Intel Partners with International Olympic Committee for First Intel World Open Esports Tournament
Intel has teamed up with the International Olympic Committee to host the inaugural Intel World Open esports tournament. The tournament will be held in Tokyo prior to the 2020 Olympic Games, and will feature live audiences.
Rocket League and Street Fighter V to Take Center Stage
The Intel World Open will showcase Psyonix and Epic Games’ popular game, Rocket League, as well as Capcom’s Street Fighter V. This exciting event will take place from July 22 to 24, just before the 2020 Summer Olympics commence on July 24.
Impressive Prize Pools for the Tournaments
In collaboration with the developers of both games, the Intel World Open will offer prize money of $250,000 for each tournament, totaling $500,000. These prize pools will instantly rank among the top five in the histories of both Street Fighter V and Rocket League.
As the event takes place in Tokyo, the inclusion of Street Fighter, a beloved gaming tradition in Japan, is expected to resonate with the audience. The choice of these two games is intended to engage viewers who may not be familiar with professional gaming.
Aiming for Accessibility for All
Mark Subotnick, Intel’s director of business development for games and esports, explained, “These two titles are something that the average consumer or audience member can look at and get what’s going on, and that’s unfortunately not always the case in esports,” in an interview with The Esports Observer.
Selection Process and Team Formation
Twelve countries will be pre-selected to form national teams and the national qualifiers will begin in March 2020. Four players will be chosen for each team, with no limit on the number of participants. For countries not pre-selected, regional qualifiers will be held to determine eight additional teams. The semifinals in Katowice will see a total of 20 teams competing, with only seven teams advancing to join the Japanese national team in Tokyo.
Intel’s Continued Support for Esports
This marks Intel’s second collaboration with the IOC in esports. Previously, the Intel Extreme Masters Season XII took place in Pyeongchang, South Korea, just days before the 2018 Winter Olympics. The event, which exclusively featured Starcraft 2, was a success with full support from the IOC and organized by ESL. Sasha “Scarlett” Hostyn made history as the first woman to win a premier Starcraft 2 championship.
Unlike the Pyeongchang event, the Tokyo Open will have a live audience. ESL will be responsible for production once again during the Intel World Open.
Not an Official Olympic Event
The Intel World Open, while supported by the IOC, is not recognized as an official Olympic event. The official esports competition will be the upcoming 2019 Southeast Asian Games, where five different games across three platforms will be contested as medal events, alongside traditional sporting disciplines.
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