Hasbro And Wizards Announce ESports Magic: The Gathering
Looks like some amazing news here for Magic fans.
Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast Announce Major Esports Entrance For Magic: The Gathering® $10 Million in
combined prize pool up for grabs in 2019 New Magic Pro
League offers play and streaming contracts worth
$75,000New Mythic
Championship events anchor the Magic tournament
structureFirst $1 Million
tournament to be held at PAX East in 2019RENTON, WA – DEC. 06 , 2018 –
Today live on stage at
the Game Awards, Hasbro and Wizards of the
Coast announced a brand new esports program coming in 2019 for Magic: The Gathering, which boasts a $10
million prize pool across digital and tabletop Magic.
“Today is an extremely important day for
Magic: The Gathering as we announce our commitment to esports and our
Magic players by evolving our tournament structure to include a $10
Million prize pool.” said Chris Cocks, President of Wizards of the Coast. “We
are fully embracing esports and affirming Magic as a leader in the collectible
card game category while providing lucrative opportunities for pros, players,
sponsors, and esports partners.”
With over 35 Million Magic
players to date in over 70 countries around the world, Magic’s new
esports structure is designed to appeal to a wide audience of card game players
and offers an open platform to allow all Magic players the opportunity to
compete.
The Magic Pro League (MPL) establishes a
new level of professional play and features 32 of the top ranked Magic
players from around the world. Players in the MPL are offered play and
streaming contracts worth $75,000. Members of the MPL will play in weekly
match-ups on Magic: The Gathering Arena® that will lead to newly
introduced Mythic Championship events.
Mythic Championships are the new
flagship competitions for Magic: The Gathering Arena esports and tabletop
Magic competitive play. Mythic Championships will feature MPL players
battling against challengers from the Magic community. The Magic: The
Gathering Arena esports program kicks off with a $1 Million Mythic
Invitational at PAX East 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. More details on
how to climb the ranks and battle the pros will be revealed in early 2019.
“The past 25 years of Magic competition has led us to design this comprehensive esports program that would support Magic: The Gathering Arena, while increasing our investment in tabletop Magic,” said Elaine Chase, Vice President of Esports at Wizards of the Coast. “Our investment in esports will catapult the game to new heights while providing support to the players by giving them the platform to build their brand and bring Magic to a broader audience.”
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