Ticketmaster has lined up its first esports deal and has partnered with ESL Faceit Group.
The culmination of pro gaming tour, Intel Extreme Masters (IEM), is set to take place on February 10-12 next year, at the Spodek Arena in Katowice, Poland.
As part of its first esports deal, Ticketmaster Poland provided its ticketing technology to aid tickets going on sale in September. The ticketing platform is the exclusive distributor for tickets to the gaming event, and is also responsible for handling the event in terms of scanning tickets and running the ticket offices.
ESL Faceit Group runs esport competitions such as Intel Extreme Masters and ESL One, featuring players from across the globe. Intel Extreme Masters is the longest-running pro-gaming tournament, and the events are part of the ESL Pro Tour. Teams and players compete as part of the ESL Pro Tour to gain higher positions and receive a champion title.
During IEM Katowice, the best players of games such as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) and StarCraft II will participate to be crowned champion and world champion.
Aleksander Szlachetko, managing director at ESL Faceit Group, said: “We couldn’t be happier to welcome back fans to IEM Katowice for the 11th time. We want to provide the community with the best technology and service to elevate their event experience. To ensure this we’ve partnered with Ticketmaster, and we’re excited to bring even more live phenomenal esports moments to fans from around the globe.”