The Premier League have announced the creation of the first-ever ePremier League (ePL) tournament in correlation with FIFA 19.
UK-based fans will have the chance to represent their clubs from January 2019, when the three stage competitive gaming tournament launches.
The ePL final will then be played in London on March 28 and 29, 2019, being broadcast live on Sky Sports and the Premier League’s social media channels.
Speaking on the announcement of the new gaming tournament, Premier League Managing Director, Richard Masters, said: “EA SPORTS is a fantastic partner for the Premier League and we are looking forward to launching ePremier League with them.
“We know that millions of fans play FIFA and this new esports competition will provide our clubs with an exciting opportunity to engage with them. We can’t wait to get started with the opening online rounds in January 2019.”
The ePL tournament will take place over three months from January 2019, with registration opening on December 3, 2018.
Players will initially have to qualify for the tournament online, across both Playstation 4 and Xbox One, with 320 from each platform making it to the live club playoffs split into 16 per team, per console.
Those 640 players will then be whittle down once more to reach the final 40, two per club with one for PS4 and one for Xbox One, who will advance to the ePL Finals in London on March 28 and 29.
Performing well in the ePL will also earn participants points for the season-long EA Sports FIFA 19 Global Series, used to qualify for the Global Series Playoffs. However, to be eligible to receive these points, players will need to register on FUTChampions.com by October 31, 2018 and be FUT Champions Verified (by playing in Weekend League and achieve at least 27 wins).
Representatives of EA Sports spoke highly of the new tournament, helping competitive FIFA gaming move a step towards having the reach of eSports such as League of Legends and Overwatch.
“The Premier League’s global reach and intensely passionate fanbase pushes EA Sports FIFA competition to unprecedented heights as we accelerate esports growth through traditional sports,” said Todd Sitrin, SVP and GM of the EA Competitive Gaming Division.
“Through the ePL, this partnership carves a critical path forward in expanding competition not only for players, but for the hundreds of millions watching Premier League games who now can support their club on the virtual and the traditional pitch.”
EA SPORTS FIFA Competitive Gaming Commissioner, Brent Koning, added: “The inclusion of the ePL will undoubtedly enhance the player and spectator experience.
“Having the most popular football league in the world commit to competitive gaming in this expansive fashion we believe only accelerates the community’s enthusiasm for both FIFA Competitive Gaming and the Premier League.”
The ePL will be operated by esports tournament organisers Gfinity.
ePremier League Tournament Key Dates:
December 3, 2018: Registration opens
January 2019: Online qualification
February – March 2019: Club playoffs
March 28-29, 2019: ePremier League final
Further tournament details including registration information will be released in the coming months.
The post EA Sports and Premier League announcement new FIFA 19 tournament appeared first on Squawka News.
From Squawka NewsSquawka News https://ift.tt/2IE8Kb5
No comments:
Post a Comment