The Winnipeg Jets will host the ‘Official Winnipeg Jets NHL 19 Tournament’ in what will be one of the first of its kind in North America.
NHL gamers will have the opportunity to battle against each other as registration opens for the esports tournament. Players from across North America will compete so that they can make the trip up to Winnipeg in Canada in order to showcase their skills and battle for the prize money.
The tournaments online qualifying rounds begin on January 19th whilst the Grand Finals will be held in Winnipeg on February 18th.
Tournament Schedule:
- Registration Opens: Jan. 3, 2019
- Online Qualifiers: Jan. 19, 20, 26 & 27, 2019
- Online Closed Qualifiers: Feb. 9 & 10, 2019
- Grand Finals and Show Match (In Winnipeg): Feb. 18, 2019
Players are able to sign up to the tournament via World Gaming Networks Official Tournament Platform. Competitors from both Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles will compete in separate brackets before the winning player from each console will compete in order to be crowned the Winnipeg Jets NHL 19 Champion.
The final will be streamed live on JetsTV and via the Jets’ social media platforms – Twitch included. Following the final, each finalist will then pair up with a Winnipeg Jets NHL player to compete in a two-on-two show match.
Tournament Prizes
- Grand Final Champion – $4,500 + Winnipeg Jets Jersey + Participation in the Show Match
- Grand Final Runner up – $2,000 + Winnipeg Jets Jersey + Participation in the Show Match
- Xbox One and PS4 Runner ups: $500 + Winnipeg Jets Jersey
- 5th – 8th Place: Winnipeg Jets Jersey
Attracting new fans with esports
Winnipeg Jets are looking to use the tournament in order to attract a new generation of fans. Esports have become a global phenomenon throughout the world – children and young adults are now growing up in a technologically advanced world and are introduced to fun and exciting video games at an early age. Easy to access competitive gaming streams are available via streaming services such as Twitch, 24/7.
Rather than going out to an NHL match, the new generation of sports fans are playing sports on their games consoles and watching streams online. This is why NHL clubs such as Winnipeg are making the effort to entice young people to support their club by working with esports organizers.
The English Premier League and esports
NBA teams as well as soccer clubs are also working with esports in order to attract new fans. The biggest soccer league in the world – the English Premier League – is about to launch its first esports competition – the ‘ePremier League.’ Esports athletes from around the world will be competing and representing their clubs in the ePremier League on FIFA 19. EA Sports’ FIFA Football franchise has become the game of choice for the esports soccer scene.
The FIFA franchise is one of the most popular video games in the world with tens of millions of people playing the game worldwide. Whether or not FIFA esports can surpass the popularity of regular soccer remains to be seen. The fact that anyone is able to play, watch and bet on FIFA, like they would a regular soccer match, without the need to pay for the ever-rising ticket prices or pay-per-view streams, means that soccer as an esport is more accessible to younger audiences than regular soccer is. This is why so many soccer clubs – in Europe especially – have signed esports athletes in order to represent them at esports tournaments.
As for the NHL, it is easy to see why they are looking to join forces with World Gaming in order to bring together both real NHL and virtual NHL. Will this increase NHL viewership with new generations of sports fans? Time will tell.
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