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WCG marks first offline event since 2020
By Ko Dong-hwan
Busan will host this year's World Cyber Games (WCG) later this month, the first time the international event will take place offline since 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic forced most offline events to switch to online.
According to the Film and Contents Industry Division under Busan Metropolitan City's Culture and Sports Bureau, the WCG, one of the largest global esports tournaments, will be held from July 28 to 30 at BEXCO.
About 150 people from Korea, Japan, China, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and Canada will participate in it including 72 competitors, 22 commentators and 34 influencers. The players will compete in Hearthstone, Genshin Impact, Clash Royale, Mobile Legends, Starcraft 2, World of Warcraft and Epic Seven.
The highlight of the event, according to the city government, will be the WCG Grand Final in Hearthstone, Clash Royale and Mobile Legends.
It will become the stage to decide the final winners after the preliminary rounds kicked off online last December and continued until June. About 5,600 players from 58 countries joined the preliminary tournament that selected advancers through follow-up open qualifier matches and group stages. The lead-up to the finals has so far attracted over 17 million viewers who watched the livestreamed matches and generated over 46 million hits on related video content.
The WCG Busan also includes events that will see different groups of gamers competing in different events, such as the WCG Global Invitational, Kart Rider All Star and Rival Matches between Korea and China in Warcraft 3 and StarCraft 2 as well as between Indonesia and the Philippines in Mobile Legends.
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| A model dressed as a game character poses during a cosplay music festival that was part of the 2019 World Cyber Games in Xi'an, China, July 21, 2019. Courtesy of World Cyber Games |
Aside from the competitions, the Busan event will also offer other events for esport fans and visitors. Game developer Devsisters' new "Cookie Run Braverse" will be unveiled for the first time during the event. A retro game zone, a photo zone event featuring professional cosplayers, fan meetings with game influencers and a concert by virtual boy band Revolution Heart will also turn heads inside BEXCO.
"We're aware of the people worldwide who have been waiting eagerly for the WCG 2023 Busan," Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon said during a press conference in Seoul. "We will try to live up to their expectations during the remainder of the month until the event's kickoff."
The city government detailed in the press conference how BEXCO exhibition halls will be arranged to accommodate various events. The city expects more than 15,000 visitors will show up during the three-day event.
The previous offline WCG in 2019 was held in Xi'an, China. The event generated 200 million livestreaming views, 270 million online hits on event-related marketing content and a total of 682 ad hours for event sponsors. Out of the total of 120,000 visitors to Xi'an, more than 80 percent were from the MZ Generation ― born between the early 1980s and early 2000s ― and more than 60 percent were from outside Xi'an and China.
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