Blizzard has announced a new competitive circuit for the StarCraft II esports scene. DreamHack and ESL will work together with Blizzard to bring us DreamHack SC2 Masters and the new ESL Pro Tour.
This announcement follows the retirement of the World Championship Series (WCS), as well as their closure of the WCS mobile app last year. Blizzard also plans to take down the Series’ website this year.
Changing up StarCraft II esports
The new StarCraft II esports circuit is set to feature six tournaments every year. While four of the tournaments will take place with DreamHack, two will be with ESL. Weekly competitions will also serve as a part of ESL’s events.
As for the global finals, the IEM Katowice World Championship will be featured. This is scheduled to happen in 2021. Blizzard’s plans for Korea this year are currently being finalized. For now, the company has stated that the StarCraft II esports community should stay tuned for the details.
The company has also revealed its role with DreamHack and ESL. “As DreamHack and ESL take over the operational management of StarCraft II esports, we will serve as an overall support network for the new system,” the announcement explained.
“For instance, Blizzard will be providing the prizing for all three years of this new ecosystem, more than US $1.2 million each year. To celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the release of StarCraft II, the 2020-2021 ESL/DreamHack circuit will have a larger combined prize pool of more than US $1.9 million.”
For any fans who would like to stay up-to-date with the scene, make sure to check out the official ESL Pro Tour website. Similarly, you can watch all of the action as it happens over on Twitch. Fans and interested competitive players can also follow ESL’s Starcraft II account in addition to DreamHack over on Twitter.
