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Intel, Blizzard Entertainment Gear Up For Esports Tournament

By Caroline Diana
Published on: 13:47 PST, Nov 5, 2017

Intel is all set for Olympic Winter Games. The tech conglomerate has tied up with International Olympic Committee to deliver two distinct gaming experiences to Korea in the lead up to PyeongChang 2018. The Intel Extreme Masters PyeongChang esports tournament will feature Blizzard Entertainment’s StarCraft® II and Ubisoft’s Steep Road to the Olympics.

How to watch the Olympic Winter Games

Fans can watch the competition unfold on the Olympic Channel global digital platform. Broadcast and digital partners for Olympic Winter Games will be announced soon.

Global online qualifiers will take place in November. Intel Extreme Masters PyeongChang, an extension of the Intel Extreme Masters (IEM), will be open to any player, at any level via global online qualifiers. In December, a live qualifier event will take place in Beijing between the top two qualifiers from China, with the winner moving on to compete against the rest of the field in PyeongChang in the lead-up to the 2018 Olympic Winter Games. Intel and ESL will partner to facilitate all events, including the online qualifiers, live qualifier event in Beijing and final tournaments leading up to the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018.

Gregory Bryant, senior vice president and general manager of the Client Computing Group at Intel Corporation said that Intel has been pushing the boundaries of esports for well over a decade. The company’s goal is to bring esports to every global sporting stage.
“From the qualifying events to the groundbreaking Intel Extreme Masters tournament in PyeongChang, we see this as another important step in giving more people around the world a chance to experience the thrill of esports,” he said.

What happens at the venue?

According to the company’s press release, Intel is all set to dole out interactive gaming experiences throughout the Olympic Village for attendees and athletes. The company will set up game kiosks featuring Steep Road to the Olympics. This would give gaming fans an opportunity to compete to be the best in an exhibition featuring Steep Road to the Olympics. Additional competition and qualification details will be shared soon.

Intel and ESL will partner to facilitate all events, including the online qualifiers, live qualifier event in Beijing and final tournaments.

Mike Morhaime, CEO and co-founder of Blizzard Entertainment, said “The StarCraft series has played a foundational role in esports, so we’re especially honored that ‘StarCraft II’ will be representing esports at PyeongChang. This is a great opportunity for esports to be associated with the biggest international competitive stage, and we’re proud that some of the most skilled ‘StarCraft II’ players on the planet will be helping to lead the way.”

Avangar fails to provide travel documents

Meanwhile, qualifiers for the IEM Oakland PUBG Invitational concluded last weekend However as Avangar, the winner, has failed to fulfill the requirement in providing validated travel documentation to enter the USA, they will be replaced by the Crimson Esports, who came in fifth in the EU Qualifier.

[Featured Image by Charles Sykes/AP Images]

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