-Esports Scotland will host an epic four-day finals event at Dundee Contemporary Arts, with the nation’s top gamers set to compete for a share of a record £10,000 prize pot -
Scotland’s thriving tech sector will be boosted by The Scottish Esports League Season 4 (SEL4), the nation’s largest competitive gaming competition to date, as Esports Scotland announces that a showpiece event will be held at the innovative Dundee Contemporary Arts hub.
Following the success of SEL3 and the continued growth of Esports Scotland in 2020, Scotland’s top teams are preparing to compete for a place at a ground-breaking four-day Grand Finals event, which is scheduled to be held in November. To coincide with the rise of popularity in the Scottish Esports League, a £10,000 reward will be on offer: the largest prize pool in Scottish Esports history.
The rocketing popularity of Esports was magnified across Scotland in the last year as youngsters, celebrities and athletes alike switched on their consoles and PCs to escape from lockdown boredom. Even Scotland Men’s National Team football stars, including John McGinn and Ryan Christie, got involved in the action by turning to gaming to keep themselves sharp between matches as they recovered at their UEFA EURO 2020 camp.
Last year’s Esports Scotland competition, SEL3, saw 590 players compete across three games: Rocket League, Counter Strike Global Offensive and Rainbow Six Siege. A record number of players are expected to enter the frame at SEL4, with two new games, League of Legends and Valorant, joining alongside returning titles as the tournament continues to gain momentum.
Ahead of the competitive action, which starts with an online tournament in late September, players are being invited to tune their skills at next month’s pre-season stage, before competing for a sought-after place at the SEL4 Grand Finals being held at Dundee Contemporary Arts.
As a popular and innovative cultural hub in the city, Dundee Contemporary Arts was selected as the ideal location for Scotland’s most ambitious Esports tournament yet. Fans can register interest to attend Dundee’s first-of-its kind gaming finale on the Esports Scotland website, for a chance to watch some of the country’s most talented players on top of their game. Amongst the contenders in previous years were popular YouTuber, Gary Marley, and brother Marc Marley who has made a name for himself as a professional FIFA player alongside the likes of Adam Ryan who is competing on the global stage.
Beth Bate, Director of Dundee Contemporary Arts said: "We're delighted to be working with Esports Scotland on bringing this finals event to Dundee, supporting the city and Scotland's tech sector. Competitive gaming connects people from across the world and we're very proud to have such a strong home for it here in Dundee. We're looking forward to welcoming gamers to DCA for this exciting competition."
James Hood, owner of Esports Scotland, said: “Throughout lockdown, we witnessed more people playing games than ever before, so we’re excited to provide a platform for the nation’s gamers to develop their talent, and appetite for competitive match play. I’m a true believer that we have the potential to produce Esports icons of the future, so striving to offer a top-level environment for them to progress here in Scotland has been a huge goal of ours.
“SEL4 will mark another major milestone for Esports Scotland and we’re delighted with our progression over the past 12 months, which has allowed us to secure such a modern and
technologically advanced venue. We’re hugely excited that our dream to host an event of this calibre is becoming a reality.”