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Esports is the future; there’s no doubt about that. However, it’s also now the past. TaleWorlds Entertainment has announced Mount and Blade: Warband’s very first esports event, seven years after the game was first released on Steam in 2010.
The esports series, entitled ‘The Battle of Bucharest’ will see Europe’s best Thanes battling it out to get their hands on a chunk of the $10,000 prize pool.
Although the game is seven years old, it’s got a dedicated competitive community, with competitive skirmishes the norm through the game’s dedicated community. The Battle of Bucharest will be running 1v1 and 5v5 events, skewing towards the small side compared to a typical Warband skirmish which might see upwards of 100 soldiers on both sides getting stuck in.
The qualifiers kick off later this week, running from May 12-14 online to determine the four teams and four best solo warriors to compete in the live finals in Bucharest on May 20.
The event was organised by the Lithuanian Esports Federation, working in tandem with TaleWorlds Entertainment.
Sergei Klimov, the LEF’s managing director of the LEF, said in a press release: “Battle of Bucharest is a stepping stone for Mount & Blade esports events. We plan to develop this format to include other regions in the future, increase the prize pool and of course jump to Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord (the new game in the series) when it’s released”.
Ali Erkin, Managing Director of TaleWorlds Entertainment, said: “[TaleWorlds] has been looking for great ways to engage with our active community at a live event, and this cooperation presents a fantastic opportunity. We are looking forward to meeting the players in Bucharest – one of the top esports hubs in the world”.
