News
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Grand Finals Event Schedule Announced
07.05.12The schedule for the North American Star League Grand Finals event in Toronto this July 14th and 15th is now available. Home to the NASL Season Season 3 Grand Finals, the StarCraft II World Championship Series: Canada Nationals, the NASL Tribes: Ascend Championship, and the CSL Canadian Championship, the two-day eSports event is packed with exciting professional matches. The venue hall will open at 10am each day to allow attendees a chance to select their favorite seat, whether that is as close to the front as possible or lining the aisles for a chance to high-five or fist bump their favorite pro gamer as players make their red carpet entrances to the main stage. Alternatively, other fans may wish to gather around the secondary stage where players fighting on the second and third streams will often be found if they are not in the player area. Wherever fans are watching from: whether in a seat, huddled around a secondary stage, or from the comfort of their homes, the schedule of matches will ensure there's always something exciting happening. Get More NASL For additional information regarding NASL Season 3, please follow NASL on Twitter and like NASL on Facebook. For complete NASL Season 3 information, please visit the NASL Season 3 Information Page.
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9 StarCraft II Casters at NASL Grand Finals
07.03.12Though the North American Star League has 4 in-house casters, the NASL Grand Finals will have a bit more StarCraft II action happening at once than MrBitter, RotterdaM, Gretorp, and Frodan can cast. As such, the event will feature 5 guest casting personalities to help cover the NASL and Blizzard StarCraft II World Championship Series portions of the events. Three of the casters will be rotating with the NASL casters on the main streams throughout the two-day event. The other two guest casters will be covering the French stream, which will offer a mix of content from the event with a particular focus on the Canada Nationals. In addition to the team of StarCraft II casters, Hi-Rez Bart and FishStix will be casting the Tribes: Ascend Grand Finals with additional commentary and analysis from a special guest. CSL will have a team of casters for their event, as well. Get More NASL For additional information regarding NASL Season 3, please follow NASL on Twitter and like NASL on Facebook. For complete NASL Season 3 information, please visit the NASL Season 3 Information Page.
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Toronto to Feature NASL, Blizzard Entertainment, CSL, and Tribes eSports Events
05.17.12Toronto to Feature NASL, Blizzard Entertainment, and CSL eSports Events RANCHO CUCAMONGA, California, May 17 2012 -- The North American Star League is pleased to announce that exciting professional StarCraft® II: Wings of Liberty® action is headed to Toronto, Canada as the NASL Season 3 Grand Finals, the StarCraft II World Championship Series Canada Nationals, the Collegiate StarLeague Canadian Championships, and the NASL Tribes Finals invade the International Centre this July. Scheduled to take place this July 14th and 15th, the NASL-hosted event will feature intense professional StarCraft II competition as pros from around the world, local heroes from Canada, and up-and-coming players aspiring to go pro compete against their peers. At the highest tier of professional play from around the world, the top placing players surviving the NASL Season 3 playoffs will be flown to Toronto to compete in the NASL Season 3 Grand Finals. After excelling throughout 9 weeks of grueling league play and surviving both the wildcards and playoffs, these proven pros will be eager for victory as they arrive in Toronto. Also hungry to prove themselves and aspire for a chance to progress to the Battle.net World Championships, 32 of the top Canadian players will compete in the StarCraft II World Championship Series Canada Nationals, featuring a total prize pool of $15,000 USD. The top 10 finishers at the Canada Nationals will represent their country at the North American Continentals, competing for even more prize money and the opportunity to advance to the StarCraft II WCS Global Finals. However, the competition does not stop there! In addition to featuring the greatest eSports pros via the NASL Season 3 finals and the Canada Nationals, the event will also feature talented and aspiring collegiate players via the CSL Canadian Championship. During this portion of the event, the top collegiate StarCraft II teams will compete for cash, gear, and glory. After surviving the online qualifiers, the top four teams will arrive at the event to compete for the title of CSL Canadian Champion. In addition to this, the event will also feature the finals for the NASL Tribes: Ascend Summer Kickoff Tournament, wherein the top performing professional Tribes teams will compete for a $10,000 prize pool. About North American Star League The North American Star League was established to foster the prominence of eSports and professional StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty play in North America through highly visible, organized, and invigorating competition. Located in Southern California, the North American Star League is the premiere eSports broadcaster in the world delivering over 20 hours of new content over 40 broadcast hours weekly. The NASL is renowned for broadcasting high definition, high quality eSports league events involving the top competitive titles in the scene. In fact, since its inception, NASL has grown to also include Tribes: Ascend as a competitive title in its league. This growth is thanks in part to the support of its sponsors Eizo, Kingston, Epson, GameMinder, and iBuyPower. About Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft® and the Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® franchises, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating some of the industry’s most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard Entertainment’s track record includes thirteen #1-selling games and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company’s online-gaming service, Battle.net®, is one of the largest in the world, with millions of active players. About Collegiate StarLeague The Collegiate Starleague (CSL) was founded to generate interest in StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty in North America by appealing to college students through local, regional, and even national events. As such, its inclusion in this event is ideal for increasing viewership and increasing eSports awareness among college students. About Hi-Rez Studios Hi-Rez Studios, Inc, located just outside of Atlanta GA, was established in 2005 to create exceptional online interactive entertainment. In February 2010, the company released the squad-based Shooter-MMO Global Agenda. Hi-Rez is currently developing other AAA free-to-play online games including Tribes: Ascend and SMITE.About the EventAdditional information regarding the NASL Grand Finals event in Toronto may be found at the Season 3 Finals Information Page. Venue, travel, and ticketing information is available on this page, as well.
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Tribes Tournament Details Unveiled
05.10.12Last week, the North American Star League announced the Tribes Summer Kickoff Tournament. Today, NASL is pleased to reveal the full rule set and broadcast schedule for the tournament so that fans may mark their calendars and catch all the action live. Specifically, the tournament will begin on Monday, May 15th at 6pm PDT in a whirlwind of FPS activity. After the dust has settled and the top placing teams have declared their dominance over the others, the semi-finals will be played online and broadcast from E3 this June. The teams surviving the semi-finals will then be flown out by HiRez Studios to the NASL Grand Finals in Toronto, Canada, where they will compete for the $10,000 prize pool. However, before the teams may dream of becoming the first professional Tribes: Ascend team to declare a championship at the NASL finals, they must first fight through the grueling brackets. For those interested in watching the competition, the broadcast schedule is as follows: Round Day Date Time Ro32 - Part A Monday May 14th 6pm PDT Ro32 - Part B Wednesday May 16th 6pm PDT Ro32 - Part C Thursday May 17th 6pm PDT Ro32 - Part D Sunday May 20th 6pm PDT Ro16 - Part A Monday May 21st 6pm PDT Ro16 - Part B Wednesday May 23rd 6pm PDT Ro16 - Part C Thursday May 24th 6pm PDT Ro16 - Part D Sunday May 27th 6pm PDT Quarter Final Monday June 4th 6pm PDT Semi Final A Tuesday June 5th 11am PDT Semi Final B Wednesday June 6th 11am PDT Grand Final Sunday July 15th TBD Tournament Rules For those competing or wondering what the rules of play are, the tournament rules are as follows: Rules of the Match: • Teams have 15 minutes of grace period after the scheduled start of a game. • Teams can forfeit or play shorthanded at the end of the grace period • Ringers are not allowed, players must be on your team roster for the tournament • CTF Game Mode • First to 5 Flag captures • 24 minute rounds • 120 second warm up Class Composition • One sniper per team Weapon Restrictions • Jackal • Smoke Grenade • Plasma Gun • Future weapons will be dealt with case by case Acceleration Patch Update All content included in the Acceleration patch is competition ready, with the exclusion of: • Previously banned items • Short Fuse Grenades (all classes) • Rockwind SMG Vehicles • Shrike • Price - 9,000 • Limit - 1 per team at any time being flown • Tank • Price - 6,000 • Limit - 1 per team at any time being piloted/manned • Grav Cycle • Price - 1,000 • Limit - 2 Regions • Tournament is played on USE Map Pool • Raindance/Tartarus (newest map) • Katabatic • Crossfire • Arx Novena • Dry Dock Map and Side Selection • Each team can veto one map • Sides decided by coin flip • Order is randomized Ties and OverTime • In the event of a tie after regulation and overtime periods both teams are awarded a win. • A series cannot end in a tie. • Map is randomly selected from the pool. • Each team can veto one map • Sides decided by coinflip
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NASL Launches Tribes: Ascend Tournament
05.04.12The North American Star league is proud to announce the next phase of Tribes: Ascend as a competitive eSports title. As announced at the NASL Season 2 Grand Finals, Tribes: Ascend is debuting as the first competitive FPS title in the NASL. Specifically, NASL is hosting a summer kick-off tournament for Tribes: Ascend! In this tournament, up to 32 teams will be battling for a prize pool of $10,000, with weekly broadcasts courtesy of the North American Star League and TribesCAST. The tournament will be played in a traditional bracket format, with the semi-finals slated to be broadcast at E3 this coming June. The teams who survive the grueling competition and are victorious in the semi-finals will then be flown out to finish the tournament in grand style live at the NASL Season 3 Grand Finals in Toronto this July! With 32 teams competing, the NASL Tribes tournament will be the largest Tribes: Ascend tournament to date, so FPS and eSports fans won't want to miss out on the action. For teams interested in competing, team registration is officially open today. After the registration period is complete, the first round of the tournament will begin on May 14th. Therefore, both professional and aspiring teams are encouraged to rally their roster and friends and register quickly before the tournament is full. How to Register: Teams are asked to register with an account at: http://www.binarybeast.com with their team name. Members of teams are encouraged to check with their teammates and managers prior to registration to avoid duplicate registrations. Once registered, the tournament may be found at the following URL on Binarybeast: http://binarybeast.com/xTribes1205020. To begin the registration process, click "Join this tournament". Once this step is complete, team managers need to email tribes@nasl.tv with their team information, including: team name (the same as was entered on Binary Beast), contact information of the team manager, and a player list (including names). The morning before the tournament (May 13th) signups will officially close, and the bracket will be launched. An email will be sent out to all team managers with the full list of contact information. About Hi-Rez Studios Hi-Rez Studios, Inc, located just outside of Atlanta GA, was established in 2005 to create exceptional online interactive entertainment. In February 2010 the company released the squad-based Shooter-MMO Global Agenda. Hi-Rez is currently developing other AAA free-to-play online games including Tribes: Ascend and SMITE. For more information, contact press@hirezstudios.com or visit http://www.hirezstudios.com. About North American Star League: Based in Southern California, the North American Star League is the premiere eSports broadcaster in the world. Its goal is to expand and elevate eSports awareness and participation worldwide. The NASL is renowned for broadcasting high-definition, high quality eSports league events involving the most exciting and competitive eSports titles. With broadcasts 5 days per week during seasons of competition, live events, and several seasons of content per year, the NASL provides viewers with a multitude of viewing opportunities.
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First Showmatches of Tribes: Ascend on NASL
02.28.12This week, the North American Star League celebrates the Open Beta of Tribes: Ascend by airing the first exhibition matches on NASL.tv.The first night of Tribes: Ascend streaming will be Wednesday February 29th at 8pm PST on www.nasl.tv. Night two will begin after Starcraft II, Thursday March 1st at 8pm PST.This week’s matches feature top European and North American teams, shoutcasted from the NASL studio. The first match on Wednesday will feature ZFZ (zfz) facing Tao of Tribe (istao). Afterweard, Grumpy Old Vets (GoV) will face off against Working as Intended (wai). On Thursday, Boats n Hoes (BnH) will fight Area 51 (a51), followed by Stack n Hack (SnH) facing off against Deadstop (.ds).“Tribes: Ascend is a very fast-paced, skill-based shooter “ says Todd Harris, Hi-Rez Studios COO. “We prioritized spectator mode early in Beta to support the competitive community. This week’s NASL broadcast is really the kick-off of Tribes: Ascend as an eSport. These team rosters include some of the world’s best Tribes players and we look forward to intense games”Now in Open Beta, Tribes: Ascend has already seen: - Over 350,000 accounts created - Active servers supporting growing communities in North America, Europe, Australia, Brazil and Asia - Over 200 competitive scrimmage matches, with over 30 teams representing more than 10 countries, leading up to this week’s NASL broadcast.“We are excited to add truly compelling FPS content to our eSports lineup“, says Russel Pfister, North American Star League CEO. “Already broadcasting exciting content five nights a week, NASL is looking forward to showcasing Tribes: Ascend as an eSport with the high quality production NASL is known for and that this epic title deserves”To play Tribes: Ascend today visit: http://www.tribesascend.com
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Tribes: Ascend To Make eSports Debut in NASL Season Three
12.04.11Hi-Rez Studios today premiered their new free-to-play, first person shooter Tribes: Ascend at the Season 2 Finals of the North American Star League (NASL). The NASL is a premier broadcaster of eSports and includes more than 80 of the world’s top professional players between its two existing tournaments, with many more competing each season for a coveted spot in the league. Tribes: Ascend is the first FPS to be selected for inclusion by the NASL and will be featured as a Promotional Title throughout their third season.Tribes: Ascend is a new game within the lauded sci-fi shooter franchise Tribes. The original game, Starsiege: Tribes, was one of the first multiplayer only online games and has been cited as a grassroots early influence on eSports and shoutcasting. Building upon this legacy, the new Tribes: Ascend has been designed from the ground up with competitive eSports in mind, making it an ideal addition to the NASL.“As developers, we are excited to offer a fast paced, high skill-ceiling shooter for this generation of gamers.” says Todd Harris, Hi-Rez Studios COO. “Tribes: Ascend and NASL are a great fit in terms of dedication to competition and high-quality, high-engagement content.” Players looking for more information about NASL can visit NASL.tv and find the broadcast of second season Grand Finals.Players interested in joining the Closed Beta for Tribes: Ascend can register for an invitation at www.tribesascend.comFind Tribes: Ascend on Facebook at www.facebook.com/tribesascendAbout Hi-Rez StudiosHi-Rez Studios, Inc, located just outside of Atlanta GA, was established in 2005 to create exceptional online interactive entertainment. In February 2010 the company released the squad-based Shooter-MMO Global Agenda. Hi-Rez is currently developing other AAA free-to-play online games including Tribes: Ascend and SMITE. For more information, contact press@hirezstudios.com or visit http://www.hirezstudios.com.About North American Star League:Based in Southern California, the North American Star League is the premiere eSports broadcaster in the world. Its goal is to expand and elevate eSports awareness and participation worldwide. The NASL is renowned for broadcasting high-definition, high quality eSports league events involving games such as StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty and Heroes of Newerth. With broadcasts 5 days per week during seasons of competition, live events, and several seasons of content per year, the NASL provides viewers with a multitude of viewing opportunities. http://www.nasl.tv
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