MELBOURNE ESPORTS OPEN TO RETURN THIS AUGUST

ESL, the world’s largest esports company, and TEG Live, a leading promoter of live entertainment, today announced the return of the Melbourne Esports Open across Saturday 31 August and Sunday 1 September 2019, building upon the success of the inaugural event last year.

Presale tickets will be available via Telstra Thanks® from 10.00am (local), Friday 12 April and the general public on sale commences from 2.00pm (local), Monday 15 April from Ticketek.

Esports Takes Over Melbourne & Olympic Parks

Expanding upon the 12,000 esports fans that attended the event in 2018, the Melbourne Esports Open will grow across Melbourne & Olympic Parks this year, with the addition of esports activities over Melbourne Arena and Grand Slam Oval. Melbourne Esports Open will once again be headlined in the iconic Rod Laver Arena by the League of Legends OPL Finals on Saturday 31 August and the Overwatch Contenders Australia Finals on Sunday 1 September, with an array of other tournaments taking place in Margaret Court Arena.

All the Big Names in Gaming

With League of Legends, Overwatch, and Pokémon returning to the event with prized tournaments, esports fans will have the chance to compete or watch some of Australia’s best players competing in the world’s most popular esports titles live. In 2019, Ubisoft’s Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege will join the Triple-A line up of esports tournaments at the event.

Attendees can also catch all the latest in esports and interactive gaming experiences in the “JB Hi-Fi Game On Zone”, which due to its popularity is expanding into Melbourne Arena this year. YouTube stars The Misfits will also be attending Melbourne Esports Open in 2019, with fans able to take part in open signing sessions & more activities.

Victorian Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, Martin Pakula, said, “Victoria is Australia’s major events capital – and we’re proud that the Melbourne Esports Open is returning to Melbourne and Olympic Parks in 2019.

“In 2018, the event transformed Rod Laver Arena into an esports arena to rival the greatest in the world – and expanding throughout the Olympic Park precinct in just its second year is testament to how quickly fans have embraced the event, with thousands expected to get involved in the festival this year.”

TEG Live Managing Director, Tim McGregor said; “The Melbourne Esports Open was an esports phenomenon in its inaugural showing last year, attracting 12,000 dedicated esports fans to the event, with over 600,000 unique livestream viewers tuning in online, and 12 million views on social media across the weekend.”

“With more of the best esports titles joining the event in 2019, there’s something for every gamer. In 2019, the Melbourne Esports Open will be bigger and better and we’re excited for fans to see what we’ve been planning.”

Senior Vice President of ESL Asia-Pacific Japan, Nick Vanzetti said; “The Melbourne Esports Open embodies our global strategy at ESL which is to create a world where everybody can be somebody.”

“It’s a unique opportunity for every esports fan or regular gamer to compete in their favourite game and end up playing in front of a massive crowd in some of Australia’s biggest sporting arenas.”

JB Hi-Fi Group CEO Richard Murray said: “JB Hi-Fi is again proud to partner with ESL and TEG Live to present the Melbourne Esports Open in 2019.

“We are looking forward to bringing gaming fans an even bigger and better hands on gaming experience at this year’s JB Hi-Fi Game On Zone located inside Melbourne Arena.”

Ticket Information

Presale tickets will be available via Telstra Thanks® from 10.00am (local), Friday 12 April and the general public on sale commences from 2.00pm (local), Monday 15 April from Ticketek.

Fans can enjoy a weekend at the Open from as little as $37.90 (Junior 2-day Ground Pass), with single-day tickets starting at $19.90 (Junior Saturday Ground Pass). Full ticket prices & inclusions can be found on the Melbourne Esports Open website at http://melbourneesportsopen.com.au

The Melbourne Esports Open is presented with the support of the Victorian Government via its tourism and major events agency Visit Victoria.

Press Kit – Images

Click here to access rights-free images from Melbourne Esports Open 2018

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For more information, contact:

Alex Blaikie – PR | ESL Australia

press.aus@eslgaming.com

Pamela Philip – PPR

Pamela.Philip@ppr.com.au

T +61 2 9818 0929

M +61 478 701 734

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ABOUT VISIT VICTORIA

Visit Victoria is the State of Victoria’s primary tourism, business and major events company, leading the sector in creating, curating and communicating Victoria’s inspiring experiences to maximise visitation. Established in July 2016, Visit Victoria brings the best of Tourism Victoria, Victorian Major Events Company and Melbourne Convention Bureau under one brand that capitalises on commercial opportunities in an increasingly competitive and dynamic global tourism market. The team operates in a collaborative and agile environment that informs, connects and partners with industry and the Victorian State Government to amplify Victoria’s profile.

ABOUT ESL:

ESL, a part of the international digital entertainment group MTG, is the world’s largest esports company, leading the industry across the most popular video games with numerous online and offline competitions. It operates high profile, branded international and national leagues and tournaments such as the Intel® Extreme Masters, ESL One, ESL National Championships and other top tier stadium-size events, as well as grassroots amateur cups, leagues and matchmaking systems. ESL covers a broad field of services in gaming technology, event management, advertising and television production, fully catering to the needs of the esports ecosystem. With offices in North America, Germany, Russia, France, Poland, Spain, China, and partners in many other countries, it has a truly global footprint ( www.eslgaming.com ).

ABOUT TEG LIVE:

TEG Live is wholly owned by TEG, Asia Pacific’s leading ticketing, live entertainment and data analytics company. TEG Live is a dynamic and diverse promoter of live content in music, sport, family entertainment, esports and exhibitions. TEG Live connects millions of fans every year with unique live experiences and adds value to events with hospitality and sponsorship services. For more information, visit: http://www.teglive.com.au

ABOUT JB HI-FI:

JB Hi-Fi is Australia’s Largest Home Entertainment Retailer. Famous for low prices, the biggest brands and genuine personal service from our experienced specialist staff. JB Hi-Fi has a huge range of products across Consumer Electronics, Home Appliances, DVD and Blu-Ray, Music, Console and PC gaming.

ABOUT FAIRFAX EVENTS & ENTERTAINMENT:

Fairfax Events & Entertainment produces a portfolio of major events with an expanding calendar of culture, entertainment, food, sporting, business and family events attracting millions of participants each year. Fairfax Events & Entertainment partners with key stakeholders including advertisers, sponsors, charities, community groups, participants, sporting and government bodies. Some examples of the Fairfax Events are The Sun Herald City2Surf, Good Food Month, Night Noodle Markets, The Essential Baby & Toddler Show and American Express Open Air Cinemas.

ABOUT LEAGUE OF LEGENDS:

Turning 10 in 2019 and developed by Riot Games, League of Legends is the world’s most watched esport. The Oceanic Pro League consists of 8 teams vying to represent the region on the Worlds stage in Europe with split 2 of the 2019 OPL season commencing Friday June 7th 2019.