ASUS Republic of Gamers this week has announced its very first esports tournament, featuring some top professional teams and some aspiring competitors. The tournament is known as ROG Masters 2017 and will consist of four continental qualifier rounds and 30 qualifying national rounds all capped off by a grand finals match in November this year, with a prize pool of $500,000 up for grabs.
This is a worldwide event and will feature over 20 professional teams from across the globe, who will be battling it out in Dota 2 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. There is a prize pool of $500,000 which will be split up among the top ranking teams in the competition.
The Grand Masters kicks off this month, with a series of 30 country qualifying matches and four regional qualifiers for the EMEA, Americas, APAC and China. The ameteur teams taking part in the open qualifiers will then be invited to take on the professional teams from each of the four regions, all culminating in a Grand Finals match in November this year.
Here is what ROG Marketing Director Derek Yu had to say about the announcement: “For over a decade ROG has been committed to providing the most innovative hardware to gamers worldwide, and last year we offered the gaming community an opportunity to live their esports dream by launching the first ever ROG Masters. Thanks to extremely positive feedback, ROG Masters returns this year as a global affair, inviting pro teams and amateur players from over 30 countries across five continents.”
“We are not only proud of our commitment to creating the ultimate gaming experience with leading hardware and world-class esports tournaments, but also of our solid global network and local presence, which enables us to realize an esports event on such a scale. ROG Masters 2017 is a momentous milestone for ROG and esports, and we are excited be part of the driving force for esports at large”.
KitGuru Says: The ROG Masters this year is expanding to cover the entire globe, giving ametuer teams the chance to prove themselves against the pros. If you can make it far enough, this tournament could serve as a decent starting point for getting your name out there as an aspiring pro player.