General Division Kyushu/Okinawa Block

■Tournament Name

Inter-Prefectural Esports Championship 2025 SHIGA: Puyo Puyo Division (General Division)

■Game Title

Puyo Puyo eSports for Nintendo Switch™

■Tournament Overview

The "Inter-Prefectural Esports Championship" is a national esports tournament in which representative players from each prefecture, who have advanced through regional qualifiers, compete against one another. The tournament determines the strongest prefecture in esports based on the overall results across multiple games and divisions.
The "Inter-Prefectural Esports Championship 2025 SHIGA: Puyo Puyo Division (General Division)" is a tournament open to players residing in Japan who meet the eligibility requirements, and will be held according to the process outlined below.

1. Inter-Prefectural Esports Championship 2025 SHIGA: Puyo Puyo Division (General Division) – Online Regional Qualifiers
A total of eight online tournaments will be held—one for each of the seven regional blocks across Japan, plus an additional slot for Shiga Prefecture (the host prefecture).
The representative players for each prefecture will be determined through these tournaments.

2. Culture Program of Shiga National Sports Festival and National Sports Festival for People with a Disability
"Inter-Prefectural Esports Championship 2025 SHIGA: Puyo Puyo Division (General Division)– Shiga Finals"
From among the prefectural representatives, the national champion will be determined at the finals held in Shiga Prefecture on Saturday, November 22 and Sunday, November 23, 2025.

■Organizers, Sponsor, and Partners

Organizer: Executive Committee of "Inter-Prefectural Esports Championship 2025 SHIGA: Puyo Puyo Division" (Japan esports Union [JeSU] and SEGA Corporation)
Sponsor: I-O DATA DEVICE, INC.
Partners: TEKWIND Co., Ltd. and Harman International Japan Co Ltd

■Eligibility Requirements

Age Requirement: 6 years old and above (elementary school students and older)
General Division: Open to participants who are elementary school students or older.
U13 Division: Open only to elementary school students.
*You may only enter one division.

Participants who meet the following conditions are eligible to participate in the "General Division":
- Participants must reside in Japan and be able to communicate in either Japanese or English (regardless of nationality).
- Participants must agree to the Terms of Entry for "Inter-Prefectural Esports Championship 2025 SHIGA: Puyo Puyo Division."
- For elementary school students, a parent or legal guardian must be able to always accompany the participant during the tournament
- Participants must be able to prepare their own environment for online matches using the Nintendo Switch™ software "Puyo Puyo eSports"
- Participants are responsible for all costs associated with entering the tournament, including purchasing the software, game platform fees required for online matches, and internet charges
- Participants must be able to use the tournament tool "Discord" on a PC, smartphone, or similar device
- Participants must be able to use Nintendo products or Nintendo-licensed controllers for online tournaments
- Minor participants must obtain the consent of a parent or legal guardian to participate
- Participants must be able to follow the instructions of the organizer and tournament staff.

■How to Enter the Tournament

Please register in the block corresponding to your prefecture of residence.
Shiga Prefecture, as the host prefecture, will have a special separate qualifier.

■List of Blocks and Prefectures

Your affiliated prefecture must be one of the following:
1) Your place of residence
2) Place of your school or workplace
3) Birthplace (hometown)
*You can register for only one block.
*Check-in is scheduled to begin one hour before each tournament starts.

- You may be asked to provide a document to prove your affiliation for (1, 2, or 3 above) without prior notice.
*As long as your affiliation can be confirmed, official documents are not required.
*If you are unable to provide a document to prove your eligibility, you may be disqualified at the discretion of the organizers.

- Definition of 3) Birthplace (Hometown): Any prefecture where you have lived, even once in the past.
*Entry registration must be completed by a parent or legal guardian.
Participation in the tournament also requires the accompaniment of a parent or legal guardian.
*To prevent students in elementary and middle school from playing games excessively under the pretext of tournament practice, it is recommended that gameplay be limited to times agreed upon with a parent or legal guardian.

■Participation of Non-Japanese Nationals and Those Without Permanent Residency in Japan

Those who do not have Japanese nationality or permanent residency in Japan may also participate if they agree to the following conditions.
Regardless of nationality, as long as you are living or staying in Japan and meet the eligibility requirements, you may participate in this tournament. However, the following additional conditions apply:
- Travel and accommodation subsidies will be provided based on your current address in Japan.
- Awards and prizes cannot be shipped overseas.
- Regarding the right to receive a JeSU official pro license, issuance may not be possible in accordance with the JeSU official pro license regulations.
*You may be asked to provide documents to prove your assigned prefecture without prior notice.

■Event Dates / Entry Deadlines

*Please note that the start times for the qualifiers are tentative and may be subject to change.
*All participants must check in before the tournament on the day of the event. Check-in times will be announced sometime soon (scheduled to be about one hour before each tournament starts).

■For Participants with Disabilities or Color Vision Deficiency

Please click here for more information.

- Request for Cooperation from All Participants
In matches involving players who require special support, such as those with disabilities, the tournament organizers may adjust the match format or methods as needed.
*Examples: online participation, use of the "Color Blind Settings", permission to use a wheelchair, etc.

We strive to ensure a fair tournament for everyone, so we kindly ask for your understanding and cooperation.

■Entry Fee

Free of charge.
*Please note that all costs related to participating in the online tournament, such as software, game consoles, peripherals, online platform fees, and internet charges, will be covered by each participating player.
*Regarding Travel and Accommodation Expenses
For the Shiga Finals: Round-trip travel and accommodation expenses will be subsidized through a designated travel agency.
*The amount of the subsidy for the Shiga Finals will be determined by the tournament operations team. Subsidies will not be adjusted to accommodate individual circumstances.
*If the participant is in elementary school, one parent or legal guardian accompanying the participant to the Shiga Finals will receive the same subsidy as the participant. No arrangements or assistance will be provided for any additional companions.

■Number of Representatives Advancing to the Finals

■Basic Regulations

Tournament Format Details

"Inter-Prefectural Esports Championship 2025 SHIGA: Puyo Puyo Division (General Division) – Regional Qualifiers"

Tournament Format: Single elimination tournament (online)
Victory Condition: First to 5, wins.
Representative Selection: The winner of each online tournament advances to the finals (Kanto Block will have two separate tournaments).
Bracket Assignment: Tournament brackets will be randomly generated using the tournament tool.

● Items to Prepare

• Nintendo Switch™ software "Puyo Puyo eSports"
• Nintendo Switch™
  *Matches will be held simultaneously. To avoid delays, each participant must have their own Nintendo Switch™. Please cooperate to ensure smooth tournament progress.
  *If multiple family members or siblings are participating, please pay special attention to this requirement.
• Nintendo-manufactured or Nintendo-licensed controller
• Nintendo Switch Online subscription
  *A Nintendo Switch Online subscription is required for online play.
• Monitor for displaying the Nintendo Switch screen
• Internet connection (For a stable match experience, a wired LAN connection is recommended.)
• Player name
• Email address that can be used for contact
• Various tools
  Discord: Used for communication between players and with tournament staff
  Can be used on either PC or smartphone.

● Replay Saving

You must save a replay of each match.

● Regarding Online Matches: Match Start, Rematches, and Other Issues

• If a match cannot be started for any reason, report it to the organizers. The organizers will confirm and decide.
• If a match cannot continue due to a disconnection or other issue, the player responsible for the interruption will be considered the loser.
  However, if both players agree, a rematch will be allowed once.
  In the case of a rematch, the score from just before the interruption, as confirmed by both players, will be carried over.
  If the match cannot continue even after the rematch, the player responsible for the interruption will be considered the loser.
• If it is unclear which player is responsible for the interruption, the organizers will confirm and decide.
  The organizers may check replays or other evidence to make a judgment.
• If any issues arise during the tournament that cannot be resolved between the players, report to the organizers. The organizers will confirm and decide.
• The organizers may use the "Spectate" function to act as referees.
  If a network error occurs on the organizer's side and the organizer's account is disconnected, the match will be restarted from the last confirmed score by the organizers.

● Tournament Procedure

Before the tournament, the tournament operations team will send you an email with instructions on the tournament procedure and a detailed schedule.
On the day of the tournament, communication and progress will be managed using the chat tool "Discord" between the organizers, opponents, and participants within the same tournament group.
Match progress will be managed by the participants themselves. After each match, both players must agree on the result and register it in the tournament tool.

About Online Live Streaming: There are no plans for online live streaming by the organizers.

Culture Program of Shiga National Sports Festival and National Sports Festival for People with a Disability
 Inter-Prefectural Esports Championship 2025 SHIGA: Puyo Puyo Division (General Division)– Shiga Finals

The tournament is planned to be held in person.
Tournament Format and Victory Conditions:

[Preliminary Round]
All 10 participants will be divided into two blocks (A and B) of 5 players each, determined by lottery.
The top 2 players from each block will advance to the finals. Matches are first to 5 wins.
*Rankings within each block will be determined by the number of match wins.
In case of a tie, ranking will be decided by the win-loss differential (number of wins minus number of losses).
If the win-loss differential is also tied:
If 2 players are tied, the winner of their head-to-head match will be ranked higher.
If 3 or more players are tied, a new league will be held among the tied players, with matches being best of 3 (first to 2 wins).

[Finals]
- Single elimination tournament.
- First to 10, wins.
- In the semifinals (the first round of the finals), the 1st place player from each block will face the 2nd place player from the other block.
- There will be no 3rd place match.

*If, after finalizing the details of the Shiga Finals, it is determined that it will be difficult to proceed with the tournament as planned, the format and other details may be changed without prior notice.

Awards: Players who finish from 1st to 3rd will be awarded.
*If a high school student or older wins 1st place, they will be granted the right to obtain a "Japan eSports Pro License" for the Puyo Puyo series, certified by JeSU.
*If a middle school student wins 1st place, they will be granted the right to obtain a "Japan eSports Junior Pro License."
*If an elementary school student wins 1st place, no right to obtain a Pro License will be granted.
*The champion and runner-up will earn a spot in the upcoming official SEGA tournament, the "Puyo Puyo Grand Prix Final."

Other: All participants will receive a tournament uniform printed with their prefecture and player name, which must be worn on the day.

● Play Side Selection

Players may decide which side to play on.
Please agree on a method (such as a coin toss or rock-paper-scissors) before the match.
Once decided, the sides cannot be changed during the match.

● Game Interruptions

If a match is interrupted (e.g., by pressing the HOME button), the player who caused the interruption will lose that set, and one set will be awarded to the opponent. The match will then continue.

● Equipment or Software Troubles

If equipment or software issues occur that are beyond the player's control, the organizers will handle the situation.
In the event of trouble during a match, the organizers will decide how to resume the game based on the situation at the time of interruption.

● Absence of Opponent

If an opponent is absent, the organizers will decide, and you may win by default.

Online Live Streaming: The tournament is scheduled to be streamed live online.

Inquiries

For inquiries regarding participation in this tournament, please contact:
puyo-esports-senshuken2025@j-cg.com