Hello all! As some of you heard live last Sunday during the Worlds Top 16 stream, NISEI Organised Play has some news we wanted to share with everyone about our future plans. Let’s get right to it!
Before we go, however, a disclaimer! The proposals listed below are not etched in silicon. The details of our final implementation may vary.
New Calendar
We intend to create and keep a more definite and strict season calendar, with an established set of tournaments and timeframes for things to happen in. This way, we hope it’s easier for players and communities to coordinate, organise, participate in, and travel to events.
Our current draft of the calendar looks something like this:
- Jan-Feb-Mar: Store/Regionals and GNK 1
- Apr-May-Jun: Nationals and GNK 2
- Jul-Aug-Sep: Continentals, Intercontinental and GNK 3
- Oct-Nov-Dec: World Championship and GNK 4
Game Night Kits
We will return to releasing four Game Night Kits (GNKs) per year. Given the growing interest for new formats such as Startup and Eternal, we have three formats we can work around the year to offer a spread of new prizes.
Store and Regional Championships
For a while now, both of these tournaments have been slowly merging into each other. If not for the difference in prize support, they would be the same event. The reality we at Organised Play have come to accept is that when we try to hold space for both Store Championships and Regional Championships, the rest of the calendar suffers.
So we’re finally merging them. Regional Stores—a name that’s not final and for which we’re currently accepting suggestions—will be the new start of the season.
Continentals
In 2022, we’re planning to relaunch all in-person events. Due to logistics, the Asia-Pacific Continental will remain online and open to everyone who for whatever reason could not attend any of the other two. On the same note, the Intercontinental Championship will also remain online.
Goodbye to Byes
Following Intercontinental fashion, first place in any tournament will no longer be accompanied by a bye, but an invitation for a special end-of-the-season online event with special prizes.
Online Events
We expect in person events to make a comeback once everything returns to normality, but at the same time, for a lot of people online is the only way to be able to participate in a competitive environment. We want to be able to support those who organise online and organise some online events ourselves.
And this is all, folks. Here’s hoping this gets everyone as excited as we are!
As per usual, if you have any questions for us, please send an email to op@nullsignal.games.
We’ll see you at the tables!
