MLG announces League of Legends, Black Ops II for Winter Season

Major League Gaming has officially announced the first two of three games for its opening 2013 Winter Season, which will feature Riot Games' League of Legends and Treyarch's Call of Duty: Black Ops II. MLG is said to be working closely with Treyarch and Activision to bring Call of Duty eSports to the world.

"The global phenomenon of competitive gaming has reached a tipping point and I believe 2013 is going to be the most pivotal time for eSports," MLG CEO and cofounder Sundance DiGiovanni said. "The Winter Season includes games built for competitive play, an event format and production level unparalleled in the industry and a passionate global fan base that continues to grow. Combine that with our TV-esque online broadcast, and we have everything needed for MLG and eSports to dominate the entertainment industry and appeal to an even broader audience"

Although the third game has not yet officially been announced, it has been made apparent from tweets by DiGiovanni that it will be StarCraft II. DiGiovanni even told GameSpot that it would feature the new StarCraft II expansion to be released in early March, Heart of the Swarm.

The Winter Season will culminate at the Winter Championships, March 15-17, at the Dallas Convention Center in Dallas, Texas. $50,000 will be up for grabs for Call of Duty competitors and $20,000 to the winner, with Online qualifiers being held for North America and Europe through MLG's GameBattles service. Qualifying and prize pool details for the other games will be released soon.

TwitchTV will act as MLG's distribution partner for all broadcasts in 2013. Hotel information is currently available for viewing with spectator passes being available in early February.