Kevin Lin, co-founder of Twitch, and Sundance DiGiovanni, co-founder of Major League Gaming, as keynote speakers at Esports Summit 2019 -- the first business-focused esports conference in the southeast. Additionally, INAP, a leading-edge provider of high-performance data center and cloud solutions, is the official “Powered By” partner of Esports Summit and secured the title sponsorship. Hi-Rez Studios is the Presenting Publisher sponsor of the summit.

Presented by Skillshot Media, Esports Summit will gather leaders of the entertainment industry to discuss upcoming trends and projections for the future of esports November 14 - 15, 2019 at the Georgia World Congress Center.  

“As the inaugural event in the Southeast, Esports Summit 2019 is an excellent opportunity to shine the light on one of the most robust gaming and esports ecosystems in North America, metro Atlanta,” said Grant Wainscott, head of creative industries economic development with the Metro Atlanta Chamber.  

As industry veterans who helped shape the esports and streaming scene, Lin and DiGiovanni will share their insight and expertise as the co-founders of Twitch and Major League Gaming respectively. In addition to keynotes, a full-day of panels featuring esports industry professionals and endemic companies will also run on Friday, November 15.

“These first two industry titans, with a combined experience of 30 years between them, sets the bar for the level and depth of esports expertise we will provide this year at Esports Summit,” said conference organizer Kathryn De Shields. “This conference will provide content and access to the very top professionals across the esports ecosystem - representing team orgs, publishers, investors, brands, platforms, educators, and more.”

Support from the Esports Summit title sponsor, INAP, will enable comprehensive speaker content, networking opportunities, and behind-the-scenes tours of a production studio (Skillshot Media) and the World Championship live event at Hi-Rez Expo.

“We are proud to support Skillshot Media and this important, first-of-its-kind event for the region,” said TJ Waldorf, Chief Marketing Officer and Head of Customer Success at INAP. “Esports is on its way to becoming a billion-dollar industry this year, making this world-class showcase a must-attend for all parties looking to operate in this exciting and fast-growing ecosystem.”  

The full speaker list and agenda for Esports Summit 2019 will be released in early Fall 2019. Tickets are currently available at an early bird discount. For tickets and additional information, visit www.esportssummit.live.

For information about sponsoring or speaking, please contact kdeshields@skillshot.com.

We had a blast holding the Skillshot Atlanta Open at MomoCon 2019, and we wanted to capture some of the event highlights for those who couldn't make it. From Soul Calibur VI tournaments to meeting players from different leagues, the stage was full of activity. Overall, MomoCon welcomed more than 39,000 people  (120,000 in turnstile attendance) over four days. Read on for details!

SMITE and Paladins Meet & Greets

Just because we left the studio doesn't mean we didn't want to rep SMITE Pro League and Paladins Premiere League while we were away from home. In addition to streaming SPL for MomoCon audiences, we also held two meet and greets. First, Renegades stopped by to talk about being a professional player -- from favorite foods to group activities outside of gaming. Later that evening, members from Splyce and Envy (SPL & PPL World Champions) talked with Cooper and Finch about what it feels like to win on the grand stage.

Warhammer 40K On Deck

If you know one thing about Skillshot, its that we're always down to try new things -- even board games! We decided to shake things up a little and hosted a  Warhammer 40,000 Showmatch. We had a lot of fun with this one, and our Production Designer came from behind the stage to cast the entire thing.

An Autograph Session with Atlanta Reign

Atlanta Reign was in the building on Friday and Saturday with a meet & greet and an autograph session! Coach Casores, NlaaeR and Kodak spent some time with us on the Skillshot Atlanta Open stage. Attendees received free team posters that Atlanta Reign members signed on site. If you haven't already, check out the Atlanta Reign Homestand Weekend taking place July 6th & 7th at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. Tickets are almost sold out! Head over to www.atlreign.com for more information.

An Epic SoulCalibur VI Tournament

Skillshot engaged the local fighting game community to host an intense SoulCalibur VI tournament. In addition to guest casters who kept everyone hype and up-to-date, we had open play PS4 stations for folks to warm up and hone their skills. Once open signups closed, competition started on Saturday and ran through Sunday.

After two days of competition through the top and lower brackets, the top eight competitors emerged:

• RTD $800
• Cry-Wolv $500
• Fame96 $300
• TectalEastside $300o
• BLACKSTAR $150
• Bakuryu $150
• GratFox $150
• KaziShinkuBlaze $150

Thanks to everyone who signed up to compete, and congratulations to the tournament winners!

Chilling at the Skillshot Lounge

At the Skillshot Atlanta booth, Roberto, a professional makeup artist, provided cosplay touch-ups, sleeves, and makeup. At our table, we also handed out codes for SMITE, Paladins, and Realm Royale along with some free tshirts. A big thank you to our sponsors: Inap, SteelSeries, R.S. Andrews, Respawn, and Select Fulton. We couldn't have put on such a marvelous event without your support!

Stay tuned for the next Skillshot Atlanta Open coming to a convention near you. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter at @SkillshotMedia for more updates!

If you're going to MomoCon and looking to show off your skills in SoulCalibur VI, we got you covered. Starting on Friday, May 24, Skillshot Atlanta Open will host a PS4 SoulCalibur VI tournament. Featuring a full stage, live commentary, and a $2,500 prize pool, you don't want to miss this opportunity to turn those combo patterns into cash.

Players, can register for free on www.ssgg.io/SoulCalibur. We only have room for 128 competitors, so sign up now to secure your spot! If you haven't already, visit this link to purchase your ticket to MomoCon.

Can't make it to MomoCon? Tune in from home and catch the action on Skillshot's Twitch channel. Game broadcasts will start at 2pm EST on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Prizing
Skillshot is providing a $2,500 prize pool for those who finish in the top eight. Competition will take place over four days, and prizing is awarded as follows:

• 1st place: $800
• 2nd place: $500
• 3rd & 4th place: $300 each
• 5th - 8th place: $150 each.

Tournament Format
The 128 player open bracket will be grouped into 8 pools of 16 competitors. The tournament is in double elimination format, with rounds played Thursday - Sunday. Each pool is played in its entirety before the next pool begins. Each day's breakdown is as follows:

• Thursday, May 23: Open play
• Friday, May 24: Pool F1 & F2; Pool G1 & G2; Pool Hi & H2; Pool I1 & I2 (1pm start)
  (Each pool will start 45 minutes apart and players should arrive at the space 10 minutes early)
• Saturday, May 25: Finals Bracket — Top 24 (2pm start)
  (Each pool will start 45 minutes apart and players should arrive at the space 10 minutes early)
• Sunday, May 26: Finals Bracket continues (2pm start)( Each match is on the stage)

Three competitors per pool will advance into the finals bracket — two competitors from the winning bracket, and one winner from the losers bracket.  

Tournament Rules
To keep things running smoothly, there are some rules that will be strictly enforced.

• As the tournament progresses, the number of games per match is as follows:some text
  • Best 3 out of 5 rounds per game
  • Best 2 out of 3 games per match until the top 24
  • Best 3 out of 5 games per match for the top 24
• Each game will run for 60 seconds. If 60 seconds runs out, whoever has the most remaining health at the end of the 60 seconds will win the game or match (depending on the number of games already won).
• Winners must keep the same character for each game in a match. Losers can switch characters and rematch with the current character and stage, with the current character and a new random stage, or select a new character and a new random stage.
• Pausing the game is prohibited and will result in a DQ.
  

Game Play & Setup

• Official DualShock 4 controller is allowed but wired.
• Fight sticks and other controllers allowed but must be wired.
• Legacy mode is not allowed.
• 100% health and soul gauge.
• No macro-capable devices.
• If players do not agree on a stage within 15 seconds, random stage selection will be used.
• When both players are at the game console, they must come to an agreement on which side of the machine they will play on. If no agreement is made, a coin flip will happen to determine sides.

Choosing Characters

• Inferno is banned.
• Created characters are banned, and character customization is prohibited.
• There are 3 methods for choosing characters. Standard Selection, Double Blind Selection, and Side and Character Courtesy.some text
  • If the players do not discuss the method of character selection, it should be understood that the Standard method is being used. If the players cannot come to an agreement on the method of character selection, the judge will apply the double blind method.
    
    some text
    • Standard Selectionsome text
      • Both players choose their characters whenever they want. This is a free for all. Players pick who they want and go.
      • Once either player chooses a character, neither is allowed to request that the Double Blind Selection method be used.
    • Double Blind Selectionsome text
      • Either player must explicitly ask for the Double Blind Selection method before either player chooses a character.
      • When a player request Double Blind, the player on the left side (1p) decides which character they will choose and whispers his selection to the Judge.
      • The Judge then signals the player on the right (2p) to pick his characters.
      • Once the player on the right (2p) has finished, the Judge makes sure the player on the left (1p) sticks to his original choices.
    • Side and Character Courtesysome text
      • As a courtesy, the player who received his choice of which side to play on (1p vs 2p) can elect to choose his character first.
      • This is strictly a courtesy. A player is in no way required to do so.

Keep an eye on @SkillshotMedia and @MomoCon for news and updates.  Don't forget to register, and we'll see you at MomoCon!

This year, we had the honor of being presenting sponsor for The Lionheart School's 19th Annual "Party With Heart" event. It was a wonderful evening full of heart in support of an organization working tirelessly to give kids the skills they need to succeed.

We recently released a list of the competitive esports organizations that will compete in Paladins Premier League and SMITE Pro League in 2019.  

As part of a multiyear franchise, eight organizations will compete in the Paladins Premier League (PPL). Signed teams consist of new and returning organizations to PPL, including Natus Vincere, Pittsburgh Knights, Ninjas in Pyjamas, Spacestation Gaming, Renegades, Virtus Pro, Kanga Esports, and Team Envy. Team roster reveals will occur at a later date.  

Announced last week, ten organizations will compete in the SMITE Pro League (SPL) in 2019. Signed organizations include Splyce, eUnited, Spacestation, SK Gaming, Trifecta, Pittsburgh Knights, Renegades, Team Rival, Dignitas, and Luminosity.

Team rosters are available here: https://esports.smitegame.com/news/smite-pro-league-2019-season-6-rosters

In 2019, all PPL and SPL regular season games will be held on-site at the Skillshot Media Studio in Alpharetta, GA. As such, at least 90 pro esports players will be moving to the metro-Atlanta area or traveling to compete. This relocation is intended to help Skillshot provide players with a better competitive environment, provide fans with an upgraded production experience on broadcast, and supply additional esports shoulder content throughout the season.  

For more information about PPL, visit: https://esports.paladins.com/ For more information about SPL, visit: https://esports.smitegame.com

About Skillshot
Based in Alpharetta, GA, Skillshot provides a turnkey esports solution for leading competitive titles, including online and offline tournament organization, industry-leading esports production and active community management. Skillshot has more than five years of esports experience in hosting thousands of global competitors, paying out millions in tournament prizing and serving more than one billion esports views to date.