The World Cyber Games returns, set to run from the end of 2022 to July 2023, with a Grand Finals Event. The tournament, hosted by Bigpicture Interactive Co., will run a competitive league for several games. It will feature teams representing different nations, organizations, and influencers. Here’s what we know so far:
The Games
The World Cyber Games has a new presentation to mark its different organizers. They also changed the focus of their games, considering global popularity. The games that will feature in the tournament include:
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- Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
- Clash Royale
- Hearthstone
- Valorant
It’s interesting to note that there are no specific requirements to join. Anyone can participate regardless of skill, akin to old-school tournaments. Gamers who participate will become a part of the WCG Challenge which features several missions they can complete. There is also WCG Land, which is a pixel art competition.
WCG Rivals
Apart from the free-for-all tournament, WCG Rivals will also begin on December 16. It will feature prestigious and unknown teams competing, with the inaugural match as Japan vs. Korea. The teams will include professional gamers and influencers from both countries. WCG intends to stream the event through Twitch, YouTube, and AfreecaTV.
All of the Rivals events will then have an announced date from thereon. WCG will tally the results and have the top performers enter a playoff leading to the Grand Finals. The Grand Finals will take place in a separate offline event in July 2023. The organizers hope to combine the feel of old-school WCG with more modern tournaments.
A Different Kind of WCG
At one point in time, the WCG was the premier tournament. It was revolutionary in how it tried to emulate big sports tournaments where there was little opportunity. The original event in 2000 featured titles such as:
- Quake III Arena
- StarCraft: Brood War
- Age of Empires II
- FIFA 2000
After several tournaments held in Korea, they then began their foray into international waters. In 2004, they hosted WCG in San Francisco. Other locations in the coming years included Singapore, Italy, Seattle, and Cologne, Germany. Other games featured in the history of WCG include:
- Halo: Combat Evolved
- Asphalt 4: Elite Racing
- Counter-Strike: Source
- Guitar Hero 3
- Tekken 6
- And many more
After 2013, WCG found it more difficult to organize events. The CEO, Brad Lee, announced they were now closing the tournament. It was mainly because of difficulty working with others. A few years later, Korean publisher Smilegate acquired WCG to restore it to its former glory.
It led to WCG 2018 and 2019, which all had moderate success. They canceled the event shortly afterward. The 2022 event is the latest iteration, and the company hopes to springboard into relevance after this.
However, it is a very different environment. The availability of tournaments makes it challenging to try and get some traction.
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