Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) will return over 4-6 May, offering a prize pool of $310,000 AUD to professional Counter-Strike: Global Offensive teams.
Held at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, the event will award the winning team a win towards the Intel Grand Slam, the season-ending contest that offers up a $1,000,000 USD prize. To earn said prize, a team has to win four of the last ten CS:GO competitions held by ESL and DreamHack. Four teams are vying for the grand prize, though SK Gaming is currently on top with two wins.
“What happened at last year’s Intel Extreme Masters Sydney event completely blew us away,” said Michal Blicharz, VP Pro Gaming at ESL. “The Australian esports audience was extremely engaged in the event and became a part of the show. That type of atmosphere is very rare. They left us no choice but to come back and do it again.”
“Last year’s IEM Sydney event marked a watershed moment for the landscape of Australian esports, proving that this region has a huge appetite for the best esports content,” added Nick Vanzetti, Managing Director at ESL Australia.
“Fans turned up in droves to experience the magic of the arena spectacle; the competition on stage was fierce and the crowd was electric. In Australia, the esports audience is growing exponentially year on year, and IEM Sydney 2018 hopes to raise the bar once again for fans and spectators the world over.”
For more information on IEM Sydney 2018, head here.
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