Fans from around the world can look forward to cheering on their favorites at several live events

Cologne/New York –  The StarCraft® II legacy continues as ESL, an ESL FACEIT Group brand, today announced the 2023/24 program for the ESL Pro Tour (EPT) in StarCraft II, featuring weekly ESL Open Cups, two online ESL StarCraft II Masters Regionals with live Finals, and the live EPT Championship. 

Going into the coming year, what was previously known as DreamHack StarCraft II Masters will be rebranded and titled ESL StarCraft II Masters. Players and fans can still expect the same professional competitions and excitement, while also being able to look forward to a brand-new format. 

During the ESL StarCraft II Masters, players worldwide duel in one of four online regional leagues to ultimately qualify for a spot in the live Finals:

• ESL StarCraft II Masters Summer:
  • Online Regionals on May 2 – 21, 2023
  • Finals to take place live at DreamHack Summer in Jönköping, Sweden, on June 16-18, 2023
  • Featuring a $200,000 total prize pool 

• ESL StarCraft II Masters Winter:
  • Online Regionals on October 31 – November 19, 2023 
  • Finals to take place live at DreamHack Atlanta in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, on December 15-17, 2023
  • Featuring a $200,000 total prize pool 

In order to give fans the opportunity to watch top players face off against each other on a more regular basis, the Latin America and North America regions will be combined into the Americas (AM) region, while China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Japan, Oceania, and Rest of Asia will be merged into the Asia region. The European (EU) and Korean (KR; operated by GSL) regions continue like preceding years.

After a year of tough battles and stellar action, the world’s best StarCraft II players will battle it out at the EPT StarCraft II Championship. At this pinnacle StarCraft II tournament, one of these players will ultimately lift the coveted trophy and become the new official World Champion. Stay tuned as more details about the EPT StarCraft II Championship will be announced later this year.

The open ecosystem provides opportunities for players around the world to compete in the biggest tournaments across the StarCraft II program. The 2023/24 program marks the fourth year of the renewed relationship between ESL and Blizzard. Beginning in 2023, ESL will fully fund the program, including prize money, while continuing to operate the EPT.

“EFG is committed to the StarCraft II and RTS community,” said Michael Van Driel, VP Game Ecosystems, at ESL FACEIT Group, “Earlier this year at IEM Katowice, Li “Oliveira” Peinan showed the world what it means to win the Championship title. Moments like these are why we want to continue to provide the platform for players to excel and succeed, and we look forward to seeing the fans and community unite once again this year around the ESL Pro Tour.”

Head over to the official website for more information about the ESL Pro Tour for StarCraft II, stay up to date with the latest news via Twitter, and make sure to tune in during the live transmissions on EFG’s Twitch and Youtube channels, and via dedicated broadcast partners. 

For more general information, head to eslfaceitgroup.com or follow ESL and ESL FACEIT Group on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 

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About ESL

ESL creates a world where everybody can be somebody. For more than two decades, we have been shaping the industry and leading esports and gaming innovation globally across the most popular video games, creating a comprehensive ecosystem with opportunities for players to go from zero to hero and for fans to witness the best stories esports has to offer. The ESL portfolio consists of high-profile products such as the ESL Pro Tour, Intel® Extreme Masters, the Snapdragon Pro Series, and many more, ranging from grassroots to global elite competitions. ESL is part of ESL FACEIT Group, the leading competitive games and esports company.

About ESL Pro Tour

The ESL Pro Tour combines multiple ESL tournaments from various game titles, including Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and StarCraft® II into dedicated circuits that build toward grand championships each year. The overarching structure for both global and local competitions provides aspiring players from all levels a consistent and clear path from “zero to hero”, a more compelling story to follow for existing CS:GO and StarCraft® II fans, and a more transparent structure for new esports fans.