PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds Invitational happened this week in Berlin, Germany, and Rocket League developer Psyonix boosted the prize pool for the game's esport tournaments to six figures. The League of Legends Championship Series continues to draw in large crowds and the International Olympic Committee took the first steps in recognizing professional gaming.
PUBG's five-year plan
PUBG Corp., the developer of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, announced during a media event the company wishes to invest over the next five years on building foundations for a battle royale esports system that can be used to run tournaments. The goal is to run the esports side of the business as a self-sustainable entity, which will be funded through merchandise, in-game digital content, with revenue sharing opportunities. In-game hoodies have been designed for this week's PGI 2018 twenty finalist teams, which are on sale for $9.99.
One area the developer has correctly identified as room for improvement is the spectator system. Action can be hectic with large-scale games and viewers are going to need to see everything, as are casters who rely on footage to relay information to the audience. Also, leagues will be run with relegations, unlike franchised positions other games have adopted. PGI 2018 kicked off this week in Berlin.
Rocket League scores big
Rocket League is an insane game, not only for amateur play but also esports. If you're somehow not familiar with the title, it's football but with small RC vehicles and awesome acrobatics. Psyonix, the developer of Rocket League, announced the prize pool for the League Championship Series will be increased to $1 million for season six. That's not assigned to the winning spot, meaning teams will be able to participate to take home chunks of the prize pool.
It mainly shows just how fast Rocket League is growing within the esports scene. Many still view esports as being dominated by the MOBAs like League of Legends, but PUBG and Rocket League are busy building the community around their respective genres. The Rival Series has also made a return with signups currently open until August 6. This is open to anyone with verified accounts, making it open to essentially any Rocket League gamer.
The stage is set for the Rainbow Six Siege Paris Major
Rainbow Six esports continues to grow and alongside the current Pro League season, the best teams in the world will soon be headed to France.
They're not there to just take in the ambiance and the romance of Paris, but to fight for their share of the $350,000 prize pool. And the group stage draw has thrown up one particularly spicy looking set of matches.
Of the four groups, D certainly looks like the toughest with Rogue, FaZe Clan, Orgless and IDK going head to head for a place in bracket play. Current Pro League champions, Team Liquid, head up Group A, while the mighty Penta will take their spot in Group B.
The Six Major Paris will begin on August 13 with the group stage matches behind closed doors. On August 17 the public is invited to take in the action as the quarter-finals begin, and tickets are still available
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