Home Nintendo’s rarest game ever just got an ESRB rating

Nintendo’s rarest game ever just got an ESRB rating

The Electronic Software Ratings Board, which is the video games rating authority in North America, has just given an E-for-Everyone mark to “Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition.” Which means one of the rarest video games of all time might be coming soon to your Nintendo Switch.

Per the ESRB, Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition is “a collection of 2D challenges and platformer games” meant to test the gamepad skills of dedicated Nintendo fans. “Some games depict pixelated characters using small swords or arrows to strike at enemies; enemies typically get stunned or disappear in a flash.”

This sounds like Nintendo is about to re-release its ultimate test of gamer skill — well, for 1990 at least. The Nintendo World Championships were an esports promotion run that year touring more than two dozen cities in the U.S., inviting all comers to prove their merit in a series of minigames based on Tetris, Super Mario Bros. and Rad Racer. The inaugural winners were Jeff Hansen (under-11), Thor Aackerlund (12-17 years old division) and Robert Whiteman (18-plus category).

The winners were took home a totally awesome 1990s buffet of gifts and prizes that included a 40-inch rear-projection television and a Geo Metro convertible automobile. The game cartridge they played to victory has since achieved holy-grail collector’s item status, fetching more than $100,000 at auction back in 2014.

Nintendo itself has not confirmed Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition or its launch date. Classic NES titles are routinely re-issued through the Nintendo Plus Online + Expansion Pack subscription service on Nintendo Switch.

Featured Image via eBay

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Owen Good
Gaming Editor (US)

Owen Good is a 15-year veteran of video games writing, also covering pop culture and entertainment subjects for the likes of Kotaku and Polygon. He is a Gaming Editor for ReadWrite working from his home in North Carolina, the United States, joining this publication in April, 2024. Good is a 1995 graduate of North Carolina State University and a 2000 graduate of The Graduate School of Journalism, Columbia University, in New York. A second-generation newspaperman, Good's career before covering video games included daily newspaper stints in North Carolina; in upstate New York; in Washington, D.C., with the Associated Press; and…

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