Mountain West Partners with ESP Gaming to Present First Ever MW Esports Showdown in Las Vegas

ESP Gaming to provide unparalleled event production, creative direction and staging solutions

(COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – March 7, 2018) – In selecting a production partner for the first-ever MW eSports Showdown taking place March 8 – 10 in Las Vegas, the Mountain West (MW) has chosen a company that is recognized globally for its innovation and expertise in presenting best-in-class esports competitions – ESP Gaming.

Headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, ESP Gaming is recognized as the premier competitive gaming content creation company in the world, with decades of production experience in live sports and gaming. As an industry-leading source of premium experiences for game developers, esports teams and gaming communities, ESP Gaming offers unparalleled broadcast and digital production, end-to-end league and tournament operations, distribution, player management, marketing and more.

ESP Gaming is partnering with the Mountain West to provide event production, creative direction and staging solutions for the first-ever MW eSports Showdown, which will be held in conjunction with the MW Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships in Las Vegas. The event will feature esports teams from Boise State and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) competing in three highly popular esports games: League of Legends, Rocket League and Overwatch. League of Legends is developed and published by Riot Games; Rocket League by Psyonix; and Overwatch by Blizzard Entertainment.

Consisting of 15 participants each, the esports teams from Boise State and UNLV will compete in Show Matches (exhibitions) on Thursday, March 8 and Friday, March 9 in the Strip View Pavilion inside the Thomas and Mack Center, followed by the MW eSports Showdown Main Event on Saturday, March 10 inside the Cox Pavilion. Admission to the Show Matches is free for ticket holders to the MW Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships, and fans will have the opportunity to learn more about esports directly from the participants. Timing for the Show Matches on March 8 is 4 – 7 p.m. Pacific Time and on March 9 is 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Pacific Time.

Tickets for the Main Event, which will begin at 9 a.m. Pacific Time on Saturday, March 10, are priced at $10 per person plus UNLVTickets handling fees. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased in person at the Thomas and Mack Center box office or online.The Show Matches and Main Event will also be broadcast live via the Mountain West eSports Twitch page at https://www.twitch.tv/mountainwestconf.

ESP Gaming produced more than 300 hours of live content in 2017 for broadcast TV and has over two decades of experience producing gaming content in over 15 countries. Their team is comprised of top esports and media executives and Emmy Award-winning producers who use their live sports expertise to create the best esports content for PC, console and mobile events.

About the Mountain West
From its inception in 1999, the Mountain West has been committed to excellence in intercollegiate athletics, while promoting the academic missions of its member institutions. Progressive in its approach, the Mountain West continues to cultivate opportunities for student-athletes to compete at the highest level, while fostering academic achievement and sportsmanship. Now in its 19th year, the MW has been assertive in its involvement with the NCAA governance structure and has taken a leadership role in the overall administration of intercollegiate athletics. The Mountain West membership is comprised of 11 all-sport members: the United States Air Force Academy, Boise State University, Colorado State University, Fresno State, University of Nevada, University of New Mexico, San Diego State University, San José State University, UNLV, Utah State University and University of Wyoming. In addition, the University of Hawai’i and Colorado College participate in the Mountain West as single-sport members in football and women’s soccer, respectively.

About ESP Gaming
ESP Gaming is the premier competitive gaming content creation company in the world with decades of production experience in live sports and gaming, including events like the X-Games, Olympics, NFL and World Series of Poker. As an industry leading source of premium experiences for game developers, esports teams and gaming communities, ESP Gaming offers best-in-class broadcast and digital production, distribution, end-to-end league and tournament operations, player management, marketing, sponsorship, ad sales and more. ESP Gaming also offers ESP Labs as an esports investment arm for securing funding for games, platforms and products. For more information, visit ESPGaming.com. Follow ESP Gaming on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for the latest news and updates.

###

Press Contact for Mountain West
Darryl Seibel
dseibel@themw.com

Press Contact for ESP Gaming
Liz Roland
fortyseven communications
415-543-9247
ESP@fortsyeven.com