World Series of Games To Partner With CPL Tournament

The World Series of Games, a new tournament circuit just announced by William Morris division Games Media, has partnered with the Cyberathlete Professional League to make the 2006 CPL Summer Championship the second event in the inaugural the World Series. The first event will be a tournament in Louisville, Kentucky, in June 2006. The Summer Championship will be held at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas, from July 5-9, 2006. Over 3,000 players have registered so far from 58 countries, all of whom will compete for over $200,000 in prize money: the Counter-Strike 1.6 stakes have been changed to $150,000, while the Quake 4 prize has also changed to $75,000. Other tournaments with more prize money attached have yet to be announced. "The CPL has led the world of e-sports for nine years, and we are always looking for ways to bring competitive gaming to the next level," said CPL founder and president Angel Munoz. "We see a combination of our brand and the World Series of Video Games as a real win for the community. This partnership is truly unprecedented and we hope it will usher a new era of cooperation between all e-sport organizations worldwide." The news comes as part of a flurry of e-sports announcements, including the recent news that rival league Major League Gaming has received $10 million in funding for an upcoming 7-city tournament. Also competing in the same arena is the World Cyber Games, which announced its 2006 competition titles earlier in February.