StarCraft II and Warcraft III will get their own ESL Pro Tour circuits, with publisher Blizzard Entertainment pumping $2 million into the new format.
ESL and DreamHack will partner to run the top two tournaments for both titles over the next three years. The original real-time strategy games from Blizzard Entertainment were the first to usher in live audiences for competitions and predate the term “esports.”
#ICYMI We’re over the moon to launch the #ESLProTour for StarCraft II and Warcraft III: Reforged! Get the scoop on the future of SC2 and WC3 esports here: https://t.co/aTkHWYLsUW pic.twitter.com/pwIq8VV8DS — ESL (@ESL) January 7, 2020
#ICYMI We’re over the moon to launch the #ESLProTour for StarCraft II and Warcraft III: Reforged!
Get the scoop on the future of SC2 and WC3 esports here: https://t.co/aTkHWYLsUW pic.twitter.com/pwIq8VV8DS
— ESL (@ESL) January 7, 2020
The new StarCraft II ESL Pro Tour circuit will replace the SC2World Championship Series and offer $1.8 million in prize pools. The global finals will now take place at Intel Extreme Masters Katowice event in 2021 after moving from the BlizzCon convention.
A new competition also will be formed for the new “Warcraft III: Reforged,” a remastered version of the original 2003 game. That edition will be released on Jan. 28.
The 2020 Warcraft III season will have one event run by ESL and three by DreamHack, concluding with a championship tournament. The season will offer $200,000 in prize pools.
Activision Blizzard Entertainment runs the wildly popular Overwatch League and the new Call of Duty League.
–Field Level Media (@FieldLevelMedia)
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