NEW YORK and LOS ANGELES – March 13, 2018 -- The BIG EAST Conference and ESL, the world’s largest independent esports company, today announced that select BIG EAST Conference schools will participate in an esports pilot program, BIG EAST Esports Invitational Powered by ESL, starting on March 19 with broadcasted finals on April 14-15, 2018.
 
Participating colleges have the option to compete in Rocket League® by Psyonix  and League of Legends by Riot Games. ESL will conduct matches online on ESL Play, with the top four teams from each game title moving on to compete in the semifinals and then finals which will be broadcasted on Twitch.
 
“ESL’s extensive experience in esports will be a major asset as we begin to build an exciting new student program under the BIG EAST umbrella,” said Val Ackerman, BIG EAST Commissioner. “The BIG EAST has a strong, deep sports culture, and the integration of esports on our campuses will only fuel that passion.”
 
The BIG EAST esports pilot program is open to all conference schools and will be an opportunity for the conference to engage with a new segment of the student body on each participating campus. The ultimate goal of the program is to grow esports awareness and participation on each campus and create a regular season that concludes with a championship experience, similar to traditional sports.               
 
“Collegiate esports is an incredibly important piece of the player and fan ecosystem,” said Craig Levine, Global Chief Strategy Officer, ESL. “Through this partnership with the BIG EAST, we hope to
build esports communities on university campuses in a responsible way and provide more opportunities for students to compete against rival schools within their conference.”
 
The pilot program will also assist the member institutions of Butler, Creighton, DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, St. John’s, Seton Hall, Villanova and Xavier, in evaluating the gaming communities that currently exist on their campuses and providing a competitive outlet for interested students.
 
For more information about the BIG EAST Esports Invitational powered by ESL visit  www.bigeast.com/esports.
 
About BIG EAST
The BIG EAST Conference is an association of ten nationally prominent colleges and universities that foster healthy athletic competition, community service and the pursuit of excellence in academic environments.  The athletic programs of BIG EAST institutions provide national-caliber participation opportunities for more than 3,727 student-athletes on over 180 men’s and women’s teams in 22 sports.  Established in 1979 and headquartered in New York City, the BIG EAST’s members are located in seven of the country’s top 35 largest media markets and include Butler University, Creighton University, DePaul University, Georgetown University, Marquette University, Providence College, St. John’s University, Seton Hall University, Villanova University and Xavier University.  For more information, visit www.bigeast.com.
 
About ESL
ESL, a part of the international digital entertainment group MTG, is the world's largest independent esports company, leading the industry across the most popular video games with numerous online and offline competitions. It operates high profile, branded international and national leagues and tournaments such as the Intel® Extreme Masters, ESL One, ESL National Championships and other top tier stadium-size events, as well as grassroots amateur cups, leagues and matchmaking systems. ESL covers a broad field of services in gaming technology, event management, advertising and television production, fully catering to the needs of the esports ecosystem. With offices in North America, Germany, Russia, France, Poland, Spain, UK, China, and partners in many other countries, it has a truly global footprint. (www.eslgaming.com)
 
About League of Legends
League of Legends is a fast-paced, team-oriented online game where two teams of five compete in intense 5v5 battles that require strategic thinking, lightning reflexes, and coordinated team-play. Over 100 million people play League of Legends each month, making LoL the most-played PC video game in the world. Riot Games, the creators of League of Legends, hosts a college League of Legends season every year with over 300 competing schools in the 2018 season.  
 
About Rocket League®
Winner or nominee of more than 150 “Game of the Year” awards, Rocket League is one of the most critically-acclaimed sports games of our generation. Boasting a community of more than 42 million players, Rocket League is a high-powered hybrid of arcade-style soccer and vehicular mayhem with easy-to-understand controls and fluid, physics-driven competition. Available on Nintendo Switch™, PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One, Windows PC, Mac, and SteamOS via Steam, Rocket League includes more than 100 billion possible customization combinations, a fully-featured offline season mode, multiple game types, casual and competitive online matches, and special “Mutators” that let you change the rules entirely.