It’s almost time for the 2020 MotoGP™ eSport Championship to fire up for the season and there’s plenty to look forward to as the series hits its fourth year. The challenges, competition and prizes are as awe-inspiring as ever, with everything on the line for those who take part – and a new Champion with a target on his back.
The numbers over the first three seasons make for incredible reading. Worldwide coverage provided by 15 television partners and digital channels across YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram – as well as on motogp.com and the MotoGP™ eSport official website – have given the Championship an incredible global presence: 64 million video views online, 247 million impressions and over eight million engagements, with more than 50% of the audience between 13 and 24 years old. That, combined with 20 Online Challenges and seven on-site events, make the MotoGP™ eSport Championship one of the biggest racing competitions in the gaming landscape.
2019 came to a dramatic close with AndrewZh claiming the crown for Ducati, beating two-time Champion Trastevere73 (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) in an exciting changing of the guard. Now it’s time to see who will lift the crown in 2020, beginning with the online Pro Draft before four on-site rounds: the Global Series.
This year, the Pro Draft selection phase comprises three Online Challenges in time-attack mode – on a specified track and in specific conditions that are yet to be revealed. The challenges are played on the Official MotoGP™ videogame from videogame developer, publisher and longstanding partner Milestone, and gamers can take part on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC via Steam. After each Challenge, the gamers with the fastest laptimes are split into two different standings – Europe and Rest of World. The top 45 from each region – the best 15 per platform – are awarded points based on the official MotoGP™ scoring system. The overall standings at the conclusion of Challenge 3 determine the 22 gamers who qualify for the Draft Selection; 16 from Europe and six from the Rest of World category.
The Draft Selection puts all the qualified gamers in a pool from which each MotoGP™ Team is able to select their eSport rider, creating 11 Official MotoGP™ eSport riders and 11 reserves. Each team must pick a rider and a reserve for the Global Series events.
The Global Series then sees the competition move from online to on-site, with gamers competing on Lenovo Legion™ PCs for both the Championship crown and some incredible prizes – including, as ever, a BMW M as first prize, provided by MotoGP™ eSport partner BMW M. Eight races held over four MotoGP™ rounds comprise the 2020 Global Series, setting the season up for another incredible final showdown. Mugello hosts the first event on the 29th of May, the Red Bull Ring the second on the 14th of August, Misano the third on the 11th of September and Valencia the fourth, alongside the MotoGP™ season finale on the 13th of November.
2020 also sees another exciting addition to the Championship: the Rising Stars Series. An eSport Talent Cup programme, Rising Stars will consist of four time-attack Online Challenges separated by world regions (Americas, Europe/Africa, Asia/Oceania) and three online Regional Finals (one per region). Regional winners will be awarded a guaranteed place in the 2021 Draft. There are more awesome prizes up for grabs too, and the winners of the Final Races (3 in total) will also be invited to Valencia in order to attend the MotoGP™ eSport Championship season finale to explain their experiences in the Rising Stars Championship. Stay tuned – more information on the Rising Stars series is coming soon!
Get ready for more scintillating track action in 2020 as the MotoGP™ eSport Championship powers up, and stay up to date on all the latest at motogp.com and esport.motogp.com, as well as across social media platforms including YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
