The Blockbuster World Video Game Championship to return for the first time since the 90s

The Blockbuster World Video Game Championship, a gaming competition not seen since the mid 90s, is set to return in October this year.

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The Blockbuster World Video Game Championship 3, taking place on October 14-16, will be hosted by the Portland Retro Gaming Expo (PRGE) and Double Jump Events and promises to “create new memories for a new generation and is free to enter for all PRGE attendees.”

As part of the Championship, PRGE has teamed up with Blockbuster to recreate the classic rental store for the weekend. Visitors to the Blockbuster Experience room will be able to pick up an updated Blockbuster card and can meet Sandi Harding, the General Manager of the “last Blockbuster on the planet.”

Blockbuster, a company that filed for bankruptcy in 2010 with just a single store remaining, took to Twitter to celebrate the Championship’s return – and challenged two-time champion Dr Disrespect to come defend his crown.

Don’t miss out on the Blockbuster World Video Game Championship 3! Register below.#BackontheBlock #Blockbuster #RetroGamingExpo https://t.co/4rtWKUIMRA

— Blockbuster (@blockbuster) September 21, 2022

There’s prizes on hand for the top three competitors – the winner will receive a $1000 PRGE exhibitor hall shopping spree, while second and third place will receive a $500 and $250 shopping sprees, respectively.

The Championship will take place across two rounds. Round 1 will see players go against each other in Saturn Bomberman, with the first player to win three battles moving on to round 2. Round 2 will task competitors to post a high score on Downfall OG Plus for the Atari Jaguar, with the top three scores receiving the above prizes.

The Blockbuster World Video Game Championships first took place in the mid 1990s, at the height of the Nintendo vs Sega fan war. Players would compete in Blockbuster stores across the United States, the winners of which (known as “store champions”) would then go on to compete at GamePro’s headquarters in San Francisco.

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