There has always been a competitive spirit in gaming, but in recent years, the landscape has exploded with the rise of eSports. Now, there are multiple gaming competitions taking place with thousands to millions of dollars on the line. These eSports events are also being played in front of thousands of people in sporting arenas and on national TV. Gaming is now being taken seriously as a career path because of the size of the events. While some of these events might be up in the air because of the novel coronavirus outbreak, there are still many tournaments planned that you will not want to miss, which are moving strictly to online gameplay. Read on to discover some of the largest eSports events in the world we are excited for.
Fortnite World Cup
In recent years, Fortnite has skyrocketed into becoming one of the most popular games out there. The game’s popularity has led to one of the largest eSports events in the world with the Fortnite World Cup. Last year’s tournament winner won more than $30,000,000, and millions of viewers on Twitch and 19,000 attendees at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York watched it all unfold.
The International
The International is a global eSports event where players compete in Dota 2. The first event was held at Gamescom back in 2011 and has since become an annual event. Throughout the year, teams from around the world will first play in the Dota Pro Circuit to earn their spot in The International tournament. Europe’s OG won the last two years.
League of Legends World Championship
Last year’s League of Legends World Championship reached 44 million viewers in Paris. The League of Legends World Championship prize is worth now up to $1 million. This eSports event has become so huge that it is now being considered for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Intel World Open
Speaking of the Olympics, the Intel World Open is set to take place before the Summer Games this summer in Tokyo from July 22 to 24, barring any delays because of the current global health crisis. The event will feature competitive gameplay in Street Fighter V: Champion Edition and Rocket League. Leading up to the event, there will be various online qualifiers, with the final championship taking place at Zepp DriverCity with a prize pool of $500,000.
BlizzCon
BlizzCon is put together by Activision Blizzard and is best known as one of the biggest video game conventions in the world. The convention features many things, including tournaments featuring some of the studio’s most popular titles like World of Warcraft, Overwatch, Hearthstone, and StarCraft II.
Capcom Cup
Another major eSports event organized by a studio is the Capcom Cup. Many teams will compete in the Capcom Pro Tour in order to qualify for the Capcom Cup for a chance to win thousands of dollars. The event will feature a campaign that will see players battle in games from their Street Fighter franchise.
FIFA eWorld Cup
The FIFA World Cup is arguably the biggest sporting event in the world, witnessing the best soccer players normally coming together every four years. This has translated into the gaming world on the heels of the popular FIFA video game franchise from EA Sports. Over nine months, 60 countries battle for a spot in the FIFA eWorld Cup.
EVO Championship Series
The EVO Championship Series is another eSports tournament that involves street-fighting games. The EVO Championship Series is one of the longest running eSports events around, starting in 1996. At this time, this year’s event is still slated to take place July 31 to August 2 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas and will feature the following games:
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Street Fighter V: Champion Edition
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Tekken 7
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Super Smash Brothers Ultimate
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Granblue Fantasy: Venus
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Marvel vs. Capcom 2: Tournament of Champions
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Under Night: In-Birth
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Dragonball Fighter Z
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Soulcalubur VI
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Samurai Showdown
Counter-Strike: Goal Offensive Major Championships
Counter-Strike, or CS: GO, is a first-person shooter title put out by Valve. Since 2013, Valve has sponsored the Counter-Strike: Goal Offensive Major Championships and originally consisted of six teams who were invited to play for a prize pool of $250,000. Today, the event has now expanded to 24 teams who compete for a prize pool of $1 million. The majors consist of several tournaments that take place throughout the year:
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ESL One: RIO
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ESL One: Cologne
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World Electric Sports Games
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IEM Katowice
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BLAS Premier
PUBG Global Championship 2020
The PUBG Global Championship involves PC gamers and features 16 teams with four players. The rules are sanctioned by the Standard and Universal PUBG Esports Ruleset (SUPER) and will see the teams compete in three maps in first-person perspective.
Call of Duty League Championship Weekend
The Call of Duty franchise remains one of the most popular first-person shooter games in the world. Now the world’s best players participate in a league. The Call of Duty League consists of 12 teams from around the world, with the best facing off during Championship Weekend.
Apex Legends Global Series
Apex Legends, which released last year, hails from EA’s Respawn Entertainment. Because of its popularity, the game has warranted a league of its own with the Apex Legends Global Series for PC players. The first-ever major was originally going to take place March 13-15 with a prize pool of $3 million but has since been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. EA has since made changes with the tournament, which will now take place online.
With so many amazing professional gaming competitions, you might be spending a lot of time watching them. Many studios are also reshuffling the schedule to either move them online entirely or postpone them to a later date because of the coronavirus. However, eSports competitions aren’t going away anytime soon. Because you might be streaming a lot these events instead of going in person, are you aware that computer, television, and smartphone screens can be dangerous for your eyes? Eye strain, fatigue, and other conditions are caused by blue light. That’s why you should consider pro gaming-style computer glasses from Glassy Eyewear, whether you are watching these highly anticipated events online or playing video games yourself.
