Games Booth

ESET UK Masters Season 1 kicks off Britain’s E-sports revolution

Prize pot worth £10,000 for victorious gamers

ESET today announced the launch of Season 1 of the 2013 ESET UK Masters, the UK’s premier E-sports tournament. Seasoned StarCraft pros and up-and-coming talent alike will compete to win from a prize pool of £10,000 and become reigning champion at the Grand Finals, to be held at Insomnia48, the UK’s largest gaming festival, in Telford in March. StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm will be used for the entirety of season one; a grand opening for the title that will no doubt lead to fierce battles between old players and new on a fresh and even battleground.

Some of the world’s greatest players, the likes of South Korean Woo "Sage" Kyung Chul, British World Championship Series UK Winner Nick "Ziktomini" Copello and fan favourites Stefan "MorroW" Andersson from Sweden and Dario "LiquidTLO" Wünsch from Germany, will be contributing to the illustrious pool of talent competing in a single elimination format for two available spots in the Grand Finals at Insomnia48. The victorious qualifiers will also receive a £150 travel contribution to get there, a hotel room for the duration of the event, free entry and the use of an i7 Gaming PC for the entire tournament.

For players not able to qualify via the open cup rounds, a “Bring Your Own Computer” round will be taking place on the first day of i48, from which the top 12 gamers will win their places at the final. 

“On a global scale, E-sports are now more popular than cable television, with millions tuning in to tournaments all over the world,” Said Quinton Watts, VP Marketing and Sales at ESET UK. “I’m thrilled that we’re now able to bring this phenomenon to the UK, to provide UK competitive gamers with a chance to compete, win prizes and thrill the masses. This is the beginning of something special.”

The open qualifiers begin tonight – to watch the action live from 7:30pm GMT, head tohttp://www.twitch.tv/esetukmasters. The next open qualifier will take place on the 21^st January. To enter and be in with a chance of competing with some of the world’s greatest players and winning big, click here. Insomnia48 is the UK’s largest gaming festival, for people of all ages to come together and celebrate games of all types. It takes place at the Telford International Centre, from 22^nd – 25^th March.