The professional and casual Starcraft II communities will collide at the Melbourne Esports Open this year. The annual festival of esports revealed two separate events for the Blizzard franchise today.
Attendees will be able to enter the Melbourne Starcraft Open, a community tournament at the event, while fans of the game will be able to watch the best teams in Asia battle it out in the season four finals of the ANZ-SEA Starcraft II Pro League.
The Melbourne Starcraft Open will be open to anyone with a ticket for the event. Players will be pitted against each other in qualifiers on the Saturday before Sunday’s main event on stage at the Melbourne Arena.
The winner of the Melbourne Starcraft Open will win a trip to IEM Katowice 2020 to play at one of the most prestigious events on the calendar. There will also be prizes for the best finishers based on rank, meaning players of all skill levels will have a chance to take something home.
The less mechanically-inclined fans will be able to spectate the finals of the ANZ-SEA Starcraft II Pro League. The top two teams from Australia and the wider Southeast Asia area will head to Melbourne for a live final on Sept. 1.
Four teams sit on top of the ANZ-SEA Pro League ladder tied with a 4-2 record, including Legacy Esports, home to one of Australia’s most decorated Starcraft II players, Sean “Probe” Kempen, and season three champions SYF Gaming. The winning team in Melbourne will take home the lion’s share of the $3,000 prize pool.
The Melbourne Esports Open starts on Aug. 31.
