eSports is definitely on the rise when it comes to popularity, with companies like Riot Games and Valve offering millions of dollars in prizes for tournaments revolving around their respective titles, including League of Legends and DOTA 2. Now, Razer, the maker of various PC and other gaming peripherals, will pay tribute to these players with a forthcoming documentary series.
Razer has recently announced that the first public screening for the first chapter in its series, Team Razer: Great Games, will make its premiere at DreamHack Winter in Jonokoping, Sweden. With the documentary, a group of eSports professionals will be followed as they engage in tournaments for such titles as StarCraft II and League of Legends.
“When we say eSports is in Razer’s DNA, we really mean it,” says Min-Liang Tan, Razer co-founder and CEO. “We pioneered eSports in the early days by supporting budding professional athletes and we helped grow some of the largest tournaments around at the time – we still continue to accomplish that today in a way few others can. With ‘Great Games’ we wanted to showcase the rise of eSports in a way that inveterate and new gamers alike may enjoy, and it provides an exciting glimpse into the lives of some of the world’s most talented eSports professionals that call Team Razer their home.”
The three half-hour episodes in the series were directed by Travis “Samonx” Beauchamp, who also brought the YouTube-based documentary The Smash Brothers to life some time ago. With the first installment, viewers will be introduced to what makes eSports tick, as well as focus on such superstars as Jaedong and Flash. The other two episodes will continue to follow these players through more complex sessions of Dota 2 and League of Legends.
“eSports is a phenomenon that so many people are still unaware of, and I want to change that,” says Beauchamp. “Athletes from different cultures pursue their passion with these games, with millions of people watching, each player driven by a desire to be the best of the best. Illuminating the lives of these StarCraft, Dota 2 and League of Legends champions will help eSports novices to understand that ambitious gaming is not only a hobby, but a serious sport.”
The trailer for the series can be found below. There’s no word when it will make its online premiere, but sometime in 2015 is very likely, on Razer’s official YouTube channel.
