Tetris 99’s 55th Maximus Cup Unlocks Star Fox Theme From July 10
Nintendo has kicked off the 55th Maximus Cup in Tetris 99, a limited-time online event themed around the newly launched Star Fox game for Switch 2. Confirmed on Nintendo’s official website, the event runs from July 10 at 12:00am PT through July 13 at 11:59pm PT, giving players a shot at a permanent, exclusive in-game theme built around Fox McCloud’s Arwing squad.
How to unlock the Star Fox theme in Tetris 99
Nintendo’s official announcement invites players to “Lock in for the Tetris® 99 55th MAXIMUS CUP online event” and collect 100 event points by playing matches in Tetris 99 mode to unlock the in-game theme. Points are earned according to match placement, with stronger finishes yielding a bigger haul, and once players earn at least 100 points during the event window, they’ll unlock a special in-game theme that stays in their collection permanently.
Nintendo Life reports that the reward features art, epic music and Tetrimino designs inspired by Star Fox’s outing on the Switch 2. An active Nintendo Switch Online membership is required to take part, and Nintendo notes that newcomers can sample the service through a free trial before committing to a subscription.
Star Fox’s Switch 2 comeback fuels the crossover
The timing is no coincidence. Star Fox is out on the Switch 2, and to celebrate Fox McCloud’s return, Nintendo has announced a new event for its addictive online battle royale title, Tetris 99. Nintendo of America teased the crossover ahead of launch, posting on X that the Tetris 99 55th MAXIMUS CUP is coming July 10 at 12am PT, featuring Tetriminos, music, art, and a new theme from Star Fox.
It’s a familiar promotional playbook for Nintendo, which has used Maximus Cup crossovers to spotlight new releases before, including a prior 54th event built around Yoshi and the Mysterious Book. Tying the free-to-play battle royale to a first-party launch gives Switch Online subscribers an extra incentive to boot the game up in the same week a new release drops.
Eight years on, Tetris 99 keeps earning Nintendo’s support
The 55th Maximus Cup is a reminder of just how long Tetris 99 has stuck around. Released as the first free game for Switch Online subscribers, Nintendo has continued to support it for years after launch, well past the point most live-service tie-in titles would have been quietly retired. Reaching a 55th themed event underscores how central these rotating Maximus Cups have become to keeping the battle royale’s community engaged between bigger Nintendo releases.
Reaction to the specific Star Fox theme has been mixed among longtime fans. One outlet’s own impression noted the theme may be a little subdued, though as a promotion for Star Fox, it gets the job done. Others online have simply welcomed another excuse to load the battle royale back up, regardless of how flashy the visual payoff turns out to be.
When the Maximus Cup lands for NZ and Australian players
Because Nintendo publishes Maximus Cup windows in Pacific Time, Kiwi and Australian players need to do a little timezone maths. The July 10 12:00am PT start converts to roughly 7pm on July 10 in New Zealand (NZST) and 5pm the same day on Australia’s east coast (AEST), while the July 13 11:59pm PT cutoff lands around 7pm on July 14 NZST and 5pm on July 14 AEST.
That gives most local players a full weekend window to grind out the required 100 points across Friday evening through to Tuesday, without needing to stay up for a midnight PT reset. As with every Maximus Cup, an active Nintendo Switch Online membership remains the only barrier to entry, and the Star Fox theme is confirmed to be exclusive to the Nintendo Switch 2 hardware once unlocked.
Read also: Denshattack Skips Switch 1 Entirely, Launches on Switch 2 July 15
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