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Classic Tetris Gets Competitive in Portland

Paul Philleo
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Classic Tetris Gets Competitive in Portland

Tetris is one of the all-time great games among the pantheon of classic games. Most anyone who has picked up a joystick, touched a phone screen screen, or used “WASD” on a keyboard have played Tetris, but only in recent years has the block-dropping puzzler returned to the public eye in both a familiar and competitive way. Tetris’ familiar combination of simplicity in game play and difficulty in mastery seems to have proven to be a good fit for the competitive gaming format.

History of CTWC

Taking place during October 18-20 in Portland, Oregon at the aptly named Portland Retro Gaming Festival (from October 18-20th), the 10th annual Classic Tetris World Championship (CTWC) offers up a weekend of Tetris as played on an original NES Tetris (not the Tengen edition), NES system and gamepad. This is the same set-up — not unintentionally — used in the 1990 Nintendo World Championship games competition, where Thor Aackerlund, won the Tetris match-up with strategies used to this day. Fast forward to 2009: Harry Hong, a competitive Tetris gamer, became recognized as the first person to max-out the NES Tetris score to 999,999. As other gamers also laid claim to this achievement and more visibility was brought to this achievement, the concept was born to bring together the best Tetris puzzle-masters together to compete to be the best of the best.

aGameScout summarizes the strategies and challenges involved with playing competitive Tetris, the curious origins of competitive Tetris and the CTWC, and more in this informative YouTube video:

The CTWC Tournament

In a nutshell, the CTWC qualifying round to seed a 48-spot bracket will be held on Saturday from 10AM-3:45PM (PST). Qualifying attempts will be on Type A Tetris for highest score starting on level 9 or higher. The best score attempted within that time window will potentially qualify the contender for the next round. The top 16 seeds enter the CTWC main tournament pre-qualified from placing a 700,000 or higher Tetris score at a Qualifying event.

The remaining 17-48 seeds will move on to a “Round Zero,” which follows the first-round rules, from 4:30PM-7:30PM to compete for the remaining 16 spots in the 32-person championship. 

For the main event brackets, to be held on Sunday, these rounds will be dueled one-on-one in a best-of-three set of matches. Lastly, the championship will be determined in a best-of-five match. Aside from bragging rights, a $10,000 prize pool is on the line, with the winner taking $3,000.

Last year, showing the broadening audience of the Classic Tetris World Championship, teenager and first-time challenger, Joseph Saelee, toppled seven-time CTWC winner, Jonas Neubauer, with Japanese contenders Tomohiro “Greentea” Tatejima and Koji “Koryan” Nishio finishing third and fourth respectively. Given the ground-breaking tournament results from last year’s CTWC tournament, it will be tough to imagine a more interesting scenario for the 2019 tournament, but community interest is likely to be there as the competition plays out over the weekend.

If the present-day hype of watching this competition live is what Tetris’es your puzzler-loving heart, you may want to follow along with the 2019 Classic Tetris World Championship experience, The official Twitch channel, which will livestream the action, is below:

Watch live video from ClassicTetris on www.twitch.tv

For more information about the Classic Tetris World Championships, check out the competition’s official website.

GameDaily Connect This Coming November 10-12, 2019

Mathew Anderson
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GameDaily Connect This Coming November 10-12, 2019

GameDaily Connect’s next show is in Shenzhen, China on November 10-12, 2019. The theme of this year’s show is East Meets West — with the goal of bringing game industry leaders from across the world to discuss game industry trends and find ways to expand their businesses globally. Tickets to the show and more information about GameDaily Connect can be found at connect.gamedaily.biz.

We’re happy to announce a couple of our insightful speakers who will be appearing at the show:

Alix Cloux: VP Sales and Marketing Northern Asia, Gameloft. He will speak about Mobile Gaming: Rise of a New Business Mix
Alex Liu: Design Director, Microsoft. He’ll talk about Age2DE – Modernizing a Classic.

About Greenlit Content

Greenlit is comprised of content experts that have spent decades in and around the gaming space in high level creative positions at companies like Riot Games, 2K Games, IGN, Nickelodeon, and more. Greenlit Content is the direct line between brands and the gaming audience. GLC’s custom content team cuts through the noise with video, social strategies and editorial that will resonate with the all-important gamer audience.

About ReKTGlobal ReKTGlobal, Inc.

ReKTGlobal ReKTGlobal, Inc. is a global esports organization that bridges the gap between traditional sports and esports, providing solutions for the entire ecosystem. ReKTGlobal’s list of clients includes companies such as State Farm, Find Your Grind, NBC Sports and Madison Square Garden Networks. ReKTGlobal is also the parent company of professional esports organization, Rogue.

Top VR and AR Companies to be Honored with Greenlight Insights 2019 Innovation Awards at xRS Week

Paul Philleo
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0
Top VR and AR Companies to be Honored with Greenlight Insights 2019 Innovation Awards at xRS Week

San Francisco, October 16, 2019 — Over two hundred organizations were considered for the inaugural class of Innovation Award Winners. In the end, the judges made the difficult selection of the four winners on the first Innovation Awards. These organizations represent the top of the class in four categories: Tools, Hardware, Enterprise Application, and Entertainment/Marketing Application. The winners were chosen on the basis of providing significant, functional, and novel developments resulting in products, applications, and services that are more powerful, realistic, effective, or easier to use.

All of these winners exhibit innovative business models which allow end-user organizations to develop new strategic value-creation or profit models, innovative service or product offerings that improve the customer experience or support the marketing strategy of end-user organizations, and innovative initiatives of end-user organizations in order to improve operations, increase operational efficiencies, or save costs.

The winners of Greenlight Insights 2019 Innovation Awards are:

  •       Innovation Award for Tools: Mill Mascot, The Mill
  •       Innovation Award for Hardware: HMT-1, RealWear, Inc.
  •       Innovation Award for Enterprise Application: Rumii, Doghead Simulations
  •       Innovation Award for Entertainment/Marketing Application: Holoride Launch, Holoride

“I would like to thank all organizations that submitted for their dedication to virtual and augmented innovation, which is enabling the creation of new strategic value across entire industries,” said Clifton Dawson, CEO of Greenlight Insights. “I would also like to congratulate the winners for their superb work that will impact the industry for years to come.”

All award winners will be presented to the delegates at the xRS Week Conference in San Francisco at the conclusion of the first day’s events at the Hotel Kabuki.

Video of the Month — John Carmack’s Keynote at Oculus Connect 6

Paul Philleo
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Video of the Month — John Carmack’s Keynote at Oculus Connect 6

While the news from the first day’s keynote at the Oculus Connect events — with the announcements, teasers, and features — makes most of the headlines, one of the attendee favorite talks at Facebook’s virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) developer ecosystem conference is Oculus CTO John Carmack’s second day keynote.

In this keynote from Oculus Connect 6, Carmack’s stream of consciousness-style of delivery about the company’s development of virtual reality is often surprising, insightful and more bold and blunt than most keynote addresses, with plenty of tidbits and takeaways for software and hardware developers in VR.

To view the entire keynote, the official video (and other talks from the Oculus Connect 6 show) is below:


Whether you are an event coordinator, press, or general attendee, if you have an event video to share with us, please let us know and we’ll be happy to feature it.

THX, MOTILE and AMD Join Forces to Bring Breakthrough Entertainment Experiences on Laptops

Mathew Anderson
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0
THX, MOTILE and AMD Join Forces to Bring Breakthrough Entertainment Experiences on Laptops

AMD-powered MOTILE products featuring Tuned by THXTM displays and THX® Spatial Audio technology now exclusively available on Walmart.com

San Francisco, California (Oct 3, 2019) – THX Ltd., renowned for the certification of world-class cinemas and consumer electronics, today announced the availability of two new AMD (NASDAQ: AMD) powered MOTILE laptops exclusively available on Walmart.com. Designed for efficient productivity for on-the-go lifestyles, these devices will arrive in market just in time for the fall and holiday shopping seasons. The MOTILE devices are powered by AMD Ryzen™ mobile processors, bringing powerful computing performance and brilliant entertainment experiences. Complemented with THX Spatial Audio technology for an enhanced sound experience and Tuned by THX displays to provide richer, more vibrant colors and better contrast, these devices are expected to greatly improve audio and video playback for consumers.

“We are pleased to make the THX enriched audio and video experiences available to an expanded audience of consumers at various price points,” said Grace Qaqundah, vice president, global marketing, THX Ltd. “Today, more people than ever enjoy music, movies, and TV shows on the go, and through our collaboration with MOTILE, THX is able to make this improved entertainment experience with THX Spatial Audio and Tuned by THX displays more accessible.”

MOTILE – Tuned by THX and THX Spatial Audio: MOTILE, a private-label electronics brand exclusively sold on Walmart.com, welcomes two new MOTILE laptops to its existing lineup of electronics accessories. The two new MOTILE laptops have Tuned by THX for a better viewing experience, ensuring crisper images and brighter colors, as well as immersive, surround audio with THX Spatial Audio. Simply put, with THX Spatial Audio over headphones, the user is in the center of the action and experiences immersion similar to how audio sounds in real-life.

Available with AMD Ryzen™ 5 Mobile Processors or AMD Ryzen™ 3 Mobile Processors both with built-in Radeon™ Vega Graphics, these MOTILE devices deliver advanced, high performance processing and feature the exceptional graphics available on a mobile processor, making Ryzen processors with Radeon graphics the perfect all-in-one solution for those looking for blazing fast performance, rich graphics, and long battery life.

“AMD is pleased to join with THX and MOTILE to offer consumers exceptionally fast, stunning, and efficient computing experiences at an array of price points,” said Kevin Lensing, corporate vice president and general manager, global MNC Sales at AMD.

Powered by AMD Ryzen mobile processors, MOTILE, with both Tuned by THX and THX Spatial Audio features, are performance series laptops, and are thin and light – designed for use by busy people on the go. The laptops run Windows 10 and include integrated graphics, a magnesium aluminum chassis, and a thin bezel design, each with a travel-optimized keyboard. The two 14.1-inch laptops cost just $499.99 (R3/4GB/128GB) and $599.99 (R5/8GB/256GB), and are exclusively available on www.walmart.com.

“Customers shouldn’t have to sacrifice performance for premium visual and audio quality,” said Terrance Oliver, vice president of electronic for Walmart eCommerce U.S. “Our collaboration with AMD and THX enables us to bring customers a quality device that delivers both at an exceptional price.”

For further information about MOTILE products, Tuned by THX and THX Spatial Audio, please visit www.thx.com/motile.

To purchase these products, please visit www.walmart.com/motile.

About THX Ltd.

Founded by legendary filmmaker George Lucas in 1983, THX Ltd. and its partners provide premium entertainment experiences in the cinema, in the home and on the go. Over the last thirty-five years, THX has expanded its certification categories beyond studios and cinemas to consumer electronics, content, live events and automotive systems. Today, THX Ltd. continues to redefine entertainment, providing exciting new technologies and assurance of experiences which provide consumers with superior audio and visual fidelity and ensure an artist’s vision is delivered with integrity to audiences worldwide. For more information, visit: http://www.thx.com. Get social with us and stay up-to-date with all things #THXLtd: Twitter @THX; Instagram @THXLtd; LinkedIn “THX Ltd”; Facebook “THX Ltd.”

About AMD

For 50 years AMD has driven innovation in high-performance computing, graphics and visualization technologies ― the building blocks for gaming, immersive platforms and the datacenter. Hundreds of millions of consumers, leading Fortune 500 businesses and cutting-edge scientific research facilities around the world rely on AMD technology daily to improve how they live, work and play. AMD employees around the world are focused on building great products that push the boundaries of what is possible. For more information about how AMD is enabling today and inspiring tomorrow, visit the AMD (NASDAQ:AMD) website, blog, Facebook and Twitter pages.

October 2019 Game Industry Events Calendar

Mathew Anderson
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October 2019 Game Industry Events Calendar

We’re excited to be presenting yet another great list of upcoming industry events! To help you discover upcoming game industry conferences, conventions, festivals and other events, we post a consolidated list here on Events for Gamers each month.

View October’s event list below. You can also click here for the main calendar view.

OCT 1: 156 Unicorn Battle (San Francisco, USA)
OCT 1-2: Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki (Helsinki, Finland)
OCT 1-6 Malmo Game Week (Malmo, Sweden)
OCT 2-4: Esports BAR Miami (Miami, USA)
OCT 3-6: Comic Con New York (New York, USA)
OCT 4-6 SHUX (Vancouver, Canada)
OCT 5-13: Melbourne International Games Week (South Wharf, Australia)
OCT 7-10: Leaders Week London (London, UK)
OCT 9: Unreal Indie Dev Days (Seattle, USA)
OCT 10: 157 Unicorn Battle (Los Angeles, USA)
OCT 10-11: CGC Kyiv (Kyiv, Ukraine)
OCT 11-13: PAX Australia (Melbourne, Australia)
OCT 14-15: XRDC (San Francisco, USA)
OCT 15-17: Social Media Strategies Summit New York (Chicago, USA)
OCT 16-18: Sweden Game Conference (Skovde, Sweden)
OCT 16-18: xRS Week (San Francisco, USA)
OCT 17: GamesIndustry.biz Investment Summit at EGX (London, UK)
OCT 17-19: Game Industry Conference (GIC) (Pozna, Poland)
OCT 17-19: Augmented World Expo (AWE) Germany (Munich, Germany)
OCT 17-20: EGX (London, UK)
OCT 18-20: Portland Retro Gaming Expo (Portland, USA)
OCT 18-20: PDXCON Berlin (Berlin, Germany)
OCT 21-25: Double Game Philosophy Conference (St. Petersburg, Russia)
OCT 22-25: CHI PLAY (Barcelona, Spain)
OCT 24-26: Middle East Games Con (Berlin, Germany)
OCT 29-30: GamesSoundCon (Los Angeles, USA)
OCT 29-30: Samsung Developer Conference (SDC19) (San Jose, USA)
OCT 30-NOV 1: Reboot Develop Red (Banff, Canada)

This list is obtained from the main calendar. Did we miss an event? Let us know!

Greenlight Insights Announces Finalists for the 2019 Innovation Awards for Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality Excellence

Paul Philleo
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Greenlight Insights Announces Finalists for the 2019 Innovation Awards for Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality Excellence

San Francisco, September 23, 2019 — Greenlight Insights has announced the 18 finalists of the 2019 Innovation Awards to be presented at the upcoming xRS Week 2019 Conference & Expo next month. These awards identify top virtual and augmented reality (“xR”) technology companies and end-user organizations that have implemented innovations using xR technology capabilities, products or services during the past year. Out of more than 200 nominations, 18 finalists were selected as exemplary leaders who push xR technology to go further.

The Innovation Awards recognize excellence in these areas:

● Technology: Virtual and augmented reality hardware or software innovations providing significant, functional, and novel developments resulting in products, applications and services that more powerful, realistic, effective, or easier to use.
● Applications: End-user organizations from all vertical industries, including but not limited to gaming, media, entertainment, marketing, retail, healthcare, and industrial sectors, who have implemented an innovation using xR technology capabilities, products or services featuring:

“I would like to thank all organizations that submitted for their dedication to virtual and augmented innovation, which is enabling the creation of new strategic value across entire industries,” said Clifton Dawson, CEO of Greenlight Insights.”I would also like to congratulate all the finalists for their superb work that may shape the industry for years to come.”

The finalist for the category Innovative Tool include:
● Varwin Reality Management System (Varwin)
● ZapWorks Studio 6 (Zappar)
● Ubiquity6 (Ubiquity6)
● AXA Light Field and Volumetric Stages (RadiantImages, Inc.)
● Mill Mascot (The Mill)

The finalist for the category Innovative Hardware include:
● Mastery—掌控 (MatrixRealm(源域科技))
● HP Reverb VR Headset Pro Edition (HP)
● Forte Data Gloves (BeBop Sensors)
● HMT-1 (RealWear)

The finalist for the category Innovative Enterprise Application include:
● Attention Lab (Virtuleap)
● SimplifyXR (AVATAR Partners)
● Rumii (Doghead Simulations)
● Fundamental Surgery (FundamentalVR)
● Ubimax Frontline (Ubimax Frontline)

The finalist for the category Innovative Entertainment/Marketing Application include:
● C360 Technologies (C360 Technologies)
● “Pieces of Us” by Mark Ronson ft. King Princess (Facebook)
● Rumii (Doghead Simulations)
● Holoride Launch (Holoride)
● Omni Arena (Virtuix)

Greenlight Insights analysts assessed all submissions using a robust and dynamic framework to ensure that the assessment process remained pertinent and objective.

Peter Rubin (Wired), Linda Jacobson (Founder, SetIt Spinning LLC), Michael Yang (OMERS Ventures), Lance Anderson (Lance AR), and Martina Welkhoff (The WXR Fund) were eager to step in as judges. The winner will be announced on Wednesday, October 16th at xRS Week.

There are still limited seats available at xRS Week 2019. Registration is open at xrsweek.com/register.

Video of the Month — Running an Indie Game Booth at PAX West 2019

Paul Philleo
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0
Video of the Month — Running an Indie Game Booth at PAX West 2019

Do you wonder what it takes to run an indie game booth (and other aspects of attending) a large, bustling show for game developers and players?

That’s what one amateur documentarian looked to examine at this year’s PAX West. In this day-in-the-life video that looks at at Clapfoot, the developers behind the MMO action-strategy game, Foxhole, it examines the trials, tribulations and triumphs that makes indie game development life such a rollercoaster ride. This video is definitely a reminder that several days of con work and play is a marathon, not a sprint!

Whether you are an event coordinator, press, or general attendee, if you have an event video to share with us, please let us know and we’ll be happy to feature it.

xRS Week 2019 Set To Show How the World’s Top Brands Are Using Virtual and Augmented Reality To Boost Their Bottom Line

Paul Philleo
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0
xRS Week 2019 Set To Show How the World’s Top Brands Are Using Virtual and Augmented Reality To Boost Their Bottom Line

San Francisco, CA – September 16, 2019 – The fourth annual xRS Week, produced by Greenlight Insights, will take place October 16-18 at the beautiful Hotel Kabuki in San Francisco. Featuring presentations from leading business executives, top industry analysts, and global thought-leaders, xRS Week is set to be the premier gathering showcasing the future of immersive technology. During xRS Week, over 500 executive attendees from more than 20 countries will hear from more than 100 top speakers across a program with over 50 sessions.

xRS Week 2019 includes four distinct programs: the Experiential Enterprise Summit, the Immersive Media & Entertainment Summit, the Innovation Junto, and new this year, the Immersive Healthcare Symposium. These programs address current and future applications of virtual reality and augmented reality (xR) at work and play. Presentations at xRS Week will include examples of xR in corporate training, medicine, marketing, field service operations, location-based xR entertainment, mobile augmented reality, virtual production, and much more. Sessions will include panel discussions led by Greenlight Insights’ team of analysts, plenary presentations by major industry stakeholders, and deep-dive breakouts with leaders in every aspect of xR strategy development and implementation.

Speakers during xRS Week 2019 include industry leaders from a wide variety of organizations, illustrating the broad acceptance of xR in commercial and industrial enterprises around the world. Confirmed speakers include executive representatives of HP, Facebook, Sixense, HTC, Unity, StriVR, Varjo,42Gears, Realwear, Ubimax, ScopeAR, The VOID, Variety, WIRED, Applied VR, Survios, Caesars Entertainment, Unreal, Health Scholars, The VR Fund, GFR Fund, ILMxLab, Doghead Simulations, Friends with Holograms, Greenlight Insights and more. See the full agenda online.

In addition to a packed sessions & networking program, xRS Week will feature a new event this year, the Greenlight Insights 2019 Innovation Awards. The prestigious Innovation Awards recognize innovative virtual and augmented reality technology (xR) and best-in-class industry applications. These exemplary innovations are vital as catalysts for organizations across all industries transforming into experiential enterprises. In recognition of this exciting and important work across the industry, the annual awards will be presented to honorees at xRS Week 2019.

Registration is open at xrsweek.com/register.

Winners of GameDaily Connect Indie Prize Contest

Mathew Anderson
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Winners of GameDaily Connect Indie Prize Contest

GameDaily Connect (formerly Casual Connect) announced the winners of its Indie Prize contest for independent game developers at their USA show Aug 27-29. This unique opportunity offered indie devs, whatever their experience, an opportunity to present and celebrate their hard work to a host of publishers and potential partners during the show. GameDaily Connect also offered networking opportunities with fellow developers over the course of the conference. The winners of the Indie Prize are as follows:

Best in Show: Audience Choice – Alluris | 562 Interactive, USA

Best Game Audio – Unheard | NEXT Studios, China

Best Game Design – Nubla 2 – M, the City at the Center of the World | Gammera Nest, Spain

Best Game Art – Art Inc. | PIXIO Limited, Hong Kong

Best Game Narrative – The Lighthouse | Shadow Knights Studio, USA

Best Multiplayer Game – Trident’s Wake | Bacus Studios, Argentina

Best Kids & Family Game – Party Time! | HyperTeam, Argentina

Best Mobile Game – Astrologaster | Nyamyam, UK

Most Innovative Game – OtherWorldly | IDEA.org, USA

GameDaily Connect’s next show is in Shenzhen, China on November 10-12, 2019. Tickets to the show and more information about GameDaily Connect can be found at connect.gamedaily.biz.

Submissions for Indie Prize China are open: bit.ly/IndiePrizeChina19

About Greenlit Content

Greenlit is comprised of content experts that have spent decades in and around the gaming space in high level creative positions at companies like Riot Games, 2K Games, IGN, Nickelodeon, and more. Greenlit Content is the direct line between brands and the gaming audience. GLC’s custom content team cuts through the noise with video, social strategies and editorial that will resonate with the all-important gamer audience.

About ReKTGlobal ReKTGlobal, Inc.

ReKTGlobal ReKTGlobal, Inc. is a global esports organization that bridges the gap between traditional sports and esports, providing solutions for the entire ecosystem. ReKTGlobal’s list of clients includes companies such as State Farm, Find Your Grind, NBC Sports and Madison Square Garden Networks. ReKTGlobal is also the parent company of professional esports organization, Rogue.

 

French Startup Wizama Receives UX Design Award at IFA 2019

Paul Philleo
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0
French Startup Wizama Receives UX Design Award at IFA 2019

In recent years, a couple startups have tried to conjure up the alchemy of bringing classic (that is, papery) board and card games together with the digital, pixelated world that goes with interactive entertainment. In 2019, one of the companies that’s achieved a healthy dollop of visibility is Wizama‘s SquareOne console and paper-to-digital gaming library. Wizama is a French startup that describes their vision as an opportunity to bridge classic games to modern-age games as a way of connecting generations.

The SquareOne looks like a super-sized tablet tablet, which it essentially is and would need to be to approximate a tabletop-style gaming experience. The system specs bear that out as well:

Wizama's SquareOne tabletop console
Wizama’s SquareOne digital tabletop console (image credit: Wizama)

The 7 lb. Android-based system is dominated by the 19″ TFT-LCD active multi-touch display, which features “170° Hardless surface Anti-reflective” wide angle viewability. A hexa-core ARM processor powers the SquareOne, Memory is set at 2GB and storage will be offered in 64 and 128GBs capacities. Connectivity is offered through Wi-FI, NFC and Bluetooth. On the audio side, 4 speakers are built into the system. The SquareOne has the gift of tongues with 32 language offerings, which should ensure the console will be accessible to an international audience.

Six games are set to be offered at the SquareOne launch, each of which are designed for board and tabletop style play. Wizama profiles their early catalog here.

Their SquareOne hardware platform had some of its first significant exposure at this year’s CES expo in Las Vegas. Now, at IFA Berlin, Europe’s largest technology expo, the company marked another milestone with the announcement about winning at the (affiliated) UX Design Awards. The UX Design Awards is a high-profile global competition with a specialized focus on user experience. The competition attracted 200 companies, from such rockstar companies as Samsung and Mercedes-Benz, from 20 different countries.

The SquareOne console snagged the win in the Product category. The award ceremony took place on September 6th:

 

Frank Botta, CEO and co-founder of Wizama, in the pofficial announcement about the company’s prize win:

“Our board game console was created to materialize a new era of connected social game, where every accessory, movement, effect and interaction is calculated and displayed in real time by and on a console featuring a look inspired by both the spirit of traditional and board games.”

From an event perspective, the SquareOne could be a strong evolutionary fit for classically tabletop-oriented events, like PAX Unplugged, BGG Con among others.

The SquareOne has been officially announced as “available in early 2019, but there doesn’t appear to be evidence of the tabletop console’s availability yet. Given the critical acclaim for the console in advance of its public availability, demand may grow with that acclaim.

The SquareOne’s suggested retail will be $499, including the console, four differently colored interactive pawns, 54 cards, one smart dice, one wireless dice track. and an AC power adapter.

Dreamhack and ESL to Launch Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Circuit in 2020

Paul Philleo
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0
Dreamhack and ESL to Launch Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Circuit in 2020

STOCKHOLM — Today, DreamHack and ESL (both part of Modern Times Group MTG AB) announced the new ESL Pro Tour, a circuit linking more than 20 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) tournaments and leagues. The ESL Pro Tour will feature an aggregate prize pool of more than $5 million (USD) for 2020 from competitions across five continents — making it, perhaps, the world’s largest and most lucrative circuit in Counter-Strike’s 20-year history.

The ESL Pro Tour will combine multiple, previously unconnected ESL and DreamHack tournaments into one narrative that builds toward two grand championships each year. The collaboration aims to create a more complete path from zero to hero for aspiring players, a more compelling story to follow for existing CS:GO fans, and a more transparent structure for new esports fans. Watch Hype Video HERE.  Watch interview video HERE.

“This collaboration will provide a deeper meaning and purpose to all of our properties, allowing us to provide fans with more thrilling experiences than before. On the other hand, it also represents a much larger and more attractive opportunity for sponsors and media to engage with the esports audience,”  said DreamHack Co-CEO Marcus Lindmark. “ESL Pro Tour mirrors our ambition to provide up-and-coming players with a clear pathway to become tomorrow’s esports professionals.”

“ESL’s growth in recent years has led us to rethink what we are doing. We have built some of the world’s most impressive esports tournaments, and it was the time to connect the dots where the outcome is a bigger picture that fits better with our vision for esports,” said ESL CEO Ralf Reichert. “This partnership between ESL and DreamHack will give youths a clearer and more complete path to becoming somebody, and a structure that is more welcoming and digestible for new esports fans.

ESL Pro Tour Competitions

Tournaments in the ESL Pro Tour will be organized into Challenger and Masters levels. The Challenger level will include DreamHack Open, the Mountain Dew League and ESL’s National Championships — those competitions will serve as a platform for teams to elevate themselves to Master- level tournaments. The Masters category will largely be arena tournaments with $250,000 or more in prize money, and will still feature the world’s best teams —these will include ESL One powered by Intel; Intel Extreme Masters; and DreamHack Masters. It will also include the 2020 format of the ESL CS:GO Pro League.  

Teams will win points in the ESL Pro Tour ranking, and the best of them will compete in two Masters Championship finals each year at the world’s largest and most attended independent CS:GO Tournaments — ESL One Cologne (Germany); and Intel Extreme Masters Katowice (Poland). 

ESL Pro Tour Structure

The ESL Pro Tour will be presented in detail at ESL One New York on the 28th of September to journalists and partners in a specific ESL Pro Tour media briefing. Please reach out to your dedicated ESL PR point of contact to receive accreditation.

For more information about the ESL Pro Tour, please visit eslprotour.com and follow DreamHack on Twitter and Facebook.  Watch the Hype Video and Interview Video.  

 

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