DREAMHACK RETURNS TO ATLANTA NOVEMBER 15-17 Festival To Celebrate 25th Anniversary in December
WORLD’S PREMIER GAMING LIFESTYLE FESTIVAL TO PRESENT NEARLY $1.5 MILLION IN ESPORTS TOURNAMENTS
PLUS 24-HOUR LAN PARTY, COSPLAY CHAMPIONSHIP, LIVE MUSIC, ESCAPE ROOM AND MORE
Featured Esports Include Paladins and Smite World Championships, DreamHack Open (CS:GO), Brawlhalla World Championship, DreamHack Halo Series, Magic Championship, Collegiate and High School Matches and More
STOCKHOLM — Premier gaming lifestyle festival DreamHack returns to Atlanta for three days Friday, November 15 – Sunday, November 17, 2019, at the Georgia World Congress Center. With nearly 450,000 sq. feet of space, the 24 hour-a-day festival weekend features everything gaming under one roof and will be jam-packed with nearly $1.5 million in pro esports tournaments, collegiate and high school matches, world famous LAN party, live music concerts, film screenings, cosplay championship, panels, art, activities, expo and more; in partnership with Monster, Twitch, Chipotle, AT&T and Hi-Rez Studios.
DreamHack made its Atlanta debut in 2017 bringing nearly 25,000 visitors from a total of 48 states and 25 countries. Earlier this year, DreamHack hosted its first festival in Dallas; and in February 2020 DreamHack will make its U.S. West Coast debut in Anaheim.
DreamHack is also on the cusp of celebrating its 25th anniversary in December during DreamHack Winter. The premier gaming lifestyle festival started as a gathering of friends and their computers in a school cafeteria — with no online access — but has grown into a beacon of internet culture and a gathering place for gamers worldwide featuring everything gaming under one roof.
“We’re thrilled to bring DreamHack back to the great city of Atlanta for our third visit. Featuring everything gaming under one roof, this year’s festival will be the largest Atlanta has ever seen,” said DreamHack Co-CEO Marcus Lindmark. “From the Hi-Rez Expo to the 24-hour LAN party, professional esports, live music, cosplay championship, films, an escape room, panels and more — the DreamHack experience is unlike anything else.”
DreamHack is a gaming lifestyle festival where communities from all walks of gaming life come together for a three-day weekend celebrating digital culture IRL (in real life). DreamHack Atlanta features a 24-hour-a-day Local Area Network (LAN) party; esports gaming competitions; university matches; stream studio; console, PC and arcade games; tabletop games; expo; Cosplay Championship; art gallery; indie game zone; main stage with live music; escape room; panel discussions, workshops and keynote speakers; and a host of other activities. Gamers can participate or watch professionals compete in esports tournaments with hundreds of thousands of prize dollars on the line.
ESPORTS TOURNAMENTS
Hi-Rez Expo — $1.1 million
The Hi-Rez Expo will welcome more fans than ever before to experience the SMITE and Paladins World Championships in person. There will be exclusive Hi-Rez Expo panels, meet-and-greets, big development updates from all Hi-Rez games, playable stations, a massive cosplay contest, and in-game swag, all powered by Skillshot Media.
DreamHack Open (CS:GO) — $100,000
Launched in 2012, DreamHack Open is DreamHack’s premiere esports circuit featuring seven live LAN tour stops around the world in 2019, and as of DreamHack Rotterdam a part of ESL Pro Tour. The official title featured is Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
Fighting Game Championships — More than $125,000 Fighting Game Championships will feature the World Championship Brawlhalla Tournament ($100,000), plus Tekken 7, Mortal Kombat 11, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition, Rivals of Aether and Soul Calibur 6.
DreamHack Halo Series — $50,000
The DreamHack Halo Series will be divided up into three stages with a $50,000 prize pool
MCC HALO 3: 4v4 — Open Bracket
Up to to 64 teams, double-elimination brackets, best four advance to Pool Play
MCC HALO 3: 4v4 — Pool Play
12 seeded teams based on online UGC qualifier, four qualifying teams from the Open Bracket
MCC HALO 3: 4v4 — Championship Bracket
20 teams qualified through Open Bracket and Pool Play, double-elimination bracket, EB-, WB- and Grand Finals are B07 games
Madden NFL 20 — $25,000
The Madden NFL 20 tournament will take place over the course of the three-day festival and is open for any competitor over the age of 16 attending DreamHack Atlanta. Registrations are set to open shortly, and the tournament will be played in Madden Classic.
Magic Championship — $2500
Play in one of four qualifying events on Friday and Saturday to earn your spot in the Magic: The Gathering Championship on Sunday. Finalists from the four qualifying events will compete for their share of over $2,500 in cash and prizes. The winner will also walk away with an invitation for 2020’s first Player Tour.
DreamHack Boost Cup (Rocket League) — $5,000
Stake your claim as the best Rocket League team in Atlanta by competing in DreamHack Boost Cup from the BYOC LAN or in the Freeplay.
Collegiate Tournaments
College gaming is taking the world by storm, and this year it is coming to DreamHack Atlanta together with BoomTV (formerly AVGL). The collegiate League of Legends (Saturday) and Fortnite tournaments (Sunday) will be played on the DreamHack Atlanta Main Stage. Esports grudge matches between regional universities will also face off on stage all weekend long. Details on participating schools will be announced soon.
High School Tournaments
Local high school students will compete for glory on the DreamHack Main Stage; showing their skills before a live audience. Details on some of Georgia’s youngest esports stars slated to compete will compete in Smash Bros. Ultimate grudge matches on Sunday.
ADDITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS
Live Music Live music concerts will include EDM sensations San Holo, Dion Timmer and Pixel Terror will perform Friday, November 15 beginning at 8pm. The evening of Saturday, November 16 will feature Hip-Hop Artists to be announced soon.
Cosplay
DreamHack Atlanta’s Cosplay Championship will reach a new level with celebrity head judge Riki ‘Ridd1e’ LeCotey joining the team. Ridd1e,a cosplayer, model and costume designer, is based in Atlanta. Ridd1e is internationally recognized as one of the top cosplayers in the world as well as an award winning crafter. Ridd1e also specializes in the handling of specialty costumes in firms including Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: End Game and Godzilla. Additional cosplay judges include: Robot Giggles, CutiePieSensei and Kittyplays. The Cosplay Championship will take place on Saturday, November 16 at 7:00 p.m.
Escape Room True Dungeon heads to DreamHack Atlanta for the first time, featuring “Abyssal Swamp” — an amazing two-hour, seven-room, live-action escape room. Groups of 10 adventurers must travel through a dark swamp in search of the Temple of Blackhorn, an apocalyptic death cult.
LAN Party
DreamHack Atlanta offers pro and casual gamers the opportunity to bring their own gaming rigs, hook into a LAN socket powered by one of the world’s fastest internet connections, and get their game on. Attendees have the option to play around the clock for three days straight, just for fun or to compete in BYOC tournaments where thousands in cash prizes are on the line.
BYOC Themed Rows — Introducing themed rows! In each row, there will be decor fitting to the theme, and we’ll be organizing special activities/games and swag up for grabs! As always, you can help make your BYOC experience the best that it can be by dressing up or sprucing up your set-up accordingly!
Lovecraftian, Pirate, Post-Apocalyptic, Space
BYOC Tournaments— The perfect way to participate in your favorite game during the event with a combined prize pool of nearly $17,000. Game together with your friends or find a new team on site. Prizes will be on the line in this year’s BYOC tournaments and all entries are included with your BYOC ticket.
Film Screenings
Various film screenings will be announced soon and include features, shorts and fan films. Details coming soon.
Atlanta Stream Studio
Visit the streamers who will be joining DreamHack at the Stream Studio. List here.
Expo
In the DreamHack Expo Hall, exhibitors present the world’s newest hardware and software, games, gadgets, gaming gear and swag. They also host activities such as game demos, giveaways, contests and more. Developers and programmers, streamers, pro gamers and other celebrities also frequent the expo.
Business Zone
The Business Zone’s focus is to bring like minds across the industry to network, share stories, collaborate on new ventures, and more… whether it be it a new company, a new product or just a new contact.
Panels and Workshops — Workshops cover a wide variety of subjects to help develop skills or get you excited about something new.
Game Pitch Competition — Developers, innovators and other creative geniuses can hone their pitching skills, supported by an enthusiastic audience, via DreamHack Atlanta’s Game Pitch Competition, and take home $2,500.
Networking Lounge — This space brings like minds from across the industry together to network, share stories and collaborate on new ventures. DreamHack is a place that can inspire the start of something new… be it a new company, a new product, or just a new contact.
Featured Speakers — Explore topics from cosplay design to game development. Leave DreamHack with a new skill or new idea!
Community Zone
A long-time DreamHack favorite, the Community Zone gives attendees the chance to meet, get autographs, and take selfies with their favorite pro gamers, streamers, online celebrities and more.
Stream Studio
Cosplay Championship
Meet & Greets
Speedrunning Marathons
Art Zone
The Art Zone showcases talented artists in the gaming and geek culture space.
Art Gallery: DreamHack Atlanta will include a gallery for talented artists to display their works in video games, tabletop, comics, anime and more.
Artist Alley: Amateur and professional artists have the opportunity to showcase their works and offer pieces for attendees to take home with them.
DIY Zone
Only DreamHack can offer the rich creative environment – and global stage – afforded to talented and aspiring game developers via the DIY Zone.
PC Championships — Encouraging growth on a community level with non-professional modders and creators.
Game Jam — A quintessential part of any indie-worthy event. Sign up for a neck-breaking race to finish your build.
Indie Zone
Indie game developers can enter and win a complimentary booth to showcase their game. For attendees, the Indie Zone offers a sneak peek at new games before they hit the market or games you might have missed upon release.
Freeplay
There’s no need for attendees to bring gaming gear to DreamHack. In the Freeplay Zone, attendees have the opportunity to try out the latest games while playing alongside their friends. DreamHack Atlanta’s Freeplay includes: PC Freeplay, Console Freeplay, Mobile Freeplay, Retro Freeplay, VR Freeplay
Chipotle Challenger Series
Compete locally against other attendees for your chance to be crowned the Chipotle Challenger Series Champion. DreamHack Atlanta will feature Fortnite. Winners get free burritos for a year, and all participants that sign up/compete will receive a free burrito gift card.
Tabletop
Tabletop Annex— demos from exhibiting tabletop companies, or a game from our library
Tabletop Indie Spotlight — Rising star tabletop games will be selected for a spot to showcase their games
DreamHack is all about entertainment for the digital generation. Founded in 1994 as a BYOC LAN party, DreamHack grew over 20 years to a global phenomenon as the digital festival for today’s youth, hosted throughout Europe and North America. DreamHack festivals feature multiple esports competitions, live music, exhibitions, creative competitions, LAN party, cosplay and much more. DreamHack helped pioneer esports and continues to be one of the largest global producers of esports content. Millions of viewers tune in from all over the world to watch DreamHack broadcasts every year. DreamHack events welcomed over 310,000 visitors in 2018.
More information is available at dreamhack.com. DreamHack is part of leading international digital entertainment group MTG. More information at mtg.com.
