Overwatch and League of Legends to feature at the Melbourne Esports Open

Oh be still my beating heart! TEG and ESL have confirmed that both League of Legends and Overwatch will feature at the inaugural Melbourne Esports Open!

The global esports economy is expected to reach $ USD 1.4 billion in revenue by 2020, with Overwatch being one of the major titles dominating the industry. The Overwatch Contenders Australia Season 2 Finals will be held on Saturday the 1st of September. This event will represent the finale of the premier Overwatch esports tournament in the ANZ region.  It will also provide an opportunity for players and teams to be noticed by organisations involved in the Overwatch League and get a taste of the Pro path. The top four teams from the regular season will advance to the Melbourne Esports Open for the Season 2 Playoffs live on stage. TEG CEO Geoff Jones has welcomed the inclusion of the Overwatch Contenders Australia Season 2 Finals:

“From the outset TEG had a vision of esports as major event live entertainment in world-class arenas with big crowds just as passionate and engaged as a major footy final. I am sure that the Melbourne Esports Open will live up to this billing in its debut year. Not only do we have an array of top pro teams and the most popular titles, but we have a magnificent precinct at
Melbourne Park.”

Not to be outdone, and a major coup for the event, Riot Games has secured a multi-year deal for the League of Legends Oceanic Pro League Finals to headline the Melbourne Esports Open until 2022.  The Finals will take place at Rod Laver Arena on Sunday the 2nd of September.  Head of Oceanic Esports for Riot Games, Daniel Ringland anticipates that the return to a major arena will be popular with fans:

“The Oceanic Pro League (OPL) had a stadium Grand Final at Sydney’s Luna Park in 2015 and Brisbane’s Courier Mail Plaza in 2016, however, 2017 lacked a stadium Grand Final which was disappointing to our fans and didn’t reflect the magnitude of the OPL Grand Final, which selects the team who will go on to participate in the largest esports event the world has ever seen – the League of Legends World Championship.”

The Finals won’t just cater to the pros either. Alongside the main event, gamers can turn up to play, compete and showcase their skills across multiple esports titles. These open tournaments will find their home in Margaret Court Arena. the OPL Finals are also the gateway to the World Championship in South Korea, so competition will be fierce.

Completing the trifecta of news, JB Hi-Fi has also been announced as official presenting partner for the next five years. JB Hi-Fi Group CEO Richard Murray (pictured below) said the following:

“With the rapid growth in popularity of esports in Australia and JB Hi-Fi’s long and successful history in supporting and growing the gaming category in Australia, we are proud to be a supporter of the Melbourne Esports Open, an event for passionate esports and gaming fans alike. The Melbourne Esports Open solves for that in a sustainable, annual event and I’m thrilled to be able to deliver our fans a stadium event in Melbourne for the next five years.”

The momentum for Melbourne to become a world leader in the support and running of Esports seems to be gathering at an epic rate. I personally feel the decision is justified,Melbourne is a leader in so many areas, Esports would be the icing on the gaming cake. I hope people are ready for a 2 day, non stop rush of pure adrenaline across the exciting weekend.