N3rd Street Gamers, a development-minded esports network, is launching a National Championship Series in 2019. The NCS will consist of more than 10 live competitions across the country, culminating in Grand Finals played at Denver’s Localhost Arena in Dec. 2019 with prizes of $50,000 per video game.
Comcast Spectacor and SeventySix Capital have invested in N3rd Street Gamers as the company seeks to fill a void for sub-elite esports competition. N3rd Street caters to amateur and semipro gamers with four tiers of NCS skill levels: Academy, Minor, Major, and the Grand Finals. Entry fees are intended to be affordable and, in some cases, free.
In 2019, the NCS will sponsor a championship tournament for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. N3rd Street Gamers will also host regional events and training programs for Overwatch, Hearthstone, StarCraft II, Call of Duty, Fortnite, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG), and several other fighting and sports games. The cities that will host events include Philadelphia, Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Arlington, Chicago, Boston, Washington DC, and Kansas City.
“Placement in the NCS Grand Finals holds a lot of prestige,” said John Fazio, founder and CEO of N3rd Street Gamers, in a statement. “Not only is the prize pool much larger, but the opportunity for anyone to show off their talent in front of tens of thousands of people is unparalleled. Players can enter at the Academy Tier at a very low cost. If they’re good enough, they can win their way all the way to the finals to be seen in front of the entire country.”
SportTechie Takeaway
Riot Games’ head of esports for North America, Chris Hopper, recently described the difficulty many teenagers face making the transition to the pro ranks. Suddenly they are expected to play and train more than ever, compete in large tournaments in front of large crowds, and make financially sensible decisions about what might be a significant income, too. “And needing to make that transition seamlessly,” Hopper said. For that reason, Riot wants to implement programs to help young gamers succeed.
That plan pertains just to Riot’s League of Legends but speaks of an issue that exists throughout the esports ecosystem. N3rd Street Gamers is now taking the lead on addressing the problem more widely. Implementing a national tournament structure ought to help prepare future esports pros for the rigors of the elite level.