World’s top teams to fight for US$250,000 in pre-season event
ESL, the world’s largest esports company, has partnered with GAMES 15 in order to bring Dubai its most anticipated esports event this year: the ESL ESEA Pro League Invitational. The first of its kind, the tournament will award US$250,000 in prize money across six of the world’s best teams in what will be a three-day showdown of ultimate Counter-Strike: Global Offensive action starting September 10th.
The six contenders, Fnatic, Ninjas in Pyjamas, Natus Vincere, Virtus.Pro, Team ENVYUS and Cloud9, say they are all eager to compete at the Dubai Marina. Patrik Sättermon, the COO of Fnatic, ESL ESEA Pro League’s season one winners, said, “we are with excitement looking forward to the next season of ESL ESEA Pro League and we sincerely welcome Dubai as the host city of the kick-off event considering its historical significance for Fnatic and Counter-Strike.”
Guiding the viewing public through top esports action will be an all-star commentary crew including the likes of Joe Miller, Lauren “Pansy” Scott and Leigh “Deman” Smith. “We’ve got some of the best on-air talent in the world, we’ve definitely got the best teams, and on top of that we’ve got an amazing city to host our competition. Dubai has hosted incredible Counter-Strike events in the past, and we are excited to go back and bring esports to a stage unlike any other,” said Ulrich Schulze, Vice President of Pro Gaming at ESL, who is working alongside GAMES 15 and Dubai Tourism representatives to organise the region’s largest esports event to date.
“Dubai’s year-round calendar of events continues to grow in both its size as well as its diversity thanks to events such as GAMES 15,” said Hamad Mohammed Bin Mejren, Executive Director, Dubai Events and Conventions Bureau at Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing. “As a young vibrant city, we continuously seek to reflect the very best of both local and international culture, entertainment and innovation through all Dubai events and GAMES 15 is no exception.”
GAMES 15 celebrates the culture of gaming in the Middle East region and aims to solidify Dubai as one of the most relevant gaming hubs in the world. It caters to all gaming enthusiasts: avid competitive gamers as well as casual gamers, console gamers as well as PC gamers, tabletop gamers and more. The event is organized by the team behind the Middle East Film and Comic Con (MEFCC), Extra Cake, and The Middle East Gaming Alliance; and supported by Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) who are all excited to announce more confirmed activities and guests in the coming weeks.