IEM Katowice gets Major Addition
Valve is making IEM Katowice the host of its 14th CS:GO Major in 2019 where the top 24 teams from around the world will compete across a three week span starting Feb. 14 with a prize pool of $1 million on the line in addition to the IEM World Championship. The Championship Stage kicks off on Feb. 28 and runs through March 3.
“IEM Katowice has grown to become one of the most iconic esports tournaments in the world,” said Michal Blicharz, Vice President of Pro Gaming at ESL. “I expect that coupling the heritage of IEM with the gravity of a Valve Major Championship will elevate the tournament to what will be the most incredible IEM event in history.”
Meanwhile, IEM Expo, the esports-centric tradeshow, will also return to the ICC in 2019. The expo will once again welcome top industry brands and attendees to immerse themselves in the latest PC gaming technology as well as various esports competitions.
“Intel Extreme Masters Katowice brings together the top gamers, fans and technology like no other esports competition can and continues to surpass expectations year after year,” said John Bonini, Vice President and General Manager of the VR, Gaming and Esports Group at Intel Corporation. “With the 2019 tournament featuring a Valve Major Championship for CS:GO, we look forward to delivering even more, from the elite competition to the best gaming technology for fans in the arena and those tuning in around the world.”
This year’s event was visited by over 169,000 live attendees across two weekends and was streamed on 17 linear and digital channels in 10 different languages, over 2 billion minutes of competition were watched, showing a 232% increase from the 2017 event.
