DreamHack Atlanta Delivers Most Ambitious Programming Lineup With Emphasis on Community Connections

Atlanta’s Three-Day Gaming Lifestyle Festival Featured Largest-Ever Footprints for Artists, Indie Developers, and Creators

ATLANTA  — October 6, 2024 – ESL FACEIT Group (EFG), the leading esports and video game entertainment company, and gaming lifestyle festival DreamHack today announced that  DreamHack Atlanta welcomed tens of thousands of attendees to the Georgia World Congress Center from October 4-6. The festival featured larger-than-ever programs including its Creator Hub (with over 500 influencers attending), Indie Playground, Artist Alley, and more, bringing another celebration of gaming, esports, music and pop culture to the city.

“This year’s DreamHack Atlanta celebrated communities across gaming and pop culture, and we saw local fans come together on the show floor,” said Guy Blomberg, Event Director, DreamHack Festivals, Americas. “From indie gamers to esports fans to tabletop diehards, we’re proud to have created outlets for every type of gamer to celebrate the fandoms they love most.”

DreamHack Atlanta brings everything gaming under one roof, including esports tournaments, immersive gaming experiences, and showcases from indie developers, artists, and cutting-edge technology. This year, DreamHack Atlanta put special emphasis on the Atlanta community, especially after the challenges locals have faced after Hurricane Helene. Half of the festival’s Indie Playground and Artist Alley featured Georgia-native creatives, and the festival’s collaboration with Games Week Georgia plugged it into a broader celebration of the state’s gaming industry. 

Up next, DreamHack heads to Stockholm for its first-ever festival in the Swedish capital – the country where it all began 30 years ago. Tickets for DreamHack Stockholm, which runs November 22-24 at Stockholmsmässan, are on sale starting at 799 SEK (~$77 USD) for 3-day tickets and 1-day tickets starting at 259 SEK (~$25 USD). For more information, visit dreamhack.com/stockholm.

Expo Highlights

Copyright: Adam Antor, ESL FACEIT Group

Indie Game Developers and Artists Showcase Atlanta’s Vibrant Gaming Industry

Supporting game developers of all sizes, DreamHack Atlanta’s Indie Playground featured dozens of new and upcoming titles, ranging from 8-bit sidescrollers to VR platformers. Attendees had the opportunity to try out the games, meet their creators, and connect with organizations that support Atlanta’s game developer community. Next to the Indie Playground, over 60 creatives – half of whom hail from Georgia – filled the Artist Alley, offering an assortment of hand-made prints, merch, pins, and plushies. Both areas of the show floor achieved record-setting scale, putting an even greater emphasis on Atlanta’s small businesses.

DreamHack’s Main Stage was a Doozy ft. Shaboozey, Cosplay, Drag & Drop, and More 

The Main Stage at DreamHack Atlanta featured a range of performances from top artists, professional drag queens, and interactive shows designed to keep the energy up high for the entire weekend. Highlights include:

• Live musical performances featured a show-stopping performance from country and hip hop icon Shaboozey, opening DJ sets from IAmBrandon, and karaoke for all guests. 
• Fantasy took over the Main Stage with the return of iconic dungeon master Brennan Lee Mulligan to DreamHack orchestrating a spooky one-shot adventure. His party of celebrity guests – including voice actresses Erika Ishii, Anjali Bhimani, and Aliza Pearl, and actor Zac Oyama – explored a decrepit barnyard and rolled dice with the audience to save it from the rule of the Grim Harvester. 
• Drag & Drop was hosted by the dazzling Biqtch Puddin’, and featured star-studded choreography from professional drag performers Brigitte Bidet, Dotte Com, Lawrie Bird, and more. 
• Creators hosted a range of events on stage, from Agent00’s NBA2K25 Showdown to Jackbox Games with a gaggle of influencers and actors. 

Streamers Came to Collaborate and Connect at Record-Setting Creator Hub

DreamHack Atlanta featured the largest number of creators the festival has ever brought to the city. Over 500 creators from a host of platforms flocked to the festival’s Creator Hub to network with their peers, host panels at the DreamHack Theater, and stream live from the show floor. Key guests included Agent00,  Amouranth, bbjess, Benjammins, Demisux, DrLupo, Omareloff, and many more. 

DreamHack Atlanta’s Cosplay Contest Celebrates Veteran, Rising Cosplayers

DreamHack Atlanta continued to celebrate creativity and artistry with its renowned Cosplay Competition, where fans showed off their detailed costumes inspired by various video games, anime, and pop culture. The competition offered a total prize purse of $10,000. Final results are as follows: 

• Expert
  • First: Bridoof ($1,000)
  • Second: Twilla Pop ($500)
  • Third: Hooded Woman Cosplay ($300) 
• Artisan
  • First: Rosemary Maiden ($500)
  • Second: Yub Yub Commander ($200)
  • Third: Battle Angel Cosplay ($100)
• Novice
  • First: Vera_Jade_Cosplay ($300)
  • Second: Skim_Milk_Cosplay ($100)
  • Third: skippercosplay ($50)
• Youth
  • First: RXV ($75)
  • Second: sweeteststrawbi ($50)
  • Third: Gumi_Bear ($25)
• Judge’s Choice
  • dragon_in_disguise (Awarded by pumpkin.pixie.princess)
  • Gigabytecosplay (Awarded by Abradorable)
  • Fizzily Cosplay and SandiErrzza (awarded by Charmanda)

DreamHack Atlanta Expands Tabletop Offerings with Dungeons & Dragons One-Shots, Warhammer Tournaments, and Drop-In Game Sessions

This year, the tabletop scene made an impressive impact with an exciting new addition: the introduction of the Tabletop Tavern, created in partnership with Lynnvander. Fans were captivated and treated to daily Dungeons and Dragons one-shots featuring celebrity guests, including the Desi Quest adventuring party, Mela Lee, Damien Haas, Johnny Young, Justine Huxley, Keith Baker, and many more, creating unforgettable moments. The excitement didn’t stop there, as the festival’s Warhammer tournament drew 150 passionate competitors, showcasing the community’s enthusiasm for tabletop gaming in a battle for strategic supremacy. To top it all off, over 300 attendees also had the chance to drop-in and learn a variety of new games, making the tabletop experience an immersive event for beginners and experts alike. 

Esports Highlights

Copyright: Rachel Matthews, ESL FACEIT Group

Elevate Claims Global Title in Call of Duty: Mobile World Championship 2024 by Snapdragon Pro Series

After bringing an undefeated record into Day 3 of competition, Elevate triumphed to claim the lion’s share of the $1 million prize pool and hoist the Call of Duty: Mobile World Championship’s coveted trophy. Semifinal play featured a diverse mix of global powerhouses, including Brazilian representatives Galorys and Chinese-based Q9 and XROCK. In the end, the Grand Finals between Elevate and Q9 ended in a commanding 4-0 series victory for the Filipino squad. 

“Through the hardship, there was happiness,” said Mark “Olea” Alexis Olea, coach of Elevate. “They were champions here – they paved their way through it.”

FlyQuest Wins ESL Challenger Title, Qualifies for ESL Pro League Season 21

FlyQuest made a dominant run through the ESL Challenger Atlanta bracket to claim the title and qualify for ESL Pro League Season 21. After dominating in the Group Stage and punching their ticket directly to the semifinals, the Australian squad’s showing was defined by close matches, taking games off of BB Team, SAW, Wildcard, and eventually BIG to win it all in the Grand Final and claim their first international LAN trophy.

“I think off of my recent form I’ve reflected a lot and used a lot of the resources FlyQuest and the boys have given me,” said FlyQuest’s Alistair “aliStair” Johnston. “The boys are always pushing me forward and I’m glad today that I could show a good performance for them because they always have my back.” 

The DreamHack Collegiate Invitational featured matches in VALORANT, Rocket League, and Overwatch 2

Over 300 college students rallied together to organize, broadcast, and compete in a three-title, multi-school scholastic esports tournament featuring Overwatch 2, Rocket League, and VALORANT. After three days of competition on the show floor, only a handful of universities advanced to Championship Sunday. Final results include:

• Overwatch 2: Winthrop Esports
• Rocket League: Kennesaw State University Esports
• VALORANT: Winthrop Esports

DreamHack Fighters Flaunts Atlanta’s Competitive Fighting Game Community with $32,500 Prize Pool Across Seven Titles

DreamHack hosted fierce competition in the fighting game arena, where eight open tournaments took center stage as both veterans and rookies fought for the crown. A mix of fan-favorite game titles attracted aspiring competitors and a passionate crowd, with featured titles: 

• GranBlue Fantasy Versus: Rising
  • Prize Money: $1,500
  • Winner: Ladewaybac
• Guilty Gear: Strive 
  • Prize Money: $2,500
  • Winner: Razzo
• Mortal Kombat 1
  • Prize Money: $1,500
  • Winner: Bandinoz
• Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Doubles)
  • Prize Money: $500
  • Winners: Fatality & Jahzz0
• Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (1v1)
  • Prize Money: $5,000
  • Winner: omega
• Street Fighter 6
  • Prize Money: $10,000
  • Winner: Punk
• TEKKEN 8
  • Prize Money: $10,000
  • Winner: NinjaKilla
• Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3
  • Prize Money: $1,500
  • Winner: Escalante

For more images and assets from DreamHack Atlanta, click HERE. For more information on ESL FACEIT Group, visit eslfaceitgroup.com and follow EFG on LinkedIn.