In unexpected esports competition news: The first Uno Championship Series is happening, and you can participate. Part of the card game’s 50th anniversary celebration, the Uno Championship Series Invitational will be held in-person in Las Vegas on November 11, 2021 and offers a grand prize of $50K.
Select players of the Uno mobile tournament in the Uno app will be invited to attend the Las Vegas event. It’s currently unknown how Mattel will pick players from the mobile tournament pool, but ranking may be a big consideration.
In addition to the mobile tournament, players will also have the chance to attend local in-person tournaments. Prizes are currently unknown, but local competitions will likely be another path for ambitious Uno players to map their path to the Invitational.
Mattel will also randomly select 10 Uno players to attend the Invitational through a 50th anniversary sweepstakes. Players can enter starting August 1.
The esports boom continues to grow in the US, so it’s not very surprising–but still a little unexpected–that Mattel decided to push its classic card game into the esports arena. It’s certainly distinct from the usual esports suspects like first-person tactical shooters CS:GO and CoD.