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    Intel World Open offers US$500,000 eSports prize pool in Tokyo ahead of the Olympics Games

    eSports continues to grow in popularity and it’s easy to see why, when there’s some serious prizes up for grabs. Intel has announced a worldwide competition known as Intel World Open, which will be held in Tokyo, Japan.

    The tournament provides gamers with a chance to compete among the world’s best athletes on a global stage. Anyone can register and compete for their slice of a US$500,000 prize pool.

    “We introduced Intel Extreme Masters PyeongChang in 2018 and we’re excited to continue raising the stakes for esports with the Intel World Open in 2020.

    There are more than 490 million esports fans worldwide and the Intel World Open exemplifies Intel’s global leadership in esports and delivers a pinnacle tournament on the world’s biggest sports stage.”

    Mark Subotnick, Intel director of gaming and esports business development

    What It Is

    The Intel World Open will feature two of the most recognised esports titles: Capcom’s Street Fighter V: Champion Edition and Psyonix’s Rocket League.

    Online qualifiers for Street Fighter V: Champion Edition start 21 March and Rocket League start 2 May.

    The Path to Tokyo

    Any player at any level can compete in the Intel World Open for a chance to join a national, territory or regional team. Live qualifier events in Katowice, Poland, in June will determine which teams advance to the championship esports tournament in Tokyo.

    The final event in Tokyo on 22 -24 July will host hundreds of fans at the Zepp DiverCity venue – the same area as Olympic venues – where teams will compete for a majority share of the prize pool:

    • US$250,000 total prize pool for Street Fighter V: Champion Edition
    • US$250,000 total prize pool for Rocket League

    The Street Fighter V: Champion Edition Tournament Format

    A force in the fighting genre and esports scene for 32 years, the legendary fighting franchise returns with Street Fighter V: Champion Edition.

    Tournament Structure:

    Territory qualifiers

    Territory qualifiers begin 2 March and determine each territory’s three best players who will come together and form the team representing that territory and advance to the live qualifier in Poland. The 12 pre-selected territories include:

    • Brazil
    • China
    • Chinese Taipei
    • Dominican Republic
    • France
    • Hong Kong, China
    • Korea
    • Russia
    • Singapore
    • United Arab Emirates
    • United Kingdom
    • United States

    Regional qualifiers

    Players outside of the 12 pre-selected territory teams can participate through the team-based regional qualifier process that will take place in March through May. The top teams from the eight regions will advance to the live qualifier in Poland. The eight regions include:

    • Europe 1
    • Europe 2
    • Middle East & Africa
    • North America
    • Central America
    • South America
    • Asia
    • Oceania

    Live qualifier in Katowice, Poland

    From 18 -21 June, the final qualifier brings together the winning teams formed from the territory and regional qualifiers to determine who advances to the final Intel World Open event in Tokyo.

    Japan qualifier

    As the host country, Japan will have the final guaranteed spot at the Intel World Open finals in Tokyo. Japan qualifiers are single-player matches with the winning team being formed from the top players on the Intel World Open leaderboard.

    Intel World Open finals

    The finals take place 22-24 July at the Zepp DiverCity venue in Tokyo, where qualifying teams will compete to claim the majority share of the US$250,000 prize pool.

    The Rocket League Tournament Format

    Developed by Epic Games’ San Diego-based studio, Psyonix, Rocket League is a high-powered hybrid of arcade-style soccer and vehicular mayhem. The Rocket League Intel World Open will feature 3v3 competitions in Psyonix’s signature game mode, Soccar.

    Tournament Structure:

    National qualifiers

    National qualifiers begin 2 May and one team from each of the nine pre-selected countries will advance to the live qualifier in Katowice, Poland. The nine nations include:

    • Australia
    • Brazil
    • Canada
    • China
    • France
    • Germany
    • Japan
    • United Kingdom
    • United States

    Regional qualifiers

    Players outside of the nine pre-selected national team countries can participate through the regional qualifier process, from which eight teams will advance to the semifinals in Poland. Both qualifiers will have a double-elimination format and will not have a team cap. The eight regions include:

    • Africa
    • Asia (Mainland)
    • Asia (Maritime & Oceania)
    • Europe (three European seeds will qualify for the regional final)
    • Latin America (Mexico and southward)
    • Middle East

    Live qualifier in Katowice, Poland

    The final qualifier in Katowice, Poland, features the 16 best teams in the world separated into two groups of eight teams. The teams will compete in a round-robin, with the top two teams from each group automatically advancing to the Intel World Open Finals in Tokyo to join the host country, Japan. After the round-robin stage, the rest of the teams will participate in a double-elimination bracket. The upper bracket winner and both teams from the lower bracket finals will qualify for the Intel World Open finals.

    Intel World Open finals

    The epic culmination of the Intel World Open will be the live final in Tokyo featuring a two-day event showcasing the best eight teams in the world. They will battle through a high-stakes, single-elimination bracket in order to claim the Intel World Open title and majority share of the $250,000 prize pool.

    You can review the full qualification rules and details at the Intel World Open website.

    Intel announced a partnership with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) back in September and we’re now seeing the fruits of that partnership. The Tokyo Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games (TOCOG) and a broad array of partners to drive the future of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 with groundbreaking technology.

    Assuming the Games are interrupted by Coronavirus, you can expect to see a massive demonstration of technologies such as 5G and 8K, for those lucky enough to already own an 8K display.

    If the Coronavirus does strike, maybe we just turn Tokyo 2020 into the first eSports Olympics instead.

    Jason Cartwright
    Jason Cartwrighthttps://techau.com.au/author/jason/
    Creator of techAU, Jason has spent the dozen+ years covering technology in Australia and around the world. Bringing a background in multimedia and passion for technology to the job, Cartwright delivers detailed product reviews, event coverage and industry news on a daily basis. Disclaimer: Tesla Shareholder from 20/01/2021

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