Extreme weather may have canceled hundreds of flights into Texas, but it couldn’t prevent a perfect storm of top gaming talent and nail-biting tension happening at the milestone 100th IEM in the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, Dallas. We offer commiserations to the fans that were unable to join 55,000 fellow esports enthusiasts in person to watch G2 roar back from adversity to clinch the trophy over Vitality in an outcome worthy of a classic sports movie (make that esports movie). When G2 Team Captain Rasmus “HooXi” Nielsen was forced to miss the tournament, Jake “Stewie2K” Yip stepped in at the last minute, and accompanied G2 all the way to victory.
The Intel booth was of course there to inspire and inform, with an incredible array of 14th -gen products for visitors to experience, and some 100th IEM collectibles. Acer Predator showcased the 100th IEM edition Helios Neo 16 in honor of the occasion. Making history must be the unofficial theme of the 100th EIM, as this was the first time Thunderbolt™ Share was demoed. This new Intel® software solution enabling PC-to-PC experiences fundamentally changes the way users interact. And speaking of first, who could forget the Thunderbolt™ 5 gaming experience with a laptop driving an immersive Formula 1 racing simulation rig.
We were also present with Ubisoft, to give fans the lowdown on the upcoming Star Wars Outlaws. Intel is the exclusive launch CPU partner for this hotly anticipated title, bringing the power and performance to a legendary franchise with our latest Intel® Core™ 14th-gen processors.
As another IEM comes to a close, we celebrate the community and inclusivity of these events. The ESL Impact stage was where you could see the world’s best female competitors in action, while Intel hosted the Women Leaders in Gaming panel, featuring DarkSerenade, Apeachy, C9 Herculyse, Cath “Friday” Hebert, and Gen.G Widow in front of a packed audience.
It’s time to get ready for the next tournament. G2 now go through to the next stage, in Cologne, Germany, where they will compete from 16–18 August for part of the USD$1 million prize pot. Join us at… Well, we’d call the event IEM 101, but that would make it sound easy. Join us in Cologne for more historic esports action.
