Red Bull Battle Grounds Pro Gaming Series Returns With Expanded 2015 Program: New Format, New City And A New Game

SANTA MONICA, Calif., March 19, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Entering its fourth season, Red Bull Battle Grounds is the professional eSports tournament series that gives pro gamers a platform to compete at their peak, and delivers unparalleled access, excitement and entertainment to the 89 million eSports enthusiasts (Newzoo Market Research)  worldwide. Today the first details for the expanded 2015 Red Bull Battle Grounds program were released. For the first time, the series will feature two competitive circuits coast-to-coast. Heading to San Francisco for the grand finals on May 10^th, the inaugural Red Bull Battle Grounds: Dota 2 will feature this competitive game of action and strategy that has enthralled millions around the globe. The second tournament circuit in 2015 brings the return of Blizzard Entertainment's award-winning real-time strategy game, StarCraft® II to Red Bull Battle Grounds later this year.

Giving wings to a new competitive gaming format, the first Red Bull Battle Grounds: Dota 2 invitational tournament circuit will culminate in a one-day grand final on May 10^th at San Francisco's legendary venue, The Warfield Theatre. The road to this revered stage – and the $75K base line prize purse - will pit 20 invited professional teams, representing the best of the best from five regions around the world, against each other for a competitive sprint to the grand finals in this global tournament.

The selected pro teams will spar through a weekly series of online group battles in each of the five regions – North America, China, South East Asia, EU and CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States).  The five teams emerging in this global showdown will advance to the playoffs at the Red Bull eSports Studio kicking off May 5^th in Santa Monica, CA, to represent their region. Bringing a new element of strategy to the circuit, in the Playoffs round, each team enters the ring with three lives. Contenders will have one opportunity to choose which opposing team they will battle, fanning the flames of long standing rivalries – and perhaps creating new ones, in this first for the professional Dota 2 arena.

The two triumphant teams remaining will meet again on May 10^th in San Francisco for the final battle of the series, played out in front of a live audience of fans at the Warfield Theatre and tuning in at home.

The live broadcast of these matches will feature the commentary of Dota 2 experts, Beyond the Summit, as they analyze the plays, personalities and outcomes of these competitive clashes.

Supporting eSports fans from the Bay Bridge to Silicon Valley, the Red Bull Battle Grounds: Dota 2 weekend will kick off with the one-of-a-kind Pro-Am event, the Red Bull LAN. Taking place on May 9^th at the AFK Lounge in San Jose, this combination pre-party and scrimmage invites Dota 2 fans to a day of combat and camaraderie, for a 100 participant LAN.

As the winning team is crowned and the confetti clears on this first Red Bull Battle Grounds: Dota 2, the series will return to its roots with Red Bull Battle Grounds: StarCraft II, heading to Washington D.C. this Fall. Details of this event will be announced this summer.

Red Bull Battle Grounds: Dota 2 tickets are on sale now giving spectators a front row seat to this elite exhibition of eSports talent. Multiple ticket types and prices are available and can be purchased by visiting www.redbull.com/battlegrounds.

Visit www.redbull.com/battlegrounds for additional event details and tune-in updates. Follow @RedBullESPORTS on Twitter, #battlegrounds.

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SOURCE Red Bull Media House

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