Since the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic, the video games or eSports sector experienced a boom, as people were forced to stay at home and as the WHO would put it, ‘play apart together.’ A lot of big events were canceled for the better part of 2020 to prevent the spread of the novel virus by cramming thousands of spectators in one location.
Like eSports, the other internet gaming vertical that enjoyed a surge was the online gambling world where tons of players flocked online to play online casino slots and table games. The Vegas Strip and Macau, among other land-based gambling hubs across the globe, were lights out for at least three months before reopening at limited capacities. Moreover, with lots of travel restrictions, gamblers were better off exploring modern games like the Stoned Joker 5 slot among other exhilarating titles.
Fortunately, so far in 2021, things seem to be slowly getting back to normalcy as the COVID-19 vaccine rollout continues across different parts of the world. In fact, as early as December 2020, fans were allowed in the stadiums of different sports for the first time in nine months to cheer on their favorite players.
Back to eSports, given that a lot of tournaments were canceled or dates postponed multiple times, the anticipation for these much-loved events has been building, and fans can’t wait to follow along as teams battle it out for a dip in the various prize pools. If you are among those who have been waiting eagerly to watch your favorite video gamers compete live, below are 5 of the top upcoming eSports tournaments you should ready yourself for:
1. 2021 International 10
Due to the Coronavirus, the 2020 event which had been slated for August was canceled. Valve has since announced that the 2021 International 10 tournament is scheduled to take place between the 14th and 30th of August, in Stockholm. The prize pool is expected to be about $40M, and it would be exciting for European Dota 2 diehards to see 18 teams of Dota 2 professional players battle it out at the games. It is without a doubt going to be one of the biggest video game clashes in history.
2. LCS 2021 Championship
This League of Legends event has been planned for August 6th to 28th and will replace the previous Summer playoffs. The championship is preceded by The LCS Lock-In to start the year, followed by Spring Split Regular Season, then the Mid-Season Showdown currently underway and a nine-week Summer Split Regular Season to make up the LCS year. The high-octane finals with 8 teams competing for the title will determine who will represent North America in the World Championships.
3. ONE eSports Dota 2 Invitational, Jakarta
The $500,000 prize pool gaming event was originally supposed to take place in April 2020 but later got postponed because of Covid-19, but that has since been reconsidered. The games will take place between 6th and 30th June, and the best Dota 2 teams in the world will be jarring for the top prize. The games will be merged with the One Esports Dota 2 Indonesia International since that too was postponed due to the pandemic. The competing teams were selected from Qualifier tournaments held back in 2020.
4. 2021 Dreamhack Masters Spring
Global Offensive enthusiasts will be treated to a week of cut-throat competition during the Dreamhack Masters’ Spring Tournament. From the 29th of April to the 5th of May, 16 teams will fight in a series of matches to win a share of the prize pool of $250,000. The teams, 16 in total, will be grouped into two, where the matches will be ‘best of one’ at first, then advance to ‘best of three’ and finally ‘best of five’ at the Grand Finale at the playoffs. This tournament will take place in Europe. It is sponsored by 1XBET and Intel.
5. PGL Major Stockholm 2021
With a 2-million-dollar prize pool at play, 24 teams will fight to the teeth to beat opponents in a series of Global Offensive games organized by PGL at the Ericsson Globe. This will be happening between the 23rd of October and the 7th of November. The elimination stages are the New Challengers Stage and the New Legends stage where the bottom 8 teams at each of these stages will be eliminated. After this, the 8 surviving teams will proceed to the Single-Elimination bracket, then the Quarterfinals, Semifinals and the Grand Finale.
Are You Ready for the Action?
The competitive online gaming scene has experienced immense growth over the years with the fan base increasing by the tens of millions each year. Big wigs like Drake, Shaquille O’Neal and Mark Cuban have seen the potential in this market and gone ahead to invest millions in teams competing in eSports tournaments. As the pandemic drives us deeper into online-based solutions, we can only expect more from eSports gaming.
However, we know that people find more thrill and fulfillment in attending the eSports gaming events in person. Meanwhile, as we wait for the ‘old normal’ to return, we will have to be grateful for the few opportunities to spectate and cheer our favorite teams at actual and not virtual stadiums. Of course, the dates may be changed in case of any further developments, which means that you should stay tuned to our site for any new developments.
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