"The San Jose Sharks are excited to partner with Western Digital, EA Sports, and Leaguegaming.com to host the Sharks Pacific Cup presented by WD\BLACK," said Doug Bentz, vice president of marketing for the San Jose Sharks. "The online competition is the first-ever esports tournament hosted by our organization and advances our investment in gaming. Considering the support from our partner Western Digital and the unprecedented prize money, we anticipate tremendous participation from fans and gamers and will look to build on the success of this tournament to further our gaming strategy."
Tournament registration will open to the public on Thursday, October 15 and will continue throughout the month. Gameplay will commence in November and run through January. The top 32 teams will make the playoffs and compete in five rounds (Round 1, Round 2, Round 3, Semi-finals, Finals) to determine a winner. The winning team will take home $20,000 with the second-place team earning $5,000.
"Let the games begin! Western Digital couldn't be more thrilled to team with the San Jose Sharks for this ultimate gaming tournament," said Sven Rathjen, vice president ecosystems and marketing, Western Digital. "We're passionate about gaming and know that the right equipment matters. Our WD\BLACK products are specially designed from the ground up to help drive a superior gaming experience."
Eligible participants include gamers using Xbox One consoles with experienced/highly competitive gaming status and who reside in the United States and Canada. Legal participation requires team owners to be 18-years or older to fulfill prize requirements. Gamers under the age of 18 may participate in the tournament with parental consent. All participants must agree to be bound by the Official Rules of the tournament.
Additionally, fans are encouraged to watch tournament play on the San Jose Sharks Twitch platform at SanJoseSharks/
twitch.tv/sanjosesharks
. Tournament play will be broadcast on a weekly basis with prizes being awarded to fans who tune in.
