Blizzard Entertainment, the company behind the remarkably popular World of Warcraft online game, has announcedthat it will hold a new competition – a tournament, if you will. According to Vnunet, special “realms” will be created for thecompetition, meaning users will be able to create customized level-70 characters who have top-level equipment. The focus will evidently be on tactics. The tournament will get underway in Aprilwith two rounds of global qualifiers that run for six weeks. Competitors will have to pay an entry free of around $25. Teams entering will compete on the existing Arena system. The top fourteams from each round will move to regional finals where they will go head to head for $27,000 in cash. Each team will have three players, with another three as reserves. Eachregion’s winners will advance to a global final where the prizes total more than $120,000, including the grand prize of $75,000. Mike Morhaime, chief executive and co-founder of BlizzardEntertainment, said, "We are pleased to expand World of Warcraft’s tournament options for players who want to focus mainly on the competitive aspect of the game."
