DreamHack Winter 2023 Concludes with Record-Breaking Attendance

Over 45,000 attendees gather across the weekend to witness enthralling esports, expo, music and more!

November 27, 2023, STOCKHOLM  — DreamHack Winter 2023, the three-day gaming lifestyle festival presented by ESL FACEIT Group and partner Elgiganten, has come to a close. With over 45,000 in attendance at the Elmia Congress Center in Jönköping, Sweden, DreamHack Winter saw record-breaking Saturday attendance figures, with ticket sales increasing 25% from last year’s event. 

Alongside live music, expo, the festival featured several gaming tournaments, including the first-ever Counter-Strike 2 tournament in Sweden ESL Challenger, eFIBA Season 2 World Finals, and the ESL R1 2023 Fall Major, alongside cosplay championships, creator meet-and-greets, live music, and much, much more!

Please find the breakdown of festival highlights and winners across all tournaments below.

COMPETITION RESULTS

Brawl Stars World Finals Draws To An Exciting Close
After two intense days of Brawl Stars competition, the final day of the Brawl Stars World Finals saw the best players competing in the Semifinals and Grand Final. After a long day of jaw-dropping matches, it was ZETA DIVISION who came away as World Champion for the third time running, taking home the largest piece of the $750,000 prize pool.

eFIBA Season 2 World Finals Champions
In the exhilarating eFIBA Season 2 Grand Finals, the USA secured a sensational triumph, clinching victories of 55-50 (Game 1) and 65-35 (Game 2) against the formidable French team. The historic in-person eFIBA Finals delivered a spellbinding conclusion on Sunday, with the USA emerging victorious following a series of riveting matches.

The USA began their Group Stages in spectacular style, finishing first in their group, followed by an impressive performance against the Philippines in the semi-finals that saw them proceed to the Grand Finals. The tension escalated in a nail-biting deciding game between Turkey and France, with France emerging triumphant with a commanding 57-37 victory to claim a well-deserved spot in the finals alongside the USA.

With the biggest share of the €50,000 (approx. $55,000) prize pool and the title of World Champions on the line, the USA took the game to France and claimed the trophy in spectacular fashion. Mason ‘Johhnyred’ Bracken was crowned MVP, and Yacine ‘Waarnocks’ Jemel took the title of Defensive Player of the Year, earning both players an additional €2,500 (approx. $2,700) each in prize money.

ESL Challenger, One of Sweden’s First Counter-Strike 2 Tournaments, Crowns New Champion

One of Sweden’s first-ever Counter-Strike 2 tournament, ESL Challenger Jönköping saw the recently released title thrust into the hands of elite competitive players at DreamHack Winter. The three-day tournament saw fierce competition, with the top four teams including Virtus.Pro, Monte, Eternal Fire, and MIBR.  

Monte and Eternal Fire went head-to-head in a thrilling finale, with Monte emerging as the ultimate victor, solidifying their position as the standout team of the entire competition and securing both the lion’s share of the $100,000 prize pool alongside qualification for ESL Pro League Season 19. 

Elsewhere, GODSENT won the DreamHack Winter 2023 BYOC LAN tournament, beating Apeks Rebels 2-0 in a best of three series. 

ESL R1 Fall Major Concludes 

The ESL R1 2023 Fall Season concluded with an exciting two-day Major at DreamHack Winter.Day 1 featured eight intense rounds that narrowed the top 24 drivers down to the final 12 with Sebastion Job from G2 leading in to day 2. On day 2 it took and incredible 9 races to find the winner and in the end, Sebastian “Sebi” Job of G2 Esports lost his lead and secured the second spot overall, with Dáire McCormack of Mercedes-AMG Williams claiming third. However, it was Joshua Rogers from Porsche Coanda who after an amazing race on Spa-Francorchamps emerged victorious, earning the largest portion of the €225,000 (approx. $246,000) prize pool.

Fortnite Battle Royale Duos Sees The Legendary LAN Tournament Return
Away from the pro esports tournaments, the Fortnite Battle Royale Duos tournament took place, allowing LAN visitors to participate and a chance to win a stake of the 125,000 SEK (over $10,000) prize pool. Taking place over four days, duos competed in a variety of Single Elimination and Heat rounds, before leading into the Final on the Sunday, where formidable duo Mr Savage and Pinq walked away from DreamHack Winter victorious, with bragging rights and a sizeable monetary prize.

FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS

Alongside nail-biting esports tournaments, DreamHack Winter showcased the very best of the gaming and lifestyle landscape. From the Cosplay Championships to DreamHack’s renowned BYOC LAN Party, this year marked another incredible offering for guests, with a massive opening ceremony kick starting the weekend in style. Watch the opening ceremony here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNLOenhKh9s  
 

Musical talent took to the main stage across several nights, injecting the audience with pulse-pounding music that had everyone moving. Friday kicked off with phenomenal performances from acts such as BELL and Frontliner, with Saturday concluding the musical festivities with showings from Estraden and DJ Altego.

Husqvarna, the Swedish outdoor tech company, grasped attendee attention with their unique celebration of DOOM’s birthday. In collaboration with Bethesda, the team continued the trend of pushing DOOM onto as many devices as possible by allowing players to play the iconic FPS directly from a lawn mower. Guests had the chance to check out this one-of-a-kind experience, and even get involved in a DOOM 1 vs. 1 tournament, played directly from the gardening device itself.

Elsewhere, guests immersed themselves in other activities such as the LEGO® Builders Zone, where attendees had the chance to meet LEGO Master stars and dive into the LEGO ocean to build to their heart’s content. Festival attendees also had the opportunity to check out the Battle Zone, the chance to chill out and play games in the Freeplay Area, and many other activities, such as the Tabletop Arena and Arcade.

Furthermore, over 200 content creators and influencers could be found across the weekend at the DreamHack Winter Creator Hub, with appearances from Elajjaz, Kandyland, AnnieFuchsia, and many more. Fans got the chance to meet & greet their favourite creators, along with the opportunity to involve themselves in Creator Gameshows such as Battle of Wits or Identify.

Last, but certainly not least, DreamHack Winter saw the return of the Cosplay Championship, with a staggering 25,000 SEK (over $2,000) prize pool up for grabs. Judged by professional cosplayers Amenoo, Mistvein and Sophie Riis, first place winners included:

• Novice Winner: CosSiz Flos (Astrid from How to Train Your Dragon 2)
• Artisan Winner: 8Z Cosplay (Buster Oak Thump from Oh no! Kobolds!)
• Expert Winner: Cat’s Cosplay Kingdom (Senua from Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice)
• Judge’s Choice: Triptrap (Ignuin, Witch Hat Atelier), Sting (Lysithea from Fire Emblem: Three Houses) and Misa Cosplay (as Tiny Tina, Borderlands 3)