IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Student gamers across the United States and Canada are hereby invited to storm the Nexus as proud representatives of their schools in Blizzard Entertainment and Tespa’s 2016 Heroes of the Dorm™ competition! Featuring Blizzard’s acclaimed online team brawler Heroes of the Storm™, Heroes of the Dorm is the ultimate collegiate esports tournament, bringing together gamers from colleges and universities coast-to-coast in a celebration of teamwork, sportsmanship, and friendly competition—with members of the winning team earning free tuition for the rest of their college career! Eligible students can create or join a team today by heading to www.heroesofthedorm.com.
Esports fans will be able to follow the action on ESPN networks, who will once again deliver live coverage of the events on television and digital platforms—including early rounds on ESPN3 and the Heroic Four and Grand Finals telecast on ESPN2. Viewers will also have a chance to cheer on their favorite schools and win prizes of their own in the Heroes of the Dorm bracket challenge, which kicks off in the weeks ahead. Altogether, more than $500,000 in tuition and other prizes is on the line as part of this year’s event.
“Last year’s Heroes of the Dorm was an amazing experience for the students playing and everyone watching, and we’re excited to again offer college athletes an epic opportunity to team up and compete for scholarships in 2016,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “It’s inspiring to see players from last year’s championship team, the UC Berkeley Golden Bears, now thriving in pro esports careers—we look forward to seeing how this year’s competitors shape the future of competitive gaming.”
Makin’ It Rain Tuition Money (and More)
When the Grand Finals conclude and the 2016 Heroes of the Dorm champion is crowned, each player on the winning team will walk away with up to $75,000 in tuition for their college career. Students interested in playing in this year’s tournament should get their teams together quickly—registration is open now through February 18, with online qualifiers taking place between February 20 and March 6. To create or join a team, or to find complete official rules, eligibility details, and prizing details, visit www.heroesofthedorm.com.
Watch Live on ESPN Networks
The inaugural Heroes of the Dorm tournament in 2015 marked the first time in history that a collegiate esports event was telecast live on ESPN2. Teams from more than 460 schools battled through grueling elimination rounds on a quest to claim the championship. All the intense action of this year’s Heroes of the Dorm competition, starting with the Round of 64, will be available for viewing, live on digital platforms and on television, through a renewed agreement with ESPN. The Round of 64, Round of 32, Round of 16, and Round of 8 portions of the tournament will be streamed live on ESPN3 across digital platforms and also on Twitch and YouTube™, and the “Heroic Four” and Grand Finals showdown will take place in front of a live audience and will be aired on ESPN2 on April 9 and 10—be sure to watch live, because this is an esports event you won’t want to miss!
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Tournament Stage |
Date |
Where to Watch Live |
||||
| Round of 64 | March 19 | ESPN3, Twitch, YouTube | ||||
| Round of 32 | March 20 | ESPN3, Twitch, YouTube | ||||
| Round of 16 | March 26 | ESPN3, Twitch, YouTube | ||||
| Round of 8 | March 27 | ESPN3, Twitch, YouTube | ||||
| Heroic Four | April 9 | ESPN2 | ||||
| Grand Finals | April 10 | ESPN2 | ||||
ESPN coverage of the event will also be available online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app, and streamed on televisions through connected devices. Additional programming details, including when you can watch VODs on YouTube of any matches you may have missed, will be announced in the weeks ahead.
Play the Heroes of the Dorm Bracket Challenge
Even if you’re not a college student, you’ll still be able to show your school spirit—and compete for a shot at winning some great prizes in the process—by participating in this year’s Heroes of the Dorm bracket challenge. The bracket challenge invites esports fans around the world to predict which of the top 64 teams will emerge victorious, and then share their brackets with friends and rivals, with $10,000 USD going to the most accurate bracket. More information on this year’s bracket challenge, including rules and complete prizing information, will be announced closer to the start of the Round of 64.
Heroes of the Storm brings together a diverse cast of iconic characters from Blizzard’s far-flung realms of science fiction and fantasy, including the Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® universes, and challenges them to compete in epic, adrenaline-charged battles. To learn more about Heroes of the Storm, head over to the official website at www.heroesofthestorm.com.
With multiple games in development, Blizzard Entertainment has numerous positions currently available—visit http://jobs.blizzard.com for more information and to learn how to apply.
About Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft® and the Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® franchises, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating some of the industry’s most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard Entertainment’s track record includes nineteen #1 games* and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company’s online-gaming service, Battle.net®, is one of the largest in the world, with millions of active players.
*Sales and/or downloads. Based on internal company records and reports from key distribution partners.
About Tespa
Tespa is the premier college gaming network in North America, dedicated to creating a home for gamers on every campus. Recognized as the leader in collegiate gaming, Tespa cultivates student communities that host epic gaming events on campuses in the United States and Canada, and plans to distribute over $650,000 in scholarship prizing in 2016. To date, Tespa has had students from over 1200 universities compete in its college tournaments and has empowered student leaders to become entrepreneurs in the gaming industry.
About ESPN and esports
ESPN has a long history of delivering live programming, coverage and content to esports fans. In January 2016, ESPN.com officially launched an esports vertical offering comprehensive coverage surrounding the world of competitive gaming. Prior to that, ESPN3 carried live coverage of BlizzCon and The International Dota 2 Championships over the past two years as well as the 2014 League of Legends tournament. The network also previously delivered exclusive live coverage of Heroes of the Dorm, with the final airing live on ESPN2 – the first ever live, televised coverage of a collegiate esports event for ESPN. Additionally, ESPN The Magazine debuted its first-ever esports Issue in May featuring profiles on gaming superstars including Faker, a behind-the-scenes look at MLG’s Dota 2 tournament and a cover story on Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch creating his own Call of Duty character.
