China: "We Take e-Sports Seriously."
Massive e-Sports tournaments don't just organize themselves. Many people have been hard at work behind the scenes preparing for the China E-Sports Premier League (CEPL). A hodgepodge of CEPL information has slowly trickled outside "the middle kingdom." This article will attempt to cover some of the major points of interest.
One of the most notable developments for Warcraft III will be the new tournament commissioned map(s). CEPL will feature one or more new maps resulting from a collaboration of China's greatest Warcraft minds. The first step in this process will begin with map design. The following players will be tasked with creating map blueprints: Sky, Fly100%, Infi, TH000, Ted, Sai, Remind, and others (to be determined). Next, the initial design will then be opened to fan comment. Afterwards, a selected panel of media representatives and e-Sports commentators will voice their opinions. Finally, after a final play-testing and modification stage, the new map(s) will be CEPL-ready around 12/21/10.
The Wuxi Municipal People's Government in conjunction with Wuxi Municipal Sports Bureau will be sending its own representatives to CEPL. The Wuxi region, located southeast of the metropolis of Shanghai is no stranger to e-Sports. Wuxi has hosted both the ESWC regional finals, and the Jiangsu Electronic Sports League Finals. As part of its strategy to transform itself into the world's premier e-Sport capitol, Wuxi has set out a 6-month multi-million RMB plan. The plan will consist of e-athlete training regimens and infrastructure investment. Wuxi will train cyber-athletes in Warcraft 3, Starcraft, FIFA Soccer, Need for Speed, and NBA basketball games. World Elite, among other clubs, will be engaged in the development of Wuxi's bustling talent pool. Additionally, the construction of a new electronic sports hall will provide Wuxis' new stars with a place to practice and compete. The new structure will reportedly be larger than the INTER e-Sports museum in Chengdu, China.
