The organizers also announced that the partner hotel had already sold out of available rooms. Spectator registration (tickets for attendees not planning to compete in a tournament) has also reached its 500-person cap.
In 2019, CEO reached a total registration of 3.4K.
The fighting game community was arguably impacted more than any other esports scene by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of the most popular games including Street Fighter, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and Dragon Ball FighterZ have poor online functionality that made both watching and playing tournaments a frustrating experience during the last year. This has created a significant pent-up demand for in-person fighting game events for both participants and spectators.
One of the first major Smash-focused events, Riptide in Ohio, has already completely sold out ahead of its September date. The event reached its initial 1,000-person cap in less than four hours. It then re-opened registration a few days later with an increased cap for each game, quickly selling out again. Notably, unlike CEO, Riptide is not among the most significant recurring Smash tournaments. Its instant sellout combined with the level of talent attending the event further emphasizes that we will likely see a major resurgence in live esports events over the next year.
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