IGN Entertainment and The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas Partner to Bring eSports to the Entertainment Capital of the World

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- IGN Entertainment and The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas have entered into a multi-event partnership to bring IGN Pro League (IPL) video gaming tournaments to the entertainment capital of the world. The companies' first jointly-held tournament – IPL 4 – will take place April 6-8th, 2012 at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, with a second event – IPL 5 – slated for August 2012.  

Competitive video gaming ("eSports") will join The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas' already-robust slate of entertainment, culinary and lifestyle events – its first move toward becoming the premier Las Vegas destination for live eSports events providing a unique experience for the next-generation of eSports stars and fans.  

"eSports is on a trajectory to become the next mainstream form of entertainment, and we're thrilled to be collaborating with a forward-thinking partner like The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas to bring eSports and its passionate fan base to Las Vegas," said David Ting, GM of eSports and VP of Research & Development for IGN Entertainment.

"The IGN Pro League tournaments are very unique and just another way in which we evolve our entertainment and guest experiences," remarked Lisa Marchese, Chief Marketing Officer at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. "The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas is excited to be at the forefront of the eSports phenomenon and serve as its Las Vegas headquarters."

IPL 4 will play host to the finals for Korea's Global StarCraft Team Leagues (GSTL) - one of the most highly-anticipated eSports events of 2012. This will be the first time a GSTL final has been hosted outside of Korea, where eSports is already the largest sport with live events garnering 20K attendees and online events capturing over 300K concurrent broadcast views.  Through partnerships with The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas and the GSTL, IPL 4 is well-positioned to eclipse the viewership of traditional sports.

"We are very glad to have this chance to make eSports history again, this time with IPL in Las Vegas. We believe that this partnership will elevate the world of eSports to another level," said Jung Won Chae, Director of the Global StarCraft League (GSL), the leading professional StarCraft II organization in Korea which hosts the team-based (GSTL) competitions to over 180 countries worldwide.

In addition to Korea's GSTL finals, IPL 4 will bring together the top StarCraft II and League of Legends players from across the globe to vie for a six-figure prize pool.

Tickets for IPL 4 start at $25 per person for general admission and are available at http://tickets.ign.com.  VIP tickets for $175 include a limited edition commemorative IPL 4 poster created by Alvin Lee, guaranteed front row seating and an IPL T-Shirt. To see upcoming announcements about the final player line-ups and specific tournament locations at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, visit www.ign.com/ipl.

IPL 4 will be the second live eSports event from IGN Entertainment -- IGN's first live tournament, IPL 3: Origins, was held last year at Caesars Atlantic City, offering a prize pool of $120,000.  IPL 3 Origins drew in more than 12 million online video views. It was preceded by IPL 1 and IPL 2, which were both held online.  With the IGN Pro League franchise, IGN's goal is to help legitimize video gaming as a profession that can produce the next generation of celebrities.  Since its launch in April 2011, the IGN Pro League has attracted over 4 million unique viewers to its online and live tournaments.  

About IGN Entertainment
IGN Entertainment is the leading Internet media and services provider focused on the video game and entertainment enthusiast markets. Collectively, IGN's properties reach more than 57 million unique users worldwide, according to Internet audience measurement firm comScore.  IGN's network of video game-related properties (IGN.com, 1UP.com, GameSpy, FilePlanet, TeamXbox and others) is the Web's #1 video game information destination.  IGN also owns the world's largest men's lifestyle website, AskMen.com, and men's entertainment site UGO.com. It also provides technology for online game play in video games. IGN is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, with offices across North America, Europe and Australia.

About The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas is the city's newest luxury resort offering a decidedly different perspective. Located at the heart of The Strip directly between CityCenter and Bellagio, the resort's uniquely vertical multi-tower design offers spectacular views of the vibrant city. The new 2,995-room resort features oversized residential-style living spaces with expansive, one-of-a-kind private terraces. The Cosmopolitan's luxurious resort amenities include a 100,000 square foot casino; Sahra Spa & Hammam and Violet Hour Hair Nails Beauty; three unique pool experiences; Marquee Nightclub & Dayclub, a multi-level integrated indoor/outdoor nightclub and 150,000 square feet of state-of-the-art convention and meeting space. An eclectic line-up of new-to-market retailers include:  AllSaints Spitalfields, Beckley, CRSVR Sneaker Boutique, DNA2050, EATDRINK, Jason of Beverly Hills, Kidrobot, Molly Brown's Swimwear, Retrospecs & Co, Skins 62 Cosmetics, Stitched and Utique. Signature restaurants include: Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill by restaurateurs Bruce and Eric Bromberg; Comme Ca by Los Angeles Chef David Myers; Estiatorio Milos, by international restaurateur Costas Spiliadis; Holsteins from Block 16 Hospitality; Jaleo and China Poblano restaurants by acclaimed Chef Jose Andres; Scarpetta and D.O.C.G. by award-winning Chef Scott Conant; and popular steakhouse STK from The ONE Group.   

About the Global Starcraft League
GSL is a South Korea-based StarCraft II tournament broadcasted to over 180 countries worldwide. The best players in the world have participated in the GSL since 2010.  In 2012 it plans to hold 5 individual leagues (GSL) and 3 team leagues (GSTL). With a total of 210 game days and a total of 1.5 billion won in prize money, the GSL is the world's largest-scale StarCraft II tournament.  The GSL can be watch lived via GOM Player. More information is available at GOMTV.net (http://www.GOMTV.net).

SOURCE IGN Entertainment