TBS will broadcast the first-ever “Injustice 2” eSports global finals this fall, featuring Wonder Woman, Batman, Superman and other characters from the DC universe fighting in the arena for glory — and $250,000 in prize money.
Turner and IMG’s ELeague joint venture acquired the TV rights to the “Injustice 2” World Championship series under a deal with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. The superhero fighting game, developed by NetherRealm Studios, was released May 16.
For ELeague, the Injustice 2 World Championship marks the fourth game title it has featured since its 2016 launch. It came out of the gate with Valve’s “Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO),” followed by Blizzard Entertainment’s “Overwatch” and, earlier this spring, Capcom’s “Street Fighter V.”
The ELeague “Injustice 2” championship tourney will begin with the open qualifier on Saturday, Oct. 21, as the top 16 pro gamers in the world face off. Featured matches throughout the tournament will be presented live on TBS, with live coverage of every match available via digital platforms including Amazon’s Twitch.
With eSports surging in popularity, Turner and IMG continue to invest in the category — aiming to broaden the appeal of video-game competitions as a spectator sport. ELeague’s first “CS:GO” major, held in Atlanta in January 2017, drove its Twitch channel to a record peak of more than 1 million concurrent streams and reached 3.6 million total viewers on TBS throughout the tournament.
“Injustice 2,” the sequel to “Injustice: Gods Among Us,” lets players build the ultimate version of their favorite DC superheroes and super-villains. Gamers can customize how their characters look, fight and develop across a variety of modes.
Other partners for the Injustice 2 Championship Series, comprising four other tournaments leading up to the October worldwide finals, include ESL, Gamelta eSports Professional League, GameStop, Sony’s PlayStation 4 and Twitch. The series, spanning events in North America, Europe and Latin America, offers a total prize pool of $600,000 to pro and amateur gamers.
Watch the trailer for the Injustice 2 Championship Series:
