For its first event in Australia, the Intel Extreme Masters or IEM Sydney attracted over 7,000 fans per day to fill Qudos Bank Arena in Olympic Park, Sydney. The milestone event for our local scene which saw Brazilian powerhouse SK Gaming defeat FaZe Clan in the grand final. Nearly 8 million unique viewers tuned into the online broadcast.

Nick Vanzetti, Managing Director at ESL Australia said:

“15 years ago I dreamed along with my peers of massive crowds filling an arena to watch esports and this year we made that a reality. IEM Sydney is the result of years crafting that vision and supporting the market, while building on opportunities. This is a new beginning for esports in Australia: we have set the standard and need to keep raising the bar.”

George Woo, Esports Marketing Manager at Intel said:

“The support from the esports community in Australia was incredible to see and we’re thrilled IEM Sydney became an immediate success, thanks to all the fans. As IEM and esports continue to expand, we look forward to bringing Intel’s leading technology to gamers around the world.”

The event which was the biggest esports event to come down-under will hopefully make it back soon as Michal Blicharz – VP Pro Gaming has announced that “We will put in an incredible effort to do it again in Australia in 2018!”

Photo credits: ESL (Official)