Activision Blizzard Announces Hearthstone World Championship: Heroes of Warcraft 2016

The well-known video game publisher seems to be serious about the development of eSports, and this also applies to the Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft megapopular title. The US company announced the details of the 2016 Hearthstone Championship Tour, and it will be very different from the event that took place this year.

According to The Verge, much more money will be allocated to hold the championship next year than before. The prize fund of the 2016 championship finals will be $ 1 million, which is four times the prize money of the current year.

Along with the increased budget, a series of tournaments, which will be held throughout the year, also received a new, more structured format. Gamers from the Asia-Pacific region, Europe and America will compete in a series of seasonal tournaments throughout the year, and their victories will bring them a place in the final. The World Championship will be attended by four gamers from the above regions, as well as four participants from China. Oddly enough, but in the Celestial Kingdom qualifying rounds will be held somewhat differently. For each regional championship allocated 100 thousand dollars of the prize fund.
')
Recall that the championship final in 2015 was held recently - in November in Anaheim. A new competition, in fact, will begin today - with the DreamHack Winter 2015 event in Sweden. By the end of the year, the best 16 players who will enter the final bout for the main award will be known.

Activision Blizzard is the parent company of Blizzard. Recently, she has made a serious leap in the world of electronic sports, and the Hearthstone Championship is just one of the recent evidence.

In September, the company announced a new competitive league for Call of Duty, and the event’s prize fund was $ 3 million. Earlier this month, the World Heroes of the Storm tournament was held, which also had a huge prize pool of $ 1.2 million. The publisher also created a separate e-sports section, which is headed by former ESPN CEO Steve Bornstein. “I am sure that eSports will be able to become a serious competitor to traditional sports in terms of future opportunities,” said Bornstein, explaining this decision.