We love bringing great events to the Melbourne and Australian gaming community with awesome events like BarCraft events for the StarCraft 2 GSL (returning March 14) and the recent stadium experience for the League of Legends World Championships. We will be continuing supporting these events and other landmark events such as The International for Dota in 2015.

Keeping in line with bringing you amazing eSports events, our very first for 2015 is for the 3rd person MOBA, SMITE. We are working with the game publisher, Hi-Rez and Surprise Attack, for our event, Breakfast of the Gods, on January 12th for the SMITE World Championships. The good news is that their support for the local scene is not going to stop there.

Today Hi-Rez have announced their commitment to the Oceanic region with a slew activities and more importantly a reserved slot for an Oceanic team to compete at the highest level – the SMITE World Championship Season 2 in 2015/16.

For the full details on what can be expected in 2015 with SMITE have a read of their press release below.

ATLANTA, DECEMBER 17, 2014 – Hi-Rez Studios, developer of SMITE, the free-to-play mythology-themed action game played by over 5 million people, today announced a flurry of activities to support their Oceanic fan-base.Chief among these announcements is the confirmation that Australian and New Zealand players will be able to compete in events leading to an Oceanic Regional Championship in 2015. The Oceanic Regional Champion will have a path to qualify for the Season 2 Smite World Championship. HI-REZ STUDIOS INVITES OCEANIC PLAYERS TO PARTICIPATE IN SEASON 2 AMONGST RAFT OF ACTIVITIES TO SUPPORT THE OCEANIC SMITE COMMUNITY– Hi-Rez Studios, developer of SMITE, the free-to-play mythology-themed action game played by over 5 million people, today announced a flurry of activities to support their Oceanic fan-base.Chief among these announcements is the confirmation that Australian and New Zealand players will be able to compete in events leading to an Oceanic Regional Championship in 2015. The Oceanic Regional Champion will have a path to qualify for the Season 2 Smite World Championship. After a successful showing at PAX Australia and well received launch of Oceanic servers in November, Hi-Rez Studios is also giving some early Christmas presents to SMITE players in the form of continued support for the region. These include: Breakfast of the Gods viewing parties for the finals of the inaugural SMITE World Championships, to be held on the morning of Monday 12 January in several cities across Australia and New Zealand.

viewing parties for the finals of the inaugural SMITE World Championships, to be held on the morning of Monday 12 January in several cities across Australia and New Zealand. Online Oceanic league ladder – launching today in partnership with CyberGamer.com.au.

– launching today in partnership with CyberGamer.com.au. Oceanic SMITE-Nites – regular community nights every Thors-day for local fans to find team-mates and play casual matches.

– regular community nights every Thors-day for local fans to find team-mates and play casual matches. Local Agency – appointment of Surprise Attack Consulting to manage Oceanic activity on the ground. “It was great to meet so many SMITE fans at PAX Australia and feel their love for the game,” said Todd Harris, Chief Operating Officer of Hi-Rez Studios. “We’re really excited to ramp up our activities in Oceania and can’t wait to see what Australian and New Zealand players bring to the Season 2 next year.” MORE INFORMATION ABOUT SMITE OCEANIC ACTIVITY SMITE Oceanic Regionals in 2015 Hi-Rez is committed to supporting the competitive SMITE scene in the Oceanic region. Oceania will now participate in SMITE Season 2, and there will be a path to appointing an Oceanic Regional Champion in 2015. More information on the structure of the Oceanic Regional competition will be revealed in early 2015, but interested players are encouraged to get their teams organised and in shape as soon as possible. Several of Oceania’s leading eSports organisations are already working on SMITE teams to be announced in the new year. Breakfast of the Gods MOBAR – SMITE World Championship Viewing Parties To revel in the SMITE World Championships, taking place in Atlanta, Georgia from January 9-11, a number of MOBAR viewing parties are being organised across Australia and New Zealand. With the SWC taking place in a timezone 16 hours behind, the final matches will take place from 6am, Monday 12th December AEDT. This makes for a unique MOBAR experience – enjoy breakfast while you watch the world’s very best SMITE teams clash to obtain ultimate glory. These will be free, all ages events and every attendee will receive the full SMITE World Championship Digital Pass including all the associated in-game rewards. There will also be food, party games, cosplay, prize giveaways and shoutouts during a live cross from Atlanta. The Oceania Viewing Parties list can be found here Confirmed events include… Melbourne SMITE MOBAR In partnership with Silicon Sports at The Fringe – Register here to attend Sydney SMITE MOBAR in partnership with Surprise Attack at the NerdCave – Register here to attend Auckland NZ SMITE MOBAR in partnership with Aspect of Gaming at The Fox – Register here to attend Fans in other cities wishing to organise their own events are invited to contact the team at oceania@hirezstudios.com. Online SMITE League Hi-Rez Studios, in partnership with Cybergamer.com.au, Australia’s premiere online competitive league and ladder platform, has launched a SMITE league ladder where players can join in the Conquest 5v5 league and fight for participation and winner prizes. New players are welcome here and a casual league for other game modes is also available as announced here. Join the ladder at http://au.cybergamer.com/games/82/pc/Smite/ SMITE NITE Community nights Recognizing the great SMITE community in Oceania, Hi-Rez Studios is organizing regular community nights each Thor’s-day from 8pm AEDT for fans to get together, find players to join their teams, and play some casual games. SMITE NITE will be promoted each week with spot prizes for players sharing their friend tags to connect with new players. Local Agency providing on the ground support Hi-Rez Studios has appointed Australian games-specialist marketing agency, Surprise Attack Consulting, to support their activities on the ground in the region. Following a successful partnership around the launch of the Oceanic servers and PAX Australia, Hi-Rez has engaged Surprise Attack to provide PR, eSports, community and events support. The SMITE team at the agency can be contacted at SMITE@surpriseattack.com.au. ABOUT SMITE SMITE is the online Battleground of the Gods, a mythology-themed action game for the PC and, soon, Xbox One. Since launching in Europe and North America in March, 2014, the game has quickly established itself as one of the Top 3 games in the rapidly growing MOBA genre, with over 5 million players. Offering a third-person camera and more game modes than any other leading game in its genre, the game provides a unique, action-packed experience that puts the player in the thick of the action. ABOUT HI-REZ STUDIOS Atlanta-based Hi-Rez Studios was established in 2005 to create exceptional online interactive entertainment, and is now one of the largest video game studios in the Southeast United States. Its games include the squad-based shooter Global Agenda, the critically acclaimed Tribes: Ascend, and SMITE, the Battleground of the Gods. For more information, visit www.hirezstudios.com or contact oceania@hirezstudios.com.