Christopher #146;GeT_RiGhT#146; Alesund, member of the multiple DreamHack winning team , remarked to GameSpot that he has #146;been dreaming about something like this ever since [he] has started playing Counter-Strike.#146; Alesund#146;s manager, former teammate, and fellow champion, Emil #146;HeatoN#146; Christensen added, #146;I think it#146;s a great step forward to bring Counter-Strike back in the spotlight. Since the growth of the MOBA it has kind of been in the shadows. Even if we see the game growing steadily it needs something like this tournament to make it grow even faster, and hopefully create another Counter-Strike boom.#146;

This is not the first time that Valve have used in game item purchases to help community-fund an eSports tournament. Part of The International 3#146;s $2,874,407.00 prize pool came from purchases in the Dota 2 in game store. This item granted the purchaser certain perks like virtual item drops and access to exclusive compendium owner polls that allowed owners to vote on things like the participants of The International 3#146;s all-star game. Interactive Compendium#146;s cost $10.00 to purchase with 25% of all purchases going towards The International 3#146;s prize pool.

Henning Christiansson, SteelSeries#146; Marketing Manager, told GameSpot, #146;For us events like this means everything, our foundation builds on giving back to our fans all over the world. We have always worked close with our partners and when this opportunity came around we were really honored that our tournament at Dreamhack was the one Valve selected.#146; When asked if Valve#146;s involvement changed SteelSeries#146; allocation of resources and capital he responded, #146;#146;when a partner like Valve commits and raises the bar to this level, you have to follow. There will be formation presented later on that I believe the community will enjoy.#146; Christiansson noted that casters would be announced at a later date.

At the time of publication the SteelSeries#146; Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Championship boasts the title of largest single event prize pool in DreamHack history. The tournament will take place in Jönköping, Sweden from November 28th to 30th.

Photo credit to Hampus Andersson and DreamHack.

From: www.gamespot.com

This year#146;s MLG Anaheim Spring Championships, held at the Anaheim Convention Center, broke .

#146;Based on feedback from our MLG community, I think the Spring Championship was one of the most successful events in the 10-year history of the company,#146; MLG CEO Sundance DiGiovanni told GameSpot at the time. "I think we can attribute the success of our Anaheim events to a number of factors: the close proximity to our development partners--Activision, Riot, and Blizzard; the overall growth and support of the competitive gaming community; and how easy it is to travel to southern California."

MLG's Anaheim 2014 dates coincide with E3's 2014 dates and location, scheduled to be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center. MLG#146;s Anaheim dates conflict with Sweden-based event and tournament organizer DreamHack, who will be holding their annual Summer event from June 14-17 in Jönköping, Sweden. While neither organization has announced the games for their 2014 competitions, StarCraft II and Valve#146;s Dota 2 have potential for overlap. DreamHack officials say that MLG has not contacted them regarding the overlap.

#146;DreamHack presented the dates for DreamHack Summer 2014 on May 16, 2012,#146; DreamHack Head of eSports Tomas #146;greykarn#146; Hermansson said to GameSpot. #146;I'm not aware of any communications with MLG regarding this.#146;

#146;We're very keen about trying to avoid conflicts when it comes to our events with early communication and also try to track the eSports calendar all year around. Some conflicts can't be avoided but when it comes to Summer and Winter we have used the same dates/set of days for 12 years. We have no more comment on the matter."

On November 15, 2012, Major League Gaming, DreamHack, and the Electronic Sports League a partnership to #146;unify and elevate eSports globally.#146;

Among the details outlined at the time included a universal ranking system, unified competition structure, and a master tournament calendar. #146;One event calendar ensuring a minimum or no conflicts to ease players#146; schedules and enables fans across the globe to easily spectate.#146;

Major League Gaming has declined comment.

From: www.gamespot.com

This year#146;s MLG Anaheim Spring Championships, held at the Anaheim Convention Center, broke .

#146;Based on feedback from our MLG community, I think the Spring Championship was one of the most successful events in the 10-year history of the company,#146; MLG CEO Sundance DiGiovanni told GameSpot at the time. "I think we can attribute the success of our Anaheim events to a number of factors: the close proximity to our development partners--Activision, Riot, and Blizzard; the overall growth and support of the competitive gaming community; and how easy it is to travel to southern California."

MLG's Anaheim 2014 dates coincide with E3's 2014 dates and location, scheduled to be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center. MLG#146;s Anaheim dates conflict with Sweden-based event and tournament organizer DreamHack, who will be holding their annual Summer event from June 14-17 in Jönköping, Sweden. While neither organization has announced the games for their 2014 competitions, StarCraft II and Valve#146;s Dota 2 have potential for overlap. DreamHack officials say that MLG has not contacted them regarding the overlap.

#146;DreamHack presented the dates for DreamHack Summer 2014 on May 16, 2012,#146; DreamHack Head of eSports Tomas #146;greykarn#146; Hermansson said to GameSpot. #146;I'm not aware of any communications with MLG regarding this.#146;

#146;We're very keen about trying to avoid conflicts when it comes to our events with early communication and also try to track the eSports calendar all year around. Some conflicts can't be avoided but when it comes to Summer and Winter we have used the same dates/set of days for 12 years. We have no more comment on the matter."

On November 15, 2012, Major League Gaming, DreamHack, and the Electronic Sports League a partnership to #146;unify and elevate eSports globally.#146;

Among the details outlined at the time included a universal ranking system, unified competition structure, and a master tournament calendar. #146;One event calendar ensuring a minimum or no conflicts to ease players#146; schedules and enables fans across the globe to easily spectate.#146;

Major League Gaming has declined comment.

From: www.gamespot.com