News involving the games developed in Canada, and the people who make them. Indie Games, AAA Games, and in between featured and reported on.
Ubisoft has announced that a new North American League (@R6esportsNA) League for Rainbow Six Siege (@R6esports) is rolling out this year featuring a Canadian division for the first time in Rainbow Six Siege eSports history.
Read MoreGot this press release about the first high school e-sports league coming into Canada. Check out below, or their website for all the details.
High School E-Sports League Launches Across Canada
- First of its kind promises positive and inclusive competitive opportunity -
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CALGARY (December 13, 2018) – Canadian high school esports athletes finally have a league to show off their skills. Starting today, High School Esports League (HSEL), the largest high school esports league in the United States, is expanding North of the border.
“Canada has a wonderful esports community, including some of the top professional players and collegiate teams in the world,” said Steve Jaworski, Head of Strategic Partnerships at HSEL. “We are proud and excited to create a grass roots competitive environment for Canada’s high school esports athletes to become better gamers and people.”
Founded in Kansas City in 2013, HSEL now has teams from more than 1,000 partnered high schools compete against each other for glory, bragging rights, and scholarships. Since 2016, more than $9 million has been doled out to students attending one of more than 100 post-secondary institutions in the USA, including Wichita State University and Miami University. In Canada, the University of Toronto and the University of British Columbia already offer esports scholarships and more schools are following suit.
“We put a tremendous amount of emphasis on education for these athletes.” Said Jaworski. “Like any other team sport, these students must maintain high averages in their studies and attend class to be able to compete. We have many testimonials from teachers remarking how much this has improved absenteeism and attitude. We want take place that success into every high school across Canada.”
Students and teachers are encouraged to sign up their team on the HSEL website (www.highschoolesportsleaguecanada.com) for the upcoming spring season.
About High School Esports League High School Esports League was founded in 2013 to bridge the gap between competitive gaming and education. Now with more than 1,000 partnered high schools, HSEL aims to help students reach their fullest potential through fun, competitive gaming communities, competitions, and educational opportunities.
Ubisoft Canada and Northern Arena have announced the Rainbow Six Canadian Nationals which starts this month and will have teams compete in Rainbox Six: Siege for $15,000. You can check out the website, trailer, and press release below.
The RAINBOW SIX CANADIAN NATIONALS is a tournament FOR CANADIANS, BY CANADIANS. Set across two Seasons of gameplay, teams from all around the country will compete for the top title in Canada and TWO cash prizes of $15,000 CAD. REGISTER YOUR TEAM NOW!
UBISOFT® CANADA PARTNERS WITH NORTHERN ARENA FOR THE
TOM CLANCY’S RAINBOW SIX® SIEGE CANADIAN NATIONALS
Canadian teams will compete for a $15,000 CAD prize pool
MONTREAL, CANADA - May 28, 2018 - Today, Ubisoft Canada is pleased to announce the Rainbow Six Canadian Nationals, the video game publisher’s first partnership with Northern Arena, the largest esports organizer in Canada. The exciting new esports competition, featuring the popular Canadian-made Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege®, will crown one team as Canada’s best!
Presented by Ubisoft Canada and powered by Northern Arena, the Rainbow Six Canadian Nationals will kick off in June 2018. The competition will consist of two seasons, with live finals taking place in Montreal and Toronto. Each season, participating Canadian teams will compete for a $15,000 CAD prize pool.
Each season will begin with a two-day Open Qualifier, where teams (made up of all Canadian players) will compete for their chance at a spot to compete in the Canadian league. Once league play begins, each season will consist of eight days of matches spanning four weekends. The tournament will follow a round robin format, and rankings will be determined on a point-based system.
Season One Open Qualifiers will take place on June 23-24, with online league play happening each weekend in July. Season Two Open Qualifiers will take place on September 22-23, with online league play happening over every weekend in October.
At the end of each season, the two top-ranked teams will move on to a live Grand Final in Montreal (Season One: August 4) and Toronto (Season Two: November 3). The winning team from season 2 will become the Year 1 national champion!
“Esports is one of the most important and fastest growing industries globally, and we are proud to partner with a renowned Canadian organizer like Northern Arena to continue to build esports in Canada. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege is a Canadian-developed game and we are excited to help more Canadians perform at higher competitive levels,” says Olivier Ernst, Managing Director at Ubisoft Canada. “Partnering with Northern Arena allows us to offer a competitive esports playground for Canadians, by Canadians.”
“Esports is our passion and partnering with Ubisoft, one of the leaders in video game publishing, is an honor for us. We are excited to create this organized platform for the growing Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six community in Canada,” says Carl-Edwin Michel, founder and CEO of Northern Arena. “We look forward to fostering the amazing talent developing all over the country.”
Additional details regarding spectator opportunities for the Grand Finals will be released closer to each final, and fans are encouraged to follow Northern Arena and Ubisoft Canada on social media for real-time updates.
Canadian Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege players can register their team for the Canadian Nationals today, and find more information about the tournament at: http://northernarena.ca/rainbowsix/.
For more information about Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, please visit https://rainbow6.ubisoft.com/siege and the Facebook group page.
About Ubisoft
Ubisoft is a leading creator, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and services, with a rich portfolio of world-renowned brands, including Assassin’s Creed, Just Dance, Tom Clancy’s video game series, Rayman, Far Cry and Watch Dogs. The teams throughout Ubisoft’s worldwide network of studios and business offices are committed to delivering original and memorable gaming experiences across all popular platforms, including consoles, mobile phones, tablets and PCs. For the 2017-18 fiscal year Ubisoft generated sales of €1,732 million. To learn more, please visit www.ubisoft.com.
About Northern Arena
Northern Arena has become the leader of esports throughout Canada and is focused on creating platforms for on-site events and online leagues. By working closely with various game developers, Northern Arena is aiming to bring these events and leagues to players and audiences seamlessly and professionally with world-class production quality and innovative content distribution methods. Canadian cities like Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver are home to vast grassroots gaming communities that have been waiting for a pinnacle platform to enable Canadian esports to thrive. Northern Arena is dedicated to building comprehensive, integrated professional esports leagues and entertainment platforms for a variety of esports titles while still focusing on providing opportunities for grassroots communities to flourish.
