World’s First eSports Congress Convening on September 21 in Valencia

World’s First eSports Congress Convening on September 21 in Valencia

DreamHack and Twitch invite video game industry luminaries to discuss the future of eSports

Valencia, Spain – September 6, 2012 - Valencia eSports Congress is hosting a one day event with video game industry leaders to discuss eSports development, media opportunities, and the rise of live streaming. DreamHack is organizing this landmark event while Twitch is sponsoring it and overseeing the streaming.

“DreamHack has a track record of working with all types of professional gaming leagues including ESL, CPL and will continue to do so in the future,” said Robert Ohlén, CEO of DreamHack. “Valencia eSports Congress will be a great way to bring more awareness to eSports and meet each other in real life.”

To bring awareness to the burgeoning eSports industry, DreamHack is partnering with Twitch, the leader in live online video game broadcasting.

"eSports has arrived as a major force in the video game and entertainment industries," said Kevin Lin, COO of Twitch. "There is a need for the entire eSports ecosystem to get together to discuss a host of pressing issues on the business side of the equation including advertising, infrastructure, competitive standards, video content and delivery and more. We're proud to be a part of it."

All panels will be moderated by industry veteran and renowned host and caster personality Paul ‘Redeye’ Chaloner. Some of the industry representatives include:

• Alex Garfield - Team EG
• Alex Lim - IeSF
• Alexander Kokhanovskyy - Na’Vi
• David Ting - IPL
• Göran Hellgren - Telia Sonera
• Ilja Rotelli - Blizzard
• Kevin Lin - Twitch
• Matthieu Dallon - ESWC
• Michael O’Dell - Team Dignitas
• Ralf Reichert - ESL
• Robert Ohlén – DreamHack
• Russell Pfister - NASL
• Sam Matthews - Fnatic
• Simon Whitcombe - CBS Interactive
• Sundance DiGiovanni - Major League Gaming
• Tomas Hermansson – DreamHack
• Zvetan Dragulev - Own3d.TV

Team managers, event organizers and journalists are encouraged to apply to participate in the event. Interested parties should send an abbreviated resume and an explanation of why they should be part of the Congress using the contact form provided on our web site. We also have 250 seats in the Auditorium where you can attend to see the panel’s live. Tickets are currently available while supply lasts.

For more information about tickets and partnerships, visit: www.valenciaesportscongress.com.

About Twitch

Twitch (formerly TwitchTV) is the world’s leading video game broadcasting network where more than 20 million gamers gather every month to watch and interact around the games they love. Twitch’s proprietary video delivery platform and infrastructure form the backbone of a distribution network for leading video game broadcasters including pro players, tournaments, leagues, developers and gaming media organizations. Twitch is leading a revolution in gaming culture, turning gameplay into an immersive entertainment media experience. Learn more at http://twitch.tv.

About DreamHack

DreamHack is the World's Largest Computer Festival. DreamHack's roots and core is the LAN party, with the major events DreamHack Summer and Winter, where participants bring their own computers and connect to the Internet in a large local area network which basically BECOMES the Internet by sheer scale. DreamHack is also Sweden's first consumer-oriented trade show / event / festival for computer games, game consoles and computers. The events are a platform for tournaments in eSports, knowledge and creative competitions, concerts by famous music artists, lectures by game developers and much more. Learn more at http://www.dreamhack.se

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Contact: Chase Access Communications for Twitch 415-810-0995 chase@accesspr.com

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Star Wars: First Assault Domain and Trademarks Registered

LucasArt's parent company has registered trademarks and domain names for something titled Star Wars: First Assault.

Originally spotted by Fusible, the domain names include the likes of StarWarsFirstAssault.com while the trademarks apparently pertain to "interactive entertainment software", including video games, for use on both computers and mobile phones.

There's also the standard array of supporting merchandise, including pencil sharpeners. The discovery of the First Assault domain and trademarks echoes what happened when Star Wars 1313 was first uncovered before its E3 announcement. The question becomes, then, whether this title is a new franchise set in the Star Wars universe, or if it builds on a previously known series.

There's not much we can guess from the name alone, though the possibility of it being an aerial combat game along the lines of Star Wars: Rebel Assault shouldn't be ruled out. The name certainly suggests an action packed game that seems unlikely to focus on the Jedi as playable characters, though how this would be differentiated from the bounty hunting exploits promised by Star Wars 1313 remains to be seen.

But there's also a sliver of hope that this may be the long-awaited reappearance of Star Wars: Battlefront III. We heard reports earlier this year that the title was still in development since being canned after the studio behind Timesplitters, Free Radical, closed.

Until LucasArts chooses to reveal more, all we can do is speculate. For all we know it could be another Kinect-based title, but with rumours rife that Star Wars 1313 is in development for next-gen machines, could this perhaps be LucasArts last hurrah on this batch of consoles?

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Editorial Assistant and was named after a certain famous Jedi. Probably. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.

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Paper Mario: Sticker Star, Professor Layton Miracle Mask Dates

Nintendo has announced release dates for the 3DS and DS fall line-up. First up is Art Academy: Lessons for Everyone on October 1st, followed by Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask on October 28th and Paper Mario: Sticker Star on November 11th.

Release dates were also revealed for Crosswords Plus, Freakyforms Deluxe and more, as seen on the release calendar below:

• Art Academy: Lessons for Everyone - October 1st
• Crosswords Plus - October 1st
• Sparkle Snapshots 3D - October 18th
• Skylanders Giants - October 21st
• Style Savvy: Trendsetters - October 22nd
• Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask - October 28th
• Freakyforms Deluxe: Your Creations, Alive - November 5th
• Paper Mario: Sticker Star - November 11th
• Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion - November 18th
• Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed - November 20th

Titles without concrete release dates include FIFA 13 in September, Angry Birds Trilogy in October, Scribblenauts Unlimited this holiday and Rayman Origins in the third quarter of 2012. A complete list of planned titles for 3DS and DS - including Imagine Babyz and more - can be found on Nintendo’s full release calendar.

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following him on Twitter or IGN.

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