NEW YORK— January 24, 2013—Following a year of record growth with a burgeoning global audience, Major League Gaming (MLG), the world’s largest eSports league, today unveiled initial details for the Winter Season of the 10th annual MLG Pro Circuit. Poised to be the most robust to date, the 2013 Pro Circuit will include action-packed spectator events, enhanced broadcast production, a revamped event experience and more. The Winter Season marks the return of some of the largest gaming franchises and eSports titles including Call of Duty®: Black Ops II on Xbox 360® and League of Legends and an additional game to be announced soon. MLG is working closely with Treyarch and Activision to bring eSports to the global Call of Duty audience. The season will culminate with the Winter Championship from March 15-17 at the Dallas Convention Center in Dallas, Texas.
“The global phenomenon of competitive gaming has reached a tipping point and I believe 2013 is going to be the most pivotal time for eSports,” said Sundance DiGiovanni, CEO and co-founder, MLG. “The Winter Season includes games built for competitive play, an event format and production level unparalleled in the industry and a passionate global fan base that continues to grow. Combine that with our TV-esque online broadcast, and we have everything needed for MLG and eSports to dominate the entertainment industry and appeal to an even broader audience.”
During the Winter Season, MLG will produce and broadcast online qualifiers for the titles leading up to the Winter Championship. Information about Winter Season tournaments for Call of Duty: Black Ops II is now posted on the MLG web site including a ladder on Gamebattles, an online tournament, and open/championship competition at the Winter Championship. Call of Duty: Black Ops II competitor passes will be available January 29 and more information regarding League of Legends will be announced in the coming weeks. Winter Championship hotel information is currently available online and spectator passes will be available in February.
In addition to the online competition and Championship events, fans and players can expect continued programming at www.majorleaguegaming.com. Twitch will serve as MLG’s distribution partner for all broadcasts in 2013 and content will also air at www.twitch.tv/team/mlg.
More than 11.7 million unique viewers tuned in to watch the 2012 MLG Pro Circuit online and more than 15 million hours of live online video were consumed during Pro Circuit weekends resulting in 334% growth over 2011. Consumption is expected to increase even more in 2013.
ABOUT MAJOR LEAGUE GAMING:
Major League Gaming (MLG) (www.majorleaguegaming.com) is the world’s largest eSports organization with millions of LIVE viewers, fans and competitors around the globe. MLG enables gamers to compete, improve their skills, and socialize via the largest online destination for competitive console and PC gaming featuring more than 8 million registered gamers, and the annual MLG Pro Circuit featuring LIVE, in-person tournaments in cities nationwide. MLG broadcasts competitive play, analysis and more via online streaming to hundreds of thousands of fans in an average of more than 170 countries.
Major League Gaming Winter Season – Call of Duty: Black Ops II details
The MLG 2013 Pro Circuit Winter Season includes multiple competitions for Call of Duty: Black Ops II on Xbox 360:
· North America Online Tournament – February 12 – March 8
· Europe Team Ladder on GameBattles – January 1 – March 10
· Pro Circuit Winter Championship in Dallas, Texas – March 15 – 17
Competitor passes will be available beginning January 29.
Black Ops II North America Online Tournament – February 12 – March 8
North American teams that purchase their Winter Championship Team Pass between January 29th and February 10th will have the opportunity to compete in this double elimination tournament for one of 12 starting spots in the Winter Championship’s Championship Bracket. Select matches will be broadcast as part of MLG’s nightly Call of Duty content on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7pm ET beginning February 12 on www.majorleaguegaming.com and www.twitch.tv/team/MLG. The complete broadcast schedule is available here.
Black Ops II Europe Team Ladder on GameBattles – January 1 – March 10
The Black Ops II Europe Team Ladder is currently underway. On March 10, the current rankings will be used to seed any European teams in the Winter Championship Open Bracket. Sign up for the Ladder now.
Black Ops II 2013 Pro Circuit Winter Championship in Dallas, Texas – March 15 – 17
At the Winter Championship, 128 teams will have the opportunity to compete in an Open Bracket.
The top four teams in the Open Bracket will advance to the Championship Bracket where they will battle the 12 teams that qualified via the Online Tournament. In the Championship Bracket, teams will compete for $50,000 with first place taking home $20,000. Nearly all Championship Bracket matches will be broadcast via one stream.
Winter Championship Team Passes go on sale January 29. Additional details will be released in the coming weeks.
Source [Press Release]
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.