With [you know what] still pretty much prevalent out there, some eSports events like Toushinsai 2020 has to be severely postponed and/or cancelled, while others like EVO Championship Series has chosen to change up the format to adapt, moving the proceedings online instead.
For Taiko no Tatsujin, Bandai Namco has decided to hold an online tournament along to the latter path exclusively for Taiko no Tatsujin Nintendo Switch Version/Drum 'n' Fun starting June 22 2020.
Tournament Special Site: https://esp.taiko-ch.net/
Official Twitter handle: @taikoesports
Before all, note that this tournament only accepts entries using the official drum controller (i.e. products licenced by Nintendo) played with the attached plastic sticks. Off-brand drums or other sticks (including the Official MyBachis from 4 years ago) are not allowed. You will also have to use Shin-uchi scoring and Don-chan as performance character for all entries, likely to (try to) maintain fairness.
But outside of those requirements, the tournament is pretty easy to enter. The tournament is divided into six separate departments, according to the age group and the difficulty used.
| Age \ Difficulty |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3rd Grade or under | Kids Futsuu キッズ部門ふつう | Kids Muzukashii キッズ部門むずかしい | -- |
| 4th Grade to 6th Grade | -- | Upper Elementary Muzukashii 小学校高学年部門むずかしい | Upper Elementary Oni 小学校高学年部門おに |
| Middle School and up | -- | General Muzukashii 一般部門むずかしい | General Oni 一般部門おに |
The tournament will come in three rounds:
- First preliminary round: June 22-28Contestants only need to play the designated notechart on NS1, take a snapshot of the results screen, and post that snapshot onto Twitter with the event-specific hashtag. Top 20 scorers of each department move on.
- Second preliminary round: July 3-5
Shortlisted contestants will have to record a video of their second-round gameplay and send to the organizers for more rigorous judgement. Top 3 scorers of each department move on. - Finals: July 19, with July 18 reserved for preparations
(details to be announced later)
Step-by-step pictorial guide for first-round submissions
Winners of the tournament can win up to 30,600 yen in giftcard form, or a digital subscription of a sports tabloid. Further details, including the song choices to each department and the more-detailed terms and conditions, will be announced on June 22.
To rile up the publicity for the tournament, the official Twitter handle also started a Retweet Campaign where 500 randomly-drawn winners can win a special design towel-handkerchief featuring rat-costumed Don-chan and Kat-chan. To qualify for the drawing, simply follow the Twitter account and retweet the campaign tweet (embedded below) by July 28 23:59, but please note that the gift is only available to those living in Japan.
【キャンペーンツイート】
— 「おうちでドンカツ！太鼓の達人eスポーツ オンライン大会 」【公式】 (@taikoesports) June 8, 2020
「おうちでドンカツ！太鼓の達人eスポーツオンライン大会！」RTキャンペーン実施中📣
抽選で500名様に特製タオルハンカチをプレゼント！フォロー&本投稿をRTで応募完了！
皆で大会を盛り上げるドンっ！
詳細↓https://t.co/m2LJxtJaEs#太鼓の達人 #おうちでドンカツ pic.twitter.com/vkWYr1nbxV
