Mentioned in this article
- The NHL Gaming World Championship for 2020 returns for the third consecutive year with a $150K USD prize pool.
- This year’s prize pool is an increase of over $50K versus 2019.
- Brand partners include Honda, Great Clips, as well as production partners FACEIT and Engine Shop.
Today the National Hockey League (NHL) announced the return of the NHL Gaming World Championship for 2020. Now in its third year, players this year will play EA SPORTS NHL 20 in Hockey Ultimate Team (HUT) mode for a chance to win part of the more than $150K prize pool. Registration starts today with Round One matchups scheduled to start on March 11.
According to the release, this season’s competition will feature new enhancements, including a larger total prize pool (up more than $50K from last year), prizes awarded during Round Two, and an expanded World Final that will see three finalists from each region advance to play for a world championship.
After two years in Stockholm, the Viasat Hockey/NENT Group will bring the NHL Gaming World Championship European Regional Final to its studio in Copenhagen, Denmark.
“As seen most recently with our Chel Gaming Challenge during NHL All-Star Weekend in St. Louis, online gaming is a force — and the NHL gaming community is more engaged and enthusiastic than ever,” said NHL Vice President of Business Development, Chris Golier. “The NHL Gaming World Championship allows us to interact with the hockey community in authentic ways that help extend the reach of the NHL brand to a younger, gaming-savvy demographic. The platform continues to attract a number of blue chip NHL corporate partners who have experienced increased visibility across the global stage.”
Last year’s winner, Matthew ‘Top Shelf Cookie’ Gutkoski, took home a $50K first prize check while European champion, Erik ‘Eki’ Tammenpää, took home the grand prize in 2018. This year, first place will walk away with $60K.
The 2020 NHL Gaming World Championship is supported by the NHL’s corporate partners including, North American partners Honda, Great Clips, in addition to exclusive Canadian partner Scotiabank.
FACEIT will serve as the official tournament platform and administrator for the competition and will also provide live event management and engagement tools for the viewing audience through a series of NHL-specific rewards.
Lastly, Engine Shop returns as co-executive producer of the Regional and Final broadcasts.
The three Regional Finals and the 2020 NHL Gaming World Championship Final will be streamed live on Twitch with extensive community activation, including giveaways and promotions.
