Update: Upon learning that our event was scheduled for the same weekend as ETS, a popular BYOC event in Canada, we explored all options but unfortunately there is no way for us to avoid this conflict. The weekend before is the ESL EM Championship, the venue is not available for us the weekend after, and after talking with ETS we are unable to move our event into theirs. All ETS tournaments are BYOC tournaments and we need official, standardized PCs to run our LAN playoffs.

We are obviously disappointed by this conflict and will remain in better contact with ETS for future events.

Registration for the BYOC portion of our event will open next week and competitors and attendees can now reserve a discounted room at the Radisson on 11350 LBJ Freeway @ Jupiter, Dallas, TX for $73 per night, which includes free breakfast and a daily shuttle to and from the venue (Hella Shrine on 2121 Rowlett Road, Garland TX). Call 212-341-5400 and book your room under "ESEA" to receive the package.

We hope to see many of you there and stay tuned for event registration information next week!

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In July we hosted our first LAN playoffs for ESEA League. The event was held at Lethal Gamers and featured the top six CS 1.6 teams from our invite division. I am happy to announce that six months and two seasons later our Season 5 LAN Playoffs will be held in conjunction with Intel LAN Fest in Dallas, TX on March 12 – 14.

The event will be held in conjunction with Intel’s LAN Fest series and feature a modest BYOC in addition to a tournament area showcasing the top CS 1.6, CS: Source, and TF2 teams from our invite divisions. Fans and ESEA community members can enjoy a weekend of nonstop gaming and watch the country’s top gamers battle it out for their piece of the $45,000 prize purse.

This event is the first official ESEA community gathering and another step forward as we look to host larger BYOC events with more lead time for subsequent seasons across the country. With about 20 events scheduled for 2010, Intel LAN Fest hosts BYOC events from Boston to Portland with all proceeds being donated to charity. To date Intel LAN Fest has raised over $314,000!

More information on the event, including BYOC registration information, will be released in the coming weeks. Stay tuned to ESEA.net for more information on the Season 5 LAN Playoffs and schedules, scores, demos, and stats from all of the regular season action.