The Melbourne Esports Open debuted last weekend and brought in more than 12,000 avid esports fans to Melbourne Park.
The event, which took place from September 1-2, saw fans of all ages turn up to watch, play and compete in the biggest number of live esports tournaments ever held at an event in Australia.
Co-promoter of the event and TEG’s chief executive Geoff Jones said the success of this year’s Melbourne Esports Open proves that “esports has a bright future on Australia’s major events calendar.”
He added: “We see in Europe, Asia and North America that major esports tournaments attract live audiences of 40,000 to 50,000 fans and millions online.
“There is no reason to doubt that Australia can follow that trend and make the Melbourne Esports Open a huge live event and a significant global esports competition.
“I commend the TEG Live team and our co-promoters for producing a spectacular live event that has set a new benchmark in Australia’s esports landscape, but we now have the challenge to make it bigger and better in 2019.”
The League of Legends’ Oceanic Pro League Grand Final was the main event on Sunday, with fan favourites and four-time champions the Dire Wolves taking home the trophy after toppling the Chiefs Esports Club in a 3-1 victory. The Dire Wolves will now represent Australia in the League of Legends World Championship in South Korea, and represent the Oceania region in the global championship.
“Bringing thousands of esports fans to the spiritual home of sport in Melbourne has been a monumental task for our team,” said Nick Vanzetti, SVP of ESL Asia-Pacific Japan. “To see this scale of event come to life is a testament to the growth of esports in Australia, and we expect next year’s Melbourne Esports Open to continue this growth.”
Image: Jamie McInall
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