Guild Wars 2 launched with promises of eventually joining the heights of digital athleticism as a full-blown ESport. In the months since then, many have grown tired of waiting for those ideas to be realized or excited as they have watched the progress being made towards that goal. With the inclusion of personal/private PvP servers it has become very suddenly possible for actual PvP events, and several player-run tournaments have already taken place (or are currently ongoing, as is the case with the Mist League).
Now Arenanet is hosting its first invitational PvP tournament. Teams will take part in regional qualifying tournaments, with the top teams in each region meeting to take part in a tournament at PAX Prime in Seattle. The prize is two-fold, first place taking home $7,500 and the right to call themselves the best in the world!
Regional qualifying matches will take place July 27-28 for Europe and August 3-4 for North America. The teams placing first in each regional qualifier will not only earn their place at the invitational, but have their expenses covered to attend, including air fare for five people, four-day passes to PAX Prime, and hotel accommodations for the entire team (in two rooms).
The teams qualifying for the invitational will also get a tour of Arenanet's studios, giving them a unique behind-the-scenes look at the process behind Guild Wars 2. Get your teams together and get practicing, it is finally time to go big!