Last year, we helped launch the world’s first VR esports league, including the first ever Echo Arena North American Regionals at OC4 and a global livestream of the Finals from IEM Katowice. Today, we’re excited to announce a brand-new look and expanded lineup for VR League—and the kick-off of Season 2 with ESL!

VR League Season 2* features a prize pool in excess of $220K USD, a more flexible tournament system, and up to seven participating titles in the five-month competitive period—all leading up to the climactic grand finale at Oculus Connect 5!

We hit the ground running tomorrow, May 18, with a month of competitive urban spell-casting in The Unspoken, followed by a month of fast-paced parkour racing in Sprint Vector beginning June 4. We’ll unveil an additional two titles with prized competition on ESL Play during the months of July and August, plus additional action as three new games make their first foray into esports.

Echo Arena returns on May 20 with the start of a four-week competition. Last year, this fast-paced zero-g title brought out 258 players across 98 teams worldwide, and we’re excited to build upon that initial success as we continue to grow the community. Later this year, we’ll partner with Ready At Dawn to bring Echo Combat to VR League with a ladder-style competition of its own.

“Oculus is committed to fostering long-term growth of the VR esports ecosystem, and Season 2—with its new format and additional games—is an amazing next step on this exciting journey,”says Oculus Head of Esports Christopher K. McKelvy.

To that end, VR League will also support VR Master League and the grassroots community that’s developed around Dante Buckley’s mil-sim success story with an Onward Invitational event from June 16 – 17. One of three live events to be held at the ESL UK Studios, the Onward Invitational will also benefit Stack Up, a charity that supports US and Allied veterans through gaming.

VR esports represent an exciting and promising area of growth for both the VR industry and the community it supports, and we’re proud to partner with ESL to help change the game. Visit vr.eslgaming.com for more information, and follow VR League on Facebook and Twitter for regular updates.

We’ll have more to share in the weeks and months ahead, so stay tuned!

— The Oculus Team

*NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. Void where prohibited by law. VR League is open only to legal residents of the 50 U.S./D.C., Canada, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and United Kingdom, 13+. For full details and terms, click here. For full details and terms onEcho Arena,click here. Sponsors: Oculus VR, LLC and Intel Corporation.