The competition focuses on time trials and is split into two age groups: 12 and younger, and 13 and older. Only the winners from each age bracket at each event will move on from qualifications to the finals, so there will be just 16 people vying for glory.

You clearly can't think of the World Championships as a regular event when Nintendo is not only holding it at a different time of year, but skipped 2016 altogether. It still amounts to a promotional vehicle (Nintendo will be showing off Super Mario Odyssey and Metroid: Samus Returns at the qualifiers) rather than an full-fledged eSports competition. Still, it's promising that gamers didn't have to wait 25 years for a third tourney -- it could become relatively commonplace instead of a once-in-a-generation occurrence.