Trion Worlds yesterday announced a partnership with ESL to create an esports structure for fans of the newly-released turn-based game Atlas Reactor.
#Competition is heating up with weekly #cashPrizes for the @ESLAtlasReactor Go4 Cup! Create a team and sign up now! https://t.co/5nkR94v5Gd pic.twitter.com/CPPPQ8FjHn
— Atlas Rogues (@AtlasRogues) November 10, 2016
Atlas Reactor’s first competition will begin on 12 November with $8,000 (~£6,340) up for grabs in the ESL Go4 series. To celebrate the partnership, Trion have announced that Atlas Reactor will be entirely free to all players from today (Friday) until Sunday 13 November.
Sean Charles, Vice President of Publisher Relations at ESL said: “The community’s response to Atlas Reactor’s competitive structure has been overwhelmingly positive, so we are happy to help solidify the title in the esports arena,” before adding “It’s always an exciting time when a title shows potential and we look forward to working closely with Trion Worlds to bring Atlas Reactor to a wider gaming audience.”
Peter Ju, Executive Producer of Atlas Reactor stated: “We’re very excited to kick off this joint effort with ESL and our community, and have ambitious plans to further expand and evolve the game to support all types of players.”
The game has been receiving great praise from many of the industry’s most respected publications. Polygon describe it as “Dota meets XCOM” – where players must combine competitive, fast-paced turn-based action with simultaneous planning and quick thinking.
ESL will provide editorial, social and promotional support as well as logistical oversight on the new game. It’s available in English, French, German and Russian at the moment – with producers hinting at additional language support to be imminently available.
To download Atlas Reactor – click here.
To sign-up for the ESL Go4 tournament – click here.
Esports Insider says: It’s every developer’s dream to have a game make it as an esport. The initial reviews are great, and it will be interesting to see how this partnership pans out. If any company has the leverage and position to facilitate an esports growth, its ESL. ESL have shown with their work on ESL UK that they’re more than happy to support grassroots esports – and it’s about time that we had more titles trying to enter the scene.
The esports realm is of course an extremely difficult a nut to crack, so it will be intriguing to see how this one pans out. As for the game – we haven’t had the chance to play it yet but with an all-access weekend we’ll be sure to give it a try.