gomtv posts

We all knew that StarCraft II was going to become a major game in pro gaming tournaments and it looks like its happening faster than expected. Last week Korean-based GomTV announced plans for the Global StarCraft II League. As the name implies this is a tournament than can be entered by any one in the world (subject to eligibility of course). TeamLiquid.net reports that the total prize money for the 2010 edition of the GSL is $500,00 which they claim "the most amount of money in the history of e-sports." Monthly tournaments will be held starting in late August with the grand prize winner getting $85,700. The tournaments of 2010 will serve to rank the players for the 2011 edition of the GSL. All of the monthly tournaments will be broadcast globally. Presumably we will get some kind of streaming Internet feed.

In related news, the US based pro gaming organization Major League Gaming has announced that StarCraft II has been added to the league's roster of game titles.The first MLG event that will host the game will be held in Raleigh on August 27-29 with $7,000 in prizes to be won

[Via Shacknews]

Even though eSports isn't nearly as huge here in the US as it is in South Korea, it's clear that developer Blizzard gets a lot of money from the sales of their games in that country where eSports is a major entertainment business. This past week Blizzard signed a new deal with Korean-based GomTV to broadcast tournaments that use all of Blizzard's games, including the upcoming StarCraft II, for the next three years.

Current broadcast arrangements are apparently set to expire in August, according to web site Team Liquid (who has translated Korean-based news reports on the subject). It also has a message from Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime who said that previous arrangements with Korea e-Sports Association (KeSPA) had collapsed over issues of intellectual property rights. However it looks like KeSPA sees things differently. Team Liquid reports that in response to the Blizzard-GomTV deal, KeSPA believes Blizzard has over-stretched its rights over using their games in eSports event, saying, "Car Companies do not ask for usage fees from racing car contests."