Press Release Details

Major League Gaming Announces MLG VEGAS, a Multi-Day Esports and Digital Culture Festival in Las Vegas on December 16-18 Featuring Call of Duty World League and Overwatch

October 24, 2016 at 8:00 AM EDT

Three-day event to feature the first competition of the Call of Duty World League 2017* and an Overwatch Invitational, both with a prize pool of $100,000

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Major League Gaming Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI), presents MLG VEGAS, a festival and fan experience taking place at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, on December 16-18. The three-day event will play host to the first North American Regional of the Call of Duty World League (CWL), as well as an Overwatch® invitational, and End Game—a special lifestyle event celebrating digital culture.

As the kick-off to the first event of CWL 2017, twelve North American teams will begin in pool play. An additional 96 teams will also compete in a double elimination open bracket for a spot on Championship Sunday with $100,000 prize pool. Eight of the top twelve pool play teams will be chosen based on placings of the top North American teams from the Call of Duty Championship. The remaining four teams will be awarded spots based on GameBattles tournament finishes. More information about the CWL 2017 season will be coming in the next few weeks. All players will be able to earn CWL Pro Points as part of the weekend's competition.

The event will also play host to a $100,000 invitational tournament featuring Blizzard Entertainment's Overwatch. Eight top teams will do battle in the blockbuster new team-based shooter over the course of the weekend, pitting their diverse rosters of heroes armed with extraordinary weapons and incredible abilities against each other in pursuit of the crown. Fans around the world can watch the excitement via MLG.tv on the web and mobile devices, where the proprietary EVE (Enhanced Viewing Experience) technology will allow them to dive deeper into the stats, players, and teams during the broadcast for the first time in Overwatch competition.

Standing at the intersection of esports, music, and digital culture, End Game will bring together thousands of eager esports fans under one roof for a huge celebration featuring interactive experiences, surprise musical performances and unique opportunities for content creators throughout the weekend.

"End Game is going to be the biggest celebration of esports culture in MLG's history," said Sundance DiGiovanni, VP of Brands and Content for Major League Gaming. "Video games are a dominant force in pop culture and have as much mindshare with this audience as music, art, or movies. When we looked at other festivals, we saw a huge hole in their programming, and Vegas presented an opportunity for us to celebrate these content creators, esports pros, and digital influencers. To put it simply, if you're neglecting esports at your events, you are missing out on a huge passion point for a highly-engaged and creative audience."

"The debut season of the CWL was a huge success thanks to our great fans around the world. We're excited to begin the new competitive year live in Las Vegas," said Rob Kostich, General Manager and Executive Vice President of Call of Duty, Activision. "This is just the first step in what's going to be a great season. We look forward to seeing everyone in Las Vegas."

Tickets for MLG Vegas are available now at two price levels:

  • General Admission: $49.99 - General Admission seating for all three days and access to all End Game performances and activities
  • VIP Admission: $149.99 - VIP Admission seating for all three days and access to all End Game performances and activities, VIP hoodie, VIP seating, Early Access to Venue, and VIP Check-In
  • Team Pass: $299.99 - Compete in the Call of Duty World League North American Regional, presented by PlayStation 4

For fans who can't attend MLG Vegas in person, the weekend will be livestreamed in HD on www.MLG.tv featuring our Enhanced Viewing Experience (EVE)

For more information about MLG Vegas, please visit mlg.tv/vegas or follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

*CWL 2017 will be played with Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare

ACTIVISION and CALL OF DUTY are trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc. All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners.

MAJOR LEAGUE GAMING is a registered trademark of Major League Gaming Corp.

Major League Gaming
Bruce Dugan
Communications Director
bdugan@mlg.tv

Source: Activision Blizzard, Inc.

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