Intel® Extreme Masters made its third stop to the Bay Area this weekend with IEM Oakland, filling the Oracle Arena with 6,500 esports fans on both November 19th and 20th. Attendees from around the world cheered on as Ninjas in Pyjamas (NiP) climbed their way through the tournament bracket, defeating the world’s top rated Counter-Strike: Global Offensive roster and ESL One Cologne champions, SK Gaming. Soon after the confetti flew for NiP, Unicorns of Love claimed the League of Legends IEM Oakland championship title once successfully taking down favored teams, such as Team SoloMid and Flash Wolves, in the second upset of the weekend.

With streams in 14 languages, IEM Oakland reached a peak of 490,000 concurrent viewers across the globe. Online viewers of the broadcast consumed close to 6.4 million hours of content throughout the event, with 130,000 more unique viewers tuning into the tournament in virtual reality. SLIVER.tv powered the VR livestream of IEM Oakland, which for included real-time augmented live stats the first time ever.

On November 19th, Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley extended their 124-year-old football rivalry to League of Legends at IEM Oakland. Students from Stanford and Cal battled on stage at the Oracle Arena Big Game, with Stanford winning both on the football field and Summoner’s Rift.

The CS:GO side of the stage also welcomed the world’s best women’s teams, as CLG Red and Intel Challenge 2016 champions Team Secret fought for a $10,000 prize for a charity of the winners’ choosing. CLG Red defeated their European rivals, Team Secret, and donated the prize to Online SOS, a non-profit organization that serves and supports those experiencing online harassment.

“We have put an amazing tournament in the Bay Area for a third year in a row and our continued success shows the tremendous potential of esports,” said Michal Blicharz, vice president of pro gaming at ESL. “Holding marquee events like IEM brings true fans together, both in person and online, to join in the excitement at a global scale. We look forward to enhancing these premiere experiences in future events for both players and fans.”

“Thank you to the thousands of energetic fans who joined us at Oracle Arena for IEM Oakland, and to the millions who followed the online livestreams,” said George Woo, esports marketing manager at Intel. “Intel Extreme Masters continues to be a fantastic showcase for Intel’s innovative gaming products that are the backbone of any esports experience. Congrats to the winners and we look forward to connecting with everyone at IEM Gyeonggi in December.”

For more information about IEM Oakland, visit the official tournament website and browse the event photographs and video footage on IEM YouTube channel. More in-depth game stats can be found in the CS:GO and League of Legends infographics.

After an exciting week of IEM in the United States, League of Legends and StarCraft II players and fans from across the globe will turn their attention to IEM Gyeonggi on December 16 – 18, 2016, marking the first IEM tournament in the country since Season 3. Tickets for IEM Gyeonggi are now available.

To stay up to date on IEM Season 11, follow IEM on Twitter and Facebook and visit the official website: intelextrememasters.com.

About ESL

ESL 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

Source: Press release

Image source: eslgaming.com, Photographer: Patrick Strack