COLLINSVILLE - Gamers, Nintendo fanatics and the competitive at heart are in for a treat during the weekend of December 2 at the Gateway Convention Center in Collinsville.

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Ultimate Gaming Championship will be hosting the UCG Smash Open from December 2nd through the 4th. This event will act as the region’s first large-scale Super Smash Brothers tournament in the area.

“This tournament will be the largest eSports event in St. Louis History,” Matt Jackson, Chief Executive Officer of the Ultimate Gaming Championship, said. “It will feature Super Smash Brothers Melee for the GameCube and Super Smash Brothers 4 for the Wii U.”

Competitive video gaming, most commonly referred to as eSports, has become a multi-million dollar industry with competitions and leagues popping up all around the world. 

The Super Smash Brothers series, created by Nintendo, was introduced to the gaming world in 1999 by producer Masahiro Sakurai. The game showcases some of Nintendo’s most popular characters as they duke it out on the fighting platformer.

Over two dozen of the top-ranked Smash Melee and Smash 4 players in the world will be in attendance, and bragging rights isn’t the only thing that the competitors in this tournament will be playing for.

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“We are proud to announce that we will have the largest payout in Super Smash Brothers Tournament history with more than $40,000 in prizes,” Jackson said.

The organization is hosting this event to help foster the growth of competitive eSports, both locally and nationally.

“With over 400 competitors and $40,000 in prizes, it will set the state for many more eSports tournaments to come in the area,” he said. “It is the second tournament in our UGC eSports Open Series.”

In October, the organization also hosted the UCG Open Halo 5 Tournament and hope to rapidly expand into Gears of War 4, Overwatch and Rocket League tournaments in the future.

“If you love video games and want to have a good time, this is the place for you,” he said. “On top of the tournaments we play, we are also offering dedicated areas for friendly games. This is a great opportunity to test your skills against the best players in the world.

“If you’ve never experienced a live eSports event, then do yourself a favor and come experience it,” he said. “I can promise you will be amazed. UGC is committed to providing an excellent atmosphere for both competitors and spectators alike.”

For more information about the UGC Smash Open, please visit the event website or check out more of UCG’s events by clicking here. Additionally, you can find the group on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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