École de technologie supérieure to host World Cyber Games in Montréal

MONTREAL, July 19 /CNW Telbec/ - World Cyber Games Canada announced a partnership with École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS), who will host the 2010 WCG Canadian Championship on its campus, downtown Montréal. The event will be held on Labor Day weekend, September 3rd to 5th 2010.

More than 400 gamers from coast-to-coast are expected to attend this year's event. The top players and teams will compete for a chance to represent Canada at the next World Cyber Games Grand Final in Los Angeles, USA.

"We are thrilled to partner with such a world-class university. Many ÉTS graduates have contributed to WCG Canada's recent successes and it's only fitting that Canada's most prestigious e-sport event be held here", said Stephan Richard, Executive Director, WCG Canada. "It is the third time in the past 5 years that Montreal is host to our national final. As one of the world's largest hubs for producing video games, we couldn't have found a better place to celebrate WCG's 10th anniversary."

"World Cyber Games' Canadian Championship provides ÉTS with such a unique opportunity. Lan ÉTS' success, being the largest annual LAN event in Eastern North America, the growing popularity of our IT and software engineering programs, and the increasing demand for graduates and co-op students in those fields confirm that video games and engineering are a great match", said Yves Beauchamp, Professor and CEO of ÉTS.

This year's WCG National Final will feature Counter-Strike 1.6 (PC), FIFA Soccer 2010 (PC), Guitar Hero 5 (XBOX), and Forza Motorsport (XBOX). Other non-official tournaments will also be featured as part of a special edition of the Lan ÉTS, including Counter-Strike Source and Quake Live. Prizes will be given away to winners. To register online, visit www.lanets.ca.

About World Cyber Games

The World Cyber Games, or WCG, is the premier international tournament in all of competitive video gaming, otherwise known as eSports. Widely regarded as the "Olympics" of eSports, gamers enter and compete in year-round online and live national qualifying tournaments. These lead to national championships which culminate at the WCG Grand Final global championship where the best in the world compete as individuals and as a national team to earn the World Champion title. The WCG broke registration records in 2008 as 1.5 million gamers from 80 countries participated in the global tournament. This year the WCG 2010 Grand Final will take place in the United States at the Los Angeles Convention Center in late September.

About École de technologie supérieure

The École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS) specializes in teaching and research in applied engineering and technology transfer. Part of the Université du Québec network, the school trains engineers and researchers renowned for their practical, innovative approach.

ÉTS stands out from other Quebec universities. It is the only engineering school to offer undergraduate engineering programs created specifically for technical college graduates who wish to obtain a university education. ÉTS ranks first in Québec and third in Canada for the total number of engineering diplomas awarded annually.

For further information: Stephan Richard, Executive Director, WCG Canada, Cell: 902-449-6163, [email protected]