Pokémon Officially Commits To Being the Most Accessible Esport

The 2026 Pokémon North America International Championships drew thousands to New Orleans and included a major announcement: The Pokémon Company International confirmed NAIC will move to Chicago in 2027 to accommodate continued growth. At a roundtable attended by Collider, Director of Global Esports & Events Chris Brown described Pokémon’s competitive circuit as unusually open.

"We are an open tour, basically," Brown explained. "Any one of our events other than Worlds, anyone can compete in without any sort of prerequisite." He warned that rising attendance can complicate that model, noting many ecosystems add qualification layers to manage demand.

"Those layers of qualification end up creating accessibility windows," Brown said. "If I miss this window, I have to wait. In traditional esports, that's often a whole year." Brown said accessibility remains a guiding principle as the company plans for the future.

United States, New Orleans, Chicago

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