Red Bull Battle Grounds returns in 2014 with open registration and as part of Blizzard’s World Championship Series.
Red Bull has announced the dates for its upcoming StarCraft II Battle Grounds tournaments. The three-tournament calendar begins in Atlanta, Georgia on July 11 to 13. The second tournament will follow on August 22 through 24 in Detroit, Michigan. Washington, D.C. will host the third tournament, The Red Bull Battle Grounds Grand Finals, from September 20 to 21. Previous Red Bull Battle Grounds tournaments only featured competition between invited professional StarCraft II players and players that qualified through online tournaments, but this year Red Bull has changed its format to include open registration for the Atlanta and Detroit events. Eight players from the tournaments in Atlanta and Detroit will move on to compete in the Grand Finals.
Another change from previous Red Bull Battle Grounds tournaments is that this year’s tournaments are linked to Blizzard’s World Championship Series (WCS). Players who compete in the Red Bull Battle Grounds will earn WCS points, which determine global WCS Standings. The top sixteen players in the WCS standings compete in the WCS Global Finals for the title of StarCraft II Champion and a large cash prize. At BlizzCon last year, Kim “sOs” Yoo Jin took that title and $100,000 USD. A month after earning that title, Yoo Jin faced off against the 2012 WCS champion, Won “PartinG” Lee Sak, at Red Bull Battle Grounds New York. Lee Sak bested Yoo Jin 4-1 in an unexpected victory. Red Bull Battle Grounds New York also saw Canadian player and underdog Sasha “Scarlett” Hostyn beat veteran StarCraft II pro Choi “Bomber” Ji Sung in an amazing 2-1 comeback, backed by cheering fans. Hostyn narrowly lost 3-2 to Yoo Jin in the semifinals, finishing third in the tournament overall.
Red Bull will announce registration details and specific tournament formats for the Red Bull Battle Grounds soon. The WCS points and prize details will be announced in the coming weeks. Online registration for Red Bull Battle Grounds Atlanta is expected to open this summer. All three tournaments will be live streamed.
Source: Red Bull Battle Grounds
