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MLG announces League of Legends, Black Ops II for Winter Season

By Rod Breslau

Competitive gaming group's Winter Season to feature Riot Games' MOBA and Treyarch's latest Call of Duty game.

Major League Gaming has officially announced the first two of three games for its opening 2013 Winter Season, which will feature Riot Games' League of Legends and Treyarch's Call of Duty: Black Ops II. MLG is said to be working closely with Treyarch and Activision to bring Call of Duty eSports to the world.

"The global phenomenon of competitive gaming has reached a tipping point and I believe 2013 is going to be the most pivotal time for eSports," MLG CEO and cofounder Sundance DiGiovanni said. "The Winter Season includes games built for competitive play, an event format and production level unparalleled in the industry and a passionate global fan base that continues to grow. Combine that with our TV-esque online broadcast, and we have everything needed for MLG and eSports to dominate the entertainment industry and appeal to an even broader audience"

Although the third game has not yet officially been announced, it has been made apparent from tweets by DiGiovanni that it will be StarCraft II. DiGiovanni even told GameSpot that it would feature the new StarCraft II expansion to be released in early March, Heart of the Swarm.

The Winter Season will culminate at the Winter Championships, March 15-17, at the Dallas Convention Center in Dallas, Texas. $50,000 will be up for grabs for Call of Duty competitors and $20,000 to the winner, with Online qualifiers being held for North America and Europe through MLG's GameBattles service. Qualifying and prize pool details for the other games will be released soon.

TwitchTV will act as MLG's distribution partner for all broadcasts in 2013. Hotel information is currently available for viewing with spectator passes being available in early February.

55 comments
yanni1
yanni1

good too see black ops being picked up this year after mw3 missing out last year

x2infinity
x2infinity like.author.displayName 1 Like

@yanni1 It would be better for FPS as a whole if CoD was not in MLG.

wiggywiz
wiggywiz

E sports....LOL.....cant we cover anything better?

Hayasmez
Hayasmez

@wiggywiz You mean like yanks debating gun laws and blaming games? If only that was fun.

dnguyen3
dnguyen3

@wiggywiz LoL is a pretty popular RTS right now, even though many hate it, but instead of LoL, MLG could have gone with fighting games but I don't know its their choice :/

gatsbythepig
gatsbythepig

It's a toss up between Golf, Darts, Bowling, Pool and Esports.  

Which one is the least like a sport?

Bionic_
Bionic_

No surprise MLG picked the most popular titles instead of those that are most fit to be an esport. Quantity over quality $$$$$ 

vonangel
vonangel

@Bionic_ LoL is an amazing game for eSports and has the highest following which is proof of this. It is a fantastic spectator game and requires immense skill and team communication/ coordination. 

ericstifer
ericstifer like.author.displayName 1 Like

Wish Halo was still there. Probably for the best though. MLG gametype was really stipped down to nothing in that game. Kinda got stale to watch because of it.

Jpr1zm
Jpr1zm like.author.displayName 1 Like

Proof that Halo 4 is garbage

phillyeagles123
phillyeagles123

@Jpr1zm Halo 4 isn't on the Pro Circuit because Microsoft has a deal with Virgin Gaming, and MLG would have had to pay more to keep Halo on the circuit. Not because of competitiveness or anything.

cmacinnis
cmacinnis

MLG needs to die. Concept and all...

jarp01
jarp01

@cmacinnis «Major League Gaming [...] is the world?s largest eSports organization with millions of LIVE viewers, fans and competitors around the globe. MLG enables gamers to compete, improve their skills, and socialize via the largest online destination for competitive console and PC gaming featuring more than 8 million registered gamers, and the annual MLG Pro Circuit featuring LIVE, in-person tournaments in cities nationwide. MLG broadcasts competitive play, analysis and more via online streaming to hundreds of thousands of fans in an average of more than 170 countries.»

So yeah, the concept must die. That's funny, because if you change "eSports" with "sports", "console and PC gamers" with "athletes" and "online destination" with "worldwide event" in text above it just sounds like the concept of ANY other big competitive event, like the Olympics games, the FIFA World Cup and the World Baseball Classic, just to name a few.

Go start flamewars somewhere else, you moron.

cmacinnis
cmacinnis

@jarp01 @cmacinnis Aw... Couldn't get through all that without calling me names huh? Yes, it must die. I'm tired of great online shooters being turned into vagina-fests because of the "skill" people learn from MLG. Don't ever compare a bunch of fatties going for the highest score to actual sports that take years of training and luck, and let's not forget even if you are good you've got the be the cream of the crop. All it takes to get into MLG is the same thing it takes to make an album these days; money. Real sports require actual skill, anyone can be good at games if they waste enough of their life playing them infront of a screen/ Not the same thing with real sports, not even close to it.

jarp01
jarp01

@cmacinnis You are just mad because you are not a fattie who get paid for play and win video games. To be good at anything you need a lot of training and practice, not just in video games and sports, and there's a reason we always see the same gamers and athletes for years in the same activity; because they are the cream of the crop, they are devoted to what they like and want to prove they are they best at what they do. Also, do you think they organize sports world tournaments just because they love that kind of events and have nothing better to do? NO, they do it because the money. Money has always being, and always will be, a big factor in this kind of events. And the controversy of the doping is always present in almost all the competitive events; just look at what Lance Armstrong did. The FBI sure was right: "winners don't use drugs"

Trishan007
Trishan007

@cmacinnis you reasons please ?

cmacinnis
cmacinnis

@Trishan007 @cmacinnis They're getting paid to play video games... do I really need to go into details as to why that career shouldn't exist? Outside of quality control it's just another job that exists because there are people stupid enough to be entertained by it; rather like wrestling... 

On top of them being a pointless organization they also superimpose their "tactics" into games which have been responsible for ruining many games multiplayer experiences.

cmacinnis
cmacinnis

@Trishan007 @cmacinnis So then you must be pretty old if you're using a past tense phrase like, "back then". Are you young and dumb, or old and dumb? Make up your mind, please.

cmacinnis
cmacinnis

@Trishan007 @cmacinnis So you're not only ignorant but also immature. Wonderful... You just stated you "grew up", so you can't have missed Halo 2 for any reason but my choice, dumbass. Try again, please!

Trishan007
Trishan007

@cmacinnis @Trishan007 aw, im sorry, im not that old, so i wasnt into the world of gaming that much when i was young.  so i dont think i remember that

cmacinnis
cmacinnis

@Trishan007 @cmacinnisThink of how bad Halo 2 got after MLG came into the scene. It turned it from a run and gun game into a camping, bumm-buddy extraordinaire...

Trishan007
Trishan007

@cmacinnis @Trishan007 meh, typo thing,im trying to increase my typing speed and make frequent mistakes like that, and i grew up learning english first rather than my native tongue x)

Trishan007
Trishan007

@cmacinnis @Trishan007 dude, i done swimming competitively for 5 years, and watched football and i try out new sports when i get the chance to, i appreciate them alot

cmacinnis
cmacinnis

@hector530 @cmacinnis Actually that's not a translation; that's a point of view. Sorry if you're not intelligent enough to recognize the issues I've staed; not my problem though

Trishan007
Trishan007

@cmacinnis @Trishan007 ...and football and cricket and baseball and basketball and hockey and icehockey and the marathon and javelin throw and 100m sprints and horse racing, what about them ? They have the same concepts, well the sport. Plus could you give an example of how its ruining experiences ?

hector530
hector530 like.author.displayName like.author.displayName like.author.displayName like.author.displayName like.author.displayName like.author.displayName 6 Like

@cmacinnis translation : "They're getting paid to play video games and im not and im pissed about my crappy job"


Landsharkk
Landsharkk like.author.displayName 1 Like

MLG needs more attention.  More attention = more money for winners.  More money for winners = more participants.  More participants = more future games.  More future games = happy fun times for all.



tgwolf
tgwolf

I still think League of Legends is a good idea. Not to say it couldn't have been done even better...

gatsbythepig
gatsbythepig like.author.displayName 1 Like

More news on sports' chubbiest franchise.

Brockbfball
Brockbfball

@gatsbythepig You've clearly never seen a single pro esports team. Look at the top SC2 players, the top LoL teams, etc. Hardly any of them fit the fat, lazy gamer stereotype.

Hayasmez
Hayasmez like.author.displayName like.author.displayName like.author.displayName like.author.displayName 4 Like

@gatsbythepig Find me a team full of greasy, fat players. Go on.

gatsbythepig
gatsbythepig

@Hayasmez @gatsbythepig I'm not even going to ask why you want them.  Okay, maybe one question.  Are you going to extract the fatty greasiness and make french fries?

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