- The Hall of Fame Village will host Nouns Bowl 2025, an esports tournament taking place April 26-27.
- Single and doubles competitors will play Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, both Nintendo video games.
- Esports competitors will vie for two invitations to Nounsvitational in Japan.
CANTON − A Super Smash Bros. video game tournament is coming to Hall of Fame Village in the spring.
The inaugural Nouns Bowl 2025 will be April 26-27 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
Esports competitors will vie for two invitations to the Nounsvitational gaming tournament in Japan. At the Canton event, both single players and doubles will compete in Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
“With intense competition, a vibrant atmosphere, and a passionate gaming community, the Nouns Bowl 2025 promises an unforgettable experience for players and fans alike,” the Hall of Fame Village announced this week.
This follows other esports tournaments that have taken place at the Village in recent years.
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“After witnessing the incredible energy at Hall of Fame Village during last year’s Gridiron Gateway Gaming Tournament, I knew this was the perfect venue to launch a premier annual event for the passionate Midwest gaming community,” said Peter Dager, who heads Nouns Esports.
Super Smash Bros. Melee was released in 2001 for Nintendo’s GameCube home console.
Who will be at Nouns Bowl in Canton?
Several Nouns Bowl gamers are highly ranked in the world, the news release said.
Headlining the tournament are Zain Naghmi (Zain), the 2024 World No. 1 gamer from Shopify Rebellion; Joseph Marquez (“Mang0”), the 2024 World No. 3 gamer from Cloud9; and Juan DeBiedma (“Hungrybox”), the 2024 World No. 6 gamer from Team Liquid.
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The Canton event will be the first of four major tournaments organized by Nouns Esports under the NounsDAO initiative, the announcement said.
“This groundbreaking tournament represents our commitment to hosting world-class gaming events that push the boundaries of the esports experience,” Hall of Fame Village CEO Michael Crawford said in a prepared statement.
Hall of Fame Village is a 100-acre sports and entertainment destination centered around the Pro Football Hall of Fame, featuring restaurants, amusement park rides, a sports dome, practice fields and other attractions.
What is Nouns Esports?
Nouns Esports describes itself as a decentralized autonomous organization dedicated to competitive video gaming with a focus on the Super Smash Bros. game. Digital art pieces, called “Nouns,” are used as membership tokens.
“Our mission is to build the largest decentralized brand, where everyone who represents us feels like a valued part of our flourishing ecosystem,” the Nouns Esports website says.
Tickets and competitor registration for Nouns Bowl 2025 at the Hall Fame Village are available at start.gg.
Reach Ed Balint at ebalint@gannett.com. On X (formerly Twitter) @ebalintREP and Instagram at ed_balint
