Esports infrastructure company Nerd Street and Wisdom Gaming have partnered with Riot Games for the North American League of Legends: Wild Rift: Summoner Series.
As a result of the partnership, Nerd Street and Wisdom will lead registration, design, operations, and production of the tournament from July to October 2021.
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The Wild Rift: Summoner Series is open to all North American players. The series will feature three circuits and a last chance qualifier with the best teams entering into the NA Regional Championship.
According to the release, each circuit has a prize pot of $5,000 (~£3,607). The NA Regional Championships features a $35,000 (~£25,254) prize pool.
Chris Greeley, Head of Esports for NA and OCE at Riot Games, commented: “Riot Games has a long-standing relationship with Nerd Street and Wisdom Gaming across multiple titles, and we are excited to combine their talents to deliver our inaugural Wild Rift competition.
“We are confident that the expertise that Nerd Street and Wisdom bring to the table will create a seamless, integrity-driven competitive experience for our players in the Wild Rift: Summoner Series.”
Wild Rift: Summoner Series’s first circuit is set to commence on 29th July. Each circuit will include two open qualifiers and a ‘Major’, which will consist of the top four teams from both circuit one qualifiers. The top four teams from the first Major will qualify for Major 2.
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The best teams from Major 2 and Major 3, which will occur in the second and third circuit respectively, will qualify for the NA Regional Championships. In addition, two teams will gain entry into the event through a last chance qualifier. In total eight teams will compete in the NA Regional Qualifier — two from Major 2, four from Major 3, and two last chance qualifier sides.
Despite being involved in multiple esports titles, this is Nerd Street’s first foray into mobile gaming tournaments.
Stephen Csikos, Vice President of Esports Operations at Nerd Street, added: “As Nerd Street continues to grow, our key goals remain the same — expand our offerings to reach new audiences, and grow deeper partnerships with publishers.
“The opportunity to work alongside Riot to help structure and create their mobile esports programme for Wild Rift in NA is an important step for us as it allows both companies to grow the mobile space within North America. Nerd Street is dedicated to being a reliable partner across multi-verticals for publishers.”
The first circuit will last from 26th July to 8th August. Despite not having a confirmed date, the NA Regional Championship is expected to commence in October 2021. Full details of the event are found on Nerd Street’s and Wisdom Gaming’s social media channels.
Esports Insider says: Riot Games’s announcement of the NA Regional Championship continues to solidify the publisher’s ambition to push Wild Rift esports. Securing both Nerd Street and Wisdom to help run the North American event is a smart decision, particularly given both of the company’s track records when it comes to running other Riot Games titles.