AUBURN, Ind. (WANE) — Hundreds of competitors will soon descend upon Kruse Plaza for a competitive video game tournament with a prize pool worth thousands of dollars.
Starting Friday, Afterburner will fill the event venue for three days of competition in what has been described as the “largest fighting game tournament in Indiana.”
Landon Frank, head tournament organizer and co-owner of The Odyssey Esports, said more than 400 players are expected to attend. Many will be participating in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (SSBU) tournaments, but the event will host matches for a handful of other fighting games:
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
- Super Smash Bros. Melee
- Street Fighter 6
- 2XKO
- Rivals of Aether 2
Afterburner is overseen by The Odyssey Esports, which operates a game lounge off North Anthony Boulevard and offers weekly events and other tournaments with the goal of being an esports hub in northeast Indiana.
The tournament also qualifies as a nationally ranked event thanks to both the quantity and quality of participants, some of whom are among the highest-ranking SSBU players in the world…