Victorious five-player team to receive full tuition for remainder of
their collegiate careers
IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 14, 2018--
Red and gold are the colors of victory as the Rouge et Au of Laval
University have claimed the Heroes of the Dorm® National
Championship, including the top prize of full tuition for its five
players for the remainder of their collegiate careers. The North
American collegiate esports tournament for Heroes of the Storm®, the
dynamic battle arena title from Blizzard Entertainment, culminated at
Blizzard Arena Los Angeles in Burbank, California and crowned its first
Canadian champion. In its fourth year, Heroes of the Dorm serves as the
marquee event from Tespa, Blizzard’s collegiate esports network.
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The team from Laval University, the Rouge et Au, celebrate their Heroes of the Dorm National Championship at Blizzard Arena Los Angeles on May 12, 2018. (Photo: Business Wire)
The Rouge et Au were flawless in their run through the Heroic Four,
sweeping teams from the University of Kentucky and the University of
Buffalo in the semifinals and finals, respectively. The first game in
each best-of-five series seemed to hold the best chances for Laval’s
opponents, but, each time, the moment came and went with the Quebecois
students answering in full with textbook execution and timing on their
Heroic Ability attacks.
”For years, it was only a US team [as national champions], not even one
Canadian team in the top four, and we just won Dorm, not only the top
four,” said team captain Jérôme “Earth” Levesque. “It was an amazing
Heroes of the Dorm. It was an incredible, special thing [that was] well
done.”
“Laval University had a run for the ages and I couldn’t be more
impressed with the new champions,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder
of Blizzard Entertainment. “Heroes of the Dorm teams are the future of
competitive gaming, and we’re thrilled at how they embrace their roles
in the broader esports ecosystem. The passion of all the students and
college sports fans who participated in this year’s event keep us
looking forward to more Tespa events in 2018 and beyond.”
This year’s Heroes of the Dorm began with hundreds of teams from across
North America organized by conference. It included a unique broadcast
partnership with Raycom Sports, providing cross-country coverage for the
tournament’s Atlantic Coast Region. Fans were able to play along at home
via the Heroes of the Dorm Bracket Challenge, which broke new ground in
esports by offering a $1 million-dollar grand prize to the lucky fan who
could correctly pick all 63 winners in the bracket phase. Though that
prize went unclaimed this year, one skilled entrant will receive $10,000
for the best bracket. The Rouge et Au’s victory also unlocks themed
Heroes of the Storm in-game items for the top 500 Bracket Challenge
entries. All Heroes of the Storm players will be able to purchase these
items at a later date.
Collegiate esports continues in 2018 with several high-profile events in
the Tespa Collegiate Series, including the Hearthstone®
National Championship and the Overwatch® Training Grounds.
Visit tespa.org
for more information.
About Heroes of the Storm®
Heroes of the Storm brings together a diverse cast of iconic
characters from Blizzard’s far-flung realms of science fiction and
fantasy, including the Warcraft®, StarCraft®,Overwatch®, and Diablo®
universes. Across the Battlegrounds of the Nexus, teams of five players
come together to compete in epic, adrenaline-charged battles where only
coordination, teamwork, and strategy can win the day. To learn more
about Heroes of the Storm, visit www.heroesofthestorm.com.
About Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft®, Hearthstone®,
Overwatch®, the Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo®
franchises, and the multi-franchise Heroes of the Storm, Blizzard
Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com),
a division of Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), is a premier developer
and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating some of
the industry’s most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard Entertainment’s
track record includes twenty-one #1 games* and multiple Game of the Year
awards. The company’s online-gaming service, Blizzard Battle.net, is one
of the largest in the world, with millions of active players.
*Based on internal company records and reports from key distribution
partners.
About Tespa
Tespa is the premier college gaming network in North America, dedicated
to creating a home for gamers on every campus. Recognized as the leader
in college esports, Tespa cultivates student communities that host epic
gaming events on campuses in the United States and Canada, and plans to
distribute more than $1,000,000 in scholarship prizing in 2018 through
intercollegiate leagues. Tespa has had more than 5,000 teams from more
than 1,200 universities compete in its college tournaments and has
empowered student leaders to become entrepreneurs in the gaming industry.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements: Information in
this press release that involves Blizzard Entertainment's expectations,
plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future, including
statements about Heroes of the Dorm 2018, are forward-looking statements
that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties.
Factors that could cause Blizzard Entertainment's actual future results
to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking
statements set forth in this release include unanticipated product
delays and other factors identified in the risk factors sections of
Activision Blizzard’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any
subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking
statements in this release are based upon information available to
Blizzard Entertainment and Activision Blizzard as of the date of this
release, and neither Blizzard Entertainment nor Activision Blizzard
assumes any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements believed to be true when made may ultimately
prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of the future
performance of Blizzard Entertainment or Activision Blizzard and are
subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are
beyond its control and may cause actual results to differ materially
from current expectations.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180514006357/en/
Source: Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
Andrew Reynolds, 949.955.1380 x14301
Global
PR Director
areynolds@blizzard.com
or
David
Gordon, 949.955.1380 x13506
PR Manager, Esports
dgordon@blizzard.com
or
Che’von
Slaughter, 949.955.1380 x14338
Senior PR Manager
cslaughter@blizzard.com