In addition to serving as the training center for the CGS Wuhan Dragon team, the new facility will be the location for the upcoming CGS 2008 Pan-Asia Final from April 30 to May 3. Competing teams will include the six CGS teams from the Pan-Asia Region: Wuhan Dragon, Seoul Jinhwa, Singapore Sword, Sydney Underground, Dubai Mirage and Kuala Lumpur Taufan. The top two finishers at the Pan-Asia Final will then be invited to compete against the world’s best teams for a share of the $1,000,000 prize purse at the 2008 CGS World Final to be held later this year in Los Angeles.
“By participating in the opening of this great new training center and gaming arena in China, we are spearheading the next step in the evolution of eSports,” states Andy Reif, CGS Commissioner. “We expect attendance at the upcoming CGS Pan-Asia Final to exceed 125,000 over the course of the Final which not only demonstrates the magnitude of the event, but also underscores the value which this state-of the-art facility will bring to professional gaming.”
Each CGS team consists of ten athletes, each specializing in an official League game. Five of the ten players comprise a Counter-Strike: Source (CS:S) squad which competes in five-on-five matches. FIFA 08 is played in a one-on-one format. Each CGS team also has a mixed-doubles team of two Dead or Alive 4 players, who will play against other teams in one-on-one matches on Xbox 360. Forza Motorsport 2 consists of two racers on each team competing in a two-versus-two format, also on Xbox 360.
CGS events will be broadcast to more than 350 million viewers worldwide by DIRECTV in the U.S., BSkyB in the UK, ESPN STAR Sports in Asia.