Intel Extreme Masters

Intel Extreme Masters

The Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) are a series of gaming tournaments held in various European locations. These sanctioned events include events in Starcraft II, Counter-Strike 1.6, Quake Live, and League of Legends. The body that owns the league is . The League has existed for five seasons. Sponsored by their namesake, Intel, the Season Five tournament finals took place at CeBIT, located in Hanover, Germany. Previous events have been held in Los Angeles, Chengdu and Dubai .

History

The Intel Extreme Masters are a product of the ESL. In 2006, when the Intel sponsored European tournament saw room for expansion outside of European, especially in North American markets, Intel provided funds for a worldwide tournament, billing it as the Intel Extreme Masters. In 2007, when established, the IEM established a format of many smaller qualifying events, leading up to a large final event that is held at CeBIT. All of the Grand Finals have been held at CeBIT. Starting in 2008, the Tournament was billed as being worldwide, boasting participants from Europe, North America, and Asia. Although Counterstrike 1.6 was the only game offered in the first season, the variety of games has increased greatly, to the four that were offered during Season 5. World of Warcraft was offered during Season 4, but was dropped for Season 5. The Season 5 Finals were be held at CeBIT and will included a US$130,000 prize pool.

Format

IEM utilizes a fair number of offline qualifiers. During Season 5, qualifiers were held for North America, Europe, and Southeast Asia regions. Those who qualify for the finals are placed into two groups of six, of which the top two advance. The first place member of each group goes directly to the semifinals, and the second and third place members go into the quarterfinals.

See Also

References

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