NCS Kicks Off With GEXDCAE and Midwest Esports
by Olivia Schaller--Updated
The first series of esports events in the National Championship Series kicks off with a $3,200 CS:GO tournament in Washington D.C. organized by GEX DC Area Esports
The Network is Growing
We’ve spent the last five years traveling the country to meet and work with local community leaders and tournament organizers with one purpose in mind: unite the hundreds of competitive gaming communities across the country under a single national pipeline for developing talent. So, we’re happy to say that GEXDCAE and Midwest Esports are the first to come on board by agreeing to bring their communities into the National Championship Series.
If you missed the announcement, we unveiled the National Championship Series (NCS) at the end of 2018. At its core, the NCS provides a platform for any esports players to compete on an even playing field, build and refine their skills, and showcase their talent to colleges and professional team organizations.
GEXDCAE
GEX DC Area Esports–you might know them as the organizers of the esports convention GEXCon–are producing the first tournaments under the banner of the National Championship Series. We’ve had the pleasure of working with the operators of GEXCon in the past, and we’re very excited that they’ll be organizing events as part of the NCS.
GEXDCAE will organize and host a one-day NCS Minor CS:GO tourney on January 26th at the RISE Convention Center in Washington DC. They will then offer monthly NCS Academy events for the rest of the year.
“We are thrilled to be a part of the NCS and N3rd Street Gamer’s efforts to standardize amateur esports,” remarks Daniel Roberts, founder of GEX DC Area Esports. “Competitors at our events will have a chance to work towards competing on a national stage which is very satisfying to us as local/regional tournament organizers.”
“Our continued partnership with N3rd Street Gamer’s and the new NCS format will allow us to expand and energize more gaming communities in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.” added Dennis C. Wiltshire – CEO of FIAD Entertainment Group, LLC. “We are excited to be working with such a professional organization and creating a solid foundation that we hope will become the standard for amateur esports in the future.”
Midwest Esports
When people talk about esports events, their minds often focus on the east and west coasts, but there is a vibrant gaming community in and around the Great Plains. The brains and talent that make up Midwest Esports (MWE) are a prime example. Their dedication to the tight-knit community of the midwest is outstanding, so we were extremely happy when they agreed to run tournaments as part of the National Championship Series.
Since 2015, MWE has been producing and organizing esports events for just about every genre of game. From FGC to Rocket League, Midwest Esports brings a very high standard of quality to the amateur and semi-professional tournaments they run. We had the good fortune of seeing their professionalism back in July of 2018.
It all started when we partnered with Midwest Esports to host a CS:GO tournament in Oklahoma at their Tokyo in Tulsa event. While we helped sponsor the $10,000 prize pool for the match, it was Midwest Esports who organized and executed to make it succeed. The competition acted as a qualifier to our Eastern Conference Championship, so their attention to detail really impressed us.
After witnessing how they handled that qualifier, it became clear to us that MWE was an NCS quality organization that would be a great addition to the network. On February 3rd, Midwest Esports will run a two-day CS:GO tournament at Wichita State University in Wichita, KS.
“The MWE mission statement is to provide a platform for new and current players to compete and to find the next Michael Jordan of esports,” explains Matt Thompson, who handles marketing efforts for Midwest Esports. “The prestige that the National Championship Series holds will help Midwest Esports take another large step in providing that platform for the players.”