The rumours have been circling the Australian gaming community all week and this morning we can confirm that Australia’s prized CS:GO event, the Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) will be held in Melbourne this year. IEM will be the headlining act of the Melbourne Esports Open (MEO) at Melbourne & Olympic Parks across Saturday the 22nd and Sunday the 23rd of August.
IEM is a Major Counter-Strike tournament and will feature a ~$375,000 ($250,000 USD) prize pool. It has spent the last three years at Qudos Bank Arena and as we witnessed first hand has traditionally been an incredible display of Esports for our country.
Taking place in Melbourne, IEM 2020 will represent our nation along the ESL Pro Tour. Professional CS:GO teams from around the globe will be in action, with qualifiers taking place in the coming months.
A single day ticket to IEM will set you back $69. A weekend pass is available for $139, with premium tickets starting at $229 and the ‘Global Elite’ ticket going for $999. All of the above will offer ground pass access to the MEO.
Tickets will be on sale from Friday the 14th of February at Ticketek or on the IEM website.
The Victorian Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Martin Pakula is running with the event, saying that “We host major events of all shapes and colours in Victoria and it’s fantastic that we can be a leader in esports… More than half of Australia’s digital games companies are based here, so the local jobs story is just as compelling as the on-screen action.”
To see such huge industry names and government bodies behind Esports and gaming as an event is a beautiful sight for anyone with an interest in the scene. We look forward to the Melbourne Esports Open and watching IEM blossom for a fourth year.
