Skip to main content

Two champions crowned in the Major League Gaming Championships

two champions crowned major league gaming championships dota 2 crowd during the mlg final day photo by enrique espinoza
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Although for many sports fans this weekend was filled with the best of the NFL and NBA around the country, eSports fans were likely focusing on Columbus, Ohio, the site of the Major League Gaming Championships. After a full weekend of play, two winners emerged: compLexity Gaming walked away with $20,000 for winning the Call of Duty: Ghosts tournament, while Speed Gaming won the $68,381 purse for Dota 2.

This tournament marks the first time Call of Duty: Ghosts has been used by the MLG for tournament play, but it was still the third consecutive Call of Duty win at an MLG event for compLexity. To walk away with the prize, compLexity defeated the underdog, 21st seeded JusTus Pro, while sixth seeded Team KaLiBeR defeated second seed 8-12 Unite. CompLexity then narrowly beat Team KaLiBeR in the final 4-3.

The Dota 2 tournament began with a purse of $50,000, but fans had the options to purchase the “MLG Dota 2 bundle” and in doing so increased the pot. The $10 bundle featured in-game rewards for players, and $2.50 of each purchase went directly to the total prize money, raising it from $50,000 to $136,000. In what was considered by most to be an upset, third seeded Speed Gaming defeated top seed Team DK to take home $68, 381.

Call of Duty: Ghosts – $50,000 in Prizes

  • 1st = $20,000: compLexity Gaming
  • 2nd = $12,000: Team KaLiBeR
  • 3rd = $6,000: 8-12 Unite
  • 3rd = $6,000: Justus
  • 5th = $2,000: Kelevra Fuse
  • 5th = $2,000: EnVy
  • 7th = $1,000: Strictly Business
  • 7th = $1,000: Vanquish

Dota 2 – More Than $136,000 in Prizes

  • 1st (50%) = $68,381: Speed Gaming
  • 2nd (20%) = $27,352: Team DK
  • 3rd (10%) =$13,676: Na’Vi
  • 3rd (10%) = $13,676: Sigma Int.
  • 5th (2%): = $2,735: Fnatic
  • 6th (2%) = $2,735: Alliance
  • 7th (2%) = $2,735: Team Liquid
  • 8th (2%) = $2,735: Evil Geniuses
  • 9th (2%) = $2,735: Pretty Boy Swag

Editors' Recommendations

Ryan Fleming
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Ryan Fleming is the Gaming and Cinema Editor for Digital Trends. He joined the DT staff in 2009 after spending time covering…
You can compete in the Olympics eSports Series by playing a $1 baseball game
A pitcher holds a ball in WBSC Baseball Power Pros.

A $1 baseball game shadow dropped by Konami during a Nintendo Direct, WBSC eBaseball: Power Pros was a very odd release in February. That said, the purpose of its launch and low price point is becoming clearer as the International Olympic Committee revealed that it's one of the featured games in its Olympic Esports Series 2023 lineup.
WBSC eBASEBALL: POWER PROS - Launch Trailer - Nintendo Switch
Starting this month, players can start competing in featured games like  Power Pros to qualify for the Olympic Esports Finals 2023, which will take place at Singapore's Suntec Centre between June 22 and June 25. A more arcade-like and low-poly take on the sport than something like MLB The Show 23, Power Pros was a fairly small-scale and simple game that mainly stood out because of its low price point. Clearly, its international baseball focus and approachability enticed the IOC, who've decided to elevate its esports status.
Esports has been popular for quite a while, although the most popular esports titles are games that can't really be emulated in real life, like Starcraft 2, League of Legends, Call of Duty, and Fortnite. The IOC is taking a decisively different approach with its esports competition, instead choosing to include games that emulate real-world sports, with the IOC calling it a "virtual and simulated sports competition." That ultimately results in an unexpected esports game lineup that also consists of Tic Tac Bow (archery), Virtual Regatta, Virtual Taekwondo, Zwift (cycling), Gran Turismo (motorsport), Just Dance, Tennis Clash, and Chess played on Chess.com.

This unorthodox approach to esports is why a Konami game like Power Pros, which came out less than a month ago, isn't the most in-depth baseball simulation out there, and only costs $1, made the cut. Still, there is something exciting about the barrier of entry for an official Olympic competition being this low.
WBSC eBaseball: Power Pros is available now for PS4 and Nintendo Switch. 

Read more
You can win cash with PlayStation’s new tournament feature. Here’s how to sign up
Two characters brawl in Guilty Gear Strive.

Sony has officially launched PlayStation Tournaments on the PS5 today. The company announced the launch of the new esports feature in a blog post published this morning following three months of beta testing.

Compete in PlayStation Tournaments for PS5

Read more
Esports organization TSM ends deal with FTX, but is stuck with the brand on Twitter
Multiple members of the TSM esports team.

Esports organization TSM is ending its partnership with FTX, the cryptocurrency exchange currently struggling with a high-profile collapse. Though in a strange twist of fate, TSM is unable to remove FTX from its Twitter handle due to Twitter's new verification rules.

TSM partnered with FTX in June 2021 via a naming rights deal set to last 10 years. At the time, the partnership was valued at a whopping $210 million. With the deal, TSM would change its name to TSM FTX and use the company's logo on gear like jerseys, as well as display it in players' social media profiles. With FTX's recent collapse, which saw the cryptocurrency exchange filing for bankruptcy, TSM found itself in an awkward position less than two years into the deal.

Read more