial is available for non-members directly through the Nintendo Switch system.
Compete to be the Australian and New Zealand champion in the Splatoon 3 AU/NZ or Mario Kart AU/NZ Championships 2023, with the exciting finals to take place at PAX Australia in October 2023.
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