Today, NBC Sports Group announced that it will launch a new esports tournament this summer that will utilize FACEIT’s competitive gaming platform, and numerous NBCUniversal and Comcast assets, to allow gamers of all skill levels to compete in a 2v2 Rocket League tournament for a $100,000 prize pool.
The eSports industry is growing fast recently, and this is just another big-prize announcement as many other came this year. The game chosen for the property’s first season will be Rocket League, developed and published by the San Diego-based game studio Psyonix. Rocket League has more than 32 million gamers worldwide.
NBC to air esports on television beginning with Rocket League. Great news for all of esports. https://t.co/l6U9nGlgWc
— Mike Rufail (@hastr0) June 21, 2017
The first tournament will begin with regional qualifiers, both in America and overseas, to elect the in-studio final competition and then the Grand Finals, which will be a two-day event.
“NBCUniversal’s and Comcast’s unparalleled multi-platform portfolio has allowed us to create a first-of-its-kind tournament that will be authentic to the emerging world of esports,” Rob Simmelkjaer, Senior Vice President, NBC Sports Ventures, told in a press release. “It all begins with NBC Sports Regional Networks, allowing us to super-serve esports fans the same way we serve traditional sports fans.
The regional qualifiers are scheduled to start next July 22. Then, the Regional Finals will be played at NBC Sports Regional Networks studios on August 5-6 and August 12-13.
The Grand Finals will feature 16 total teams competing on August 26-27 for the $100,000 prize pool. The final stage will be televised live in the U.S. on NBCSN and multiple countries across Latin America, Europe, and Australia.
