E3 2018 is only a month away at this point and everyone is beginning to reveal their plans for gaming’s most anticipated annual event. This year the organizers are attempting to spice up the whole event with the introduction of eSports into the main event for the first time ever. E3 is partnering with the Electronic Sports League (ESL) to host eSports competitions and events at the brand new E3 ESL Arena.
The eSports competitions and events will run throughout the entire duration of E3 2018, from June 12th to June 14th, 2018. Speaking to Variety, ESA President and CEO Michael D. Gallagher said: “Competitive video games are taking sports entertainment by storm, with the global esports audience reaching 335 million people in 2017. With the addition of the E3 ESL Arena, E3 2018 is set to be a non-stop, edge-of-your-seat ride of video game announcements, demos, and competition.”
The E3 ESL Arena is located in the Los Angeles Convention Center’s South Hall, which can provide seating for more than 200 attendees at any given time. It will also feature “custom player experiences,” of which no details have been revealed at the time of writing. E3 and ESL have not officially announced any of the confirmed games which will be part of the eSports competitions and events during E3 2018.
E3 and ESL are not the only ones to organize eSports events during E3 2018, as Nintendo has already announced its own eSports plans. It will organize two major competitions, which includes the very first Splatoon 2 World Championship Tournament and the Super Smash Bros Invitational 2018. The latter will emulate the structure of E3 2014’s Super Smash Bros Invitational tournament, according to Nintendo Senior Product Marketing Manager Bill Trinen.
In other related news, E3 2018 will feature the Fortnite Party Royale eSports event, which will pit prominent eSports players against well-known celebrities. It also looks like eSports is set to grow even bigger in 2018 — two universities in the US are currently offering scholarships for students who participate in eSports competitions featuring Fortnite and League of Legends, respectively.
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