2016 Mega Drive Championship Announced

31 May 2016

Just on the edge of hearing is the distant cry of battle, long dormant; feared dead, but the sound stirs in the blood of warriors of old and in the hearts of the young who would dare challenge for the great triumph of tournament... this is the call of the Mega Drive Championships.

Sunday 31st July 2016 will see 16-bit battle re-born, where legends will wield Mega Drive controllers and sweaty palms are the domain of the weak. For fifteen years people have heard the cry of Mega Drive Championshippery as the allure of awesome retrogaming draws in those wishing to carve a name as a 16-bit hero, but now we stand at the beginning of a new dawn in tournament history.

The arena for the 2016 Mega Drive Championship is the National Videogame Arcade in the heart of Nottingham City centre, with a new competition structure and everything to play for. Over some of the finest Mega Drive titles players shall be tested: 1-player endurance, 2-player head-to-heads and group eliminations. Only the strongest and the most courageous will rack up enough points to stand victorious over the masses and be crowned "Champion".

Venue: The National Videogame Arcade, 24-32 Carlton Street, Nottingham, NG1 1NN.
Date: Sunday 31st July 2016
Admission: To be announced
Registration will soon be opening for the greatest retrogame tournament on Earth in the whole Goddamn Universe. With details posted on our website, forum, twitter and facebook.

Come 1st August, the dust will have settled and the new Champion anointed. Jono Graham is the defending champion, but the conditions of battle have changed since he last held the tournament trophy aloft. Changes from the 25th Mega Drive Championship will see the end of the league structure that has dominated since the First Tournament way back in 2001, as we build on our experience to bring the most awesome 16-bit event to date. Those who desire squinting at 12 inch CRT TV's might find themselves disappointed, with modern videogame facilities provided at the National Videogame Arcade. The Arcade itself has four floors of amazing videogame history and a café for those needing to pause from the action… but there is no pausing the 16-bit awesome that is the Mega Drive Championships. Pride, passion and (possibly) Pete Sampras Tennis! Although, perhaps, after the birth of his second child, it is time Jono followed the advices of Street Fighter’s Guile and “go home and be a family man!”