Intel® Extreme Masters Gyeonggi Marks IEM’s First Stand-Alone Stadium Event in Asia

Korean players defend their home soil in League of Legends®, StarCraft® II, and Overwatch®

Intel® Extreme Masters returned to the birthplace of esports for the first time since Season 3 with competitions in South Korea’s most popular competitive gaming titles from December 14 – 18, 2016. IEM Gyeonggi awarded a total prize pool of $235,000 among global participants in League of Legends®, StarCraft® II, and Overwatch®.

Long-time pro player InNoVation won the StarCraft II championship title with a 4-0 sweep in the grand finals. Second place Worlds 2016 champions Samsung Galaxy took home the League of Legends IEM Gyeonggi trophy, while underdog South Korean team Luxury Watch Red claimed first place in the Overwatch IEM Gyeonggi Invitational.

Viewers from around the world consumed over 2 million hours of IEM Gyeonggi content online, with more than 3.4 million unique viewers tuning into live streams throughout the event. In addition to distribution on Twitch, Hitbox, and Azubu, IEM Gyeonggi was broadcast live on OGN, South Korea’s cable esports television channel.

In cooperation with OGN, Intel Extreme Masters was able to more authentically convey the unique history and tone of Korean esports for IEM’s return to the country after an eight year absence.” said Michal Blicharz, VP of pro gaming at ESL. “After some amazing matches in South Korea, we look forward to a two week festival of competitive gaming at the IEM World Championship in Katowice.”

We are pleased that this year’s Intel Extreme Masters in Gyeonggi saw stunning competitions with top esports teams, the addition of Overwatch for the first time at IEM, and Intel’s first standalone stadium event in Asia,” said George Woo, esports marketing manager at Intel. “Congratulations to the winners, who rely on Intel’s innovative gaming products to have a true, unparalleled gaming experience. Onto the IEM championships in Katowice, Poland in two months.”  

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

After a full week of IEM in South Korea, the longest running pro gaming tour looks toward its conclusive Season 11 event in Katowice on February 25-26 and March 3-5, marking the first IEM World Championship to span two consecutive weekends. General admission to the event is free of charge and early admission tickets are on sale now.

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

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