UK-based esports tournament organizer BLAST announced Thursday that it has signed a three-year strategic partnership deal with state-owned Chengdu Broadcasting Group Corporation (CBC).
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The start of this deal is to bring the $1 million USD BLAST Dota 2 Slam to Chengdu from Nov. 25 – Dec. 7. The grand final from Dec. 5 – 7, will be held at Chengdu Fenghuangshan Sports Park Gymnasium, which has a seating capacity of 18,000, depending on configuration. In addition, 12 teams will compete in this competition, with BLAST revealing Thursday the first six teams that received direct invitations: Tundra Esports, Heroic, Team Spirit, Team Falcons, Parivision, and Team Liquid.
First reported by The Esports Advocate in June, BLAST Dota 2 Slam will be the first BLAST event to be hosted in China. Sources close to the deal told The Esports Advocate that live streaming platform Huya will also be a partner in this event.
In addition to BLAST Dota 2 Slam, Chengdu will also host the League of Legends World Championship Final on Nov. 9, as well as the Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) Chengdu from Nov.7 – 9.