ESPN Events announced it will debut an ESPN collegiate eSports championship, seeing hundreds of schools throughout North America compete for the esteemed title of LAN champion and scholarships.
Overwatch, Street Fighter™ V: Arcade Edition, Hearthstone, StarCraft II and Heroes of the Storm are the first five games to be announced as part of the championship trials, testing each gamer’s versatility and diligence. Qualifying rounds will be hosted by Tespa and Collegiate StarLeague’s (CSL), leading up to LAN (local area network) semi-finals and the championship which is set to be held in Houston on May 10 – 12, 2019, at the George R Brown Convention Center Comicpalooza.
John Lasker, vice president of Digital Media Programming for ESPN said, “As universities continue to grow their esports programs at the varsity, non-varsity and club levels, we’re proud to be providing a platform for national exposure and recognition of some of the most talented players in the collegiate space."
“Through our collaboration with top publishers in the industry, players will be able to showcase their talent in high-level competition on some of the most prominent esports titles.”
The qualifiers held by CSL and Tespa will form part of Blizzard Entertainment’s roster of gaming events, continuing a relationship between ESPN and Blizzard which as brought numerous eSports events in the past. The Blizzard games and Street Fighter™ V: Arcade Edition rounds will "provide collegiate players the opportunity to finish out the spring Tespa season on the big stage," according to Todd Pawlowski, senior vice president, live experiences, Blizzard Entertainment.
He added, "It’ll be a first for Blizzard to have four collegiate championship events under one roof, which should make for an awesome show for the fans.”
Stay tuned to HYPEBEAST for updates as the championship debuts, and head to ESPN Events’ website for your tickets.
In other gaming news, the Xbox One controller has received a clean makeover featuring seethrough panels.
Click here to view full gallery at HYPEBEAST