Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. has announced a new StarCraft® II World Championship Series for 2013 that establishes the first-ever official global ranking system for StarCraft II eSports. Operated in partnership with the world’s premier eSports organizations — Turtle Entertainment (ESL), the Korea eSports Association (KeSPA), Ongamenet (OGN), GomTV, Major League Gaming (MLG), and Twitch — the WCS features elite StarCraft II competition in three leagues (European, Korean, American) and provides a unified, cohesive global structure for players, fans, and major tournament organizers. In the WCS, players in each league will compete in three seasons and clash in three global season finals, earning points within the WCS’s global ranking system for their performance along the way. The fierce competition will then culminate in a global grand final at BlizzCon® in Anaheim, California this November, where the top-ranked players for the year will compete for the title of StarCraft II World Champion.
Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment: “The structure of the StarCraft II World Championship Series is the result of an ongoing collaborative effort between Blizzard and our partners. Our collective goal was to make StarCraft II eSports even more exciting and easier to follow for fans than ever before. On the heels of the successful launch of StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm™, we’re all very excited about the present and future of StarCraft II eSports.”
The new structure kicks off with WCS Korea GSL on April 4. OGN will produce season 2 in Korea, with WCS Korea StarLeague. GomTV and OGN will alternate operation of the WCS Korea seasons, with participation from KeSPA’s elite players. Both of the league operators in Korea will work in collaboration to broadcast all WCS Korea action in Korea via their respective online and TV broadcast platforms. Operation of the European and American leagues will be managed by Turtle Entertainment (ESL) and MLG, respectively. Scheduling and other information related to the European and American leagues will be announced at a later date.
Twitch will broadcast all competition worldwide on its online platform through a unified StarCraft II destination, where fans can spectate the mayhem from all regions for free in 720p HD.
To learn more about the StarCraft II WCS, visit www.starcraft2.com/wcs.
