The League of International VR Esports season 3 launches with the return of popular titles in addition to a series of tournaments that will gauge interest in other games for the league throughout 2021. VR esports enthusiasts will recognize names such as Echo Arena, Swords of Gurrah, Racket: NX, Onward, and others. Registrations are open and players from all regions are invited to participate.

Alex Rozenberg, owner of a VR arcade in Kiryat Motzkin, Israel, actively encouraged interest in virtual reality and VR esports throughout his local and regional community in 2018 and 2019. Unfortunately, he discovered that his teams weren’t qualified to participate in many events because most were geared towards players in North America and Europe. There are valid reasons for this, including time zones and issues with ping, but Rozenberg decided to create a league that enabled players in other regions, including the Middle East and Mediterranean, to participate.

“We have finished the second season deep inside the Covid19 uncertainty period,” states Rozenberg. “It was tough, but we and the community’s most determined VR esports athletes have struggled to bring the season to the best conclusion possible.”

Based on feedback from the previous two seasons, the decision was made to bring on a community manager, provide more coverage of events with professional broadcasting, and find out which games players are most interested in for season 3 with these small tournaments in January and February.

In addition to the one and two-day tournaments, now is the time to register for the Smashbox Arena, Racket: NX and Onward upcoming seasons. You can find registration links for all the games here.

Players not only receive bragging rights, but there are cash prizes as well!

Calendar of Upcoming Events

Swords of Gurrah

Focused around hand-to-hand combat, Devster’s Swords of Gurrah features a top quality melee combat VR experience in an online arena. Players choose from a variety of weapons including swords, shields, axes, spears, etc. and gameplay features a unique trait where the weapons shatter upon impact. This creative design element of Devin Richman, lead developer and founder of Devster, was added to provide a more immersive experience through the visual and sound effects upon collision. The weapons do reappear for the next attack or defense.

Blaston

Resolution Games’ Blaston was awarded the Best New Fitness Game of the Year from VR Fitness Insider for 2020 and it continues to grow in popularity among VR enthusiasts who want a variant to traditional PvP gunplay. Players compete against AI or a player-controlled opponent in a small arena where ducking and dodging is necessary in order to avoid gunfire from your opponent’s weapons. Weapon changes are required if you run out of ammo and some weapons cause greater damage so strategy is essential in Blaston.

Racket: NX

Racket: NX is essentially an immersive, interactive psychedelic version of racquetball. The in-game play area, a giant glass dome, makes you feel like you’re inside a giant pinball machine and your goal is to destroy targets that light up on the wall by smashing them with the ball. Precision aiming and quick reflexes help and in the multiplayer version of this game from One Hamsa, you test these skills against opponents to see who can take the win.

Ten VR esports athletes competed in this intense multiplayer experience during LIVE’s Racket: NX season 1 for prizes that included a Woojer belt, $50 Amazon gift card, and an in-game medal. Of course champions also claimed bragging rights for inaugural titles that will go down in the VR esports record books.

LIVE Racket: NX season 2 begins on January 25 so register now, grab your virtual racket, and see if you can earn top honors, bragging rights, and a portion of the prize pool.

Smashbox Arena

BigBox VR’s Smashbox Arena has been featured in each season of LIVE and this competitive team shooter featuring various game modes and power-ups continues to prove itself as a popular competitive option for VR enthusiasts.

Eleven couples competed for the Smashbox Arena season 2 prize pool that included a Woojer vest, Woojer strap, and $50 Amazon gift cards. Players from the United States, Canada, France, Switzerland, Ireland, the Netherlands, and the UK competed in and “Ship It” took the championship title.

Season 3 kicks off on February 2 and will feature a $1,100 prize pool. Register today for this fun VR game and be prepared to dodge, block, and take cover if you want to win!

Echo Arena

Named as one of the top VR esports games for the Oculus Quest 2 and recently awarded the Best VR Competitive Fitness Game of the Year from VR Fitness Insider for 2020, Ready At Dawn’s Echo Arena has received accolades as the first and truest VR esport. Players jump, duck, dodge, and coordinate with teammates to fly through a virtual arena where they compete for glory against other Echo units. The game is very much like sports in physical reality and it requires skill, strategy, and physicality if you want to be the best.

Onward

With real combat mechanics, availability on the Oculus Quest, a variety of maps, and an engaged community, Downpour Interactive’s Onward is one of the most appealing VR first-person shooters on the market. The game was released in August 2016 and immediately picked up a following. Typically matches are 5v5, but there are variations and the League of International VR Esports will feature 1v1 competitive play for season 1.

Onward was built from the ground up for virtual reality as a mil-sim and will be an excellent addition to LIVE titles for 2021.

Eleven Table Tennis

This table tennis simulator became available for the Oculus Quest last year and it’s an excellent competitive choice for those who prefer to compete in solo events. The slight weight of your controllers combined with haptic feedback when you strike the ball will make you feel like you’re immersed in the game and standing opposite your opponent at the table. With Eleven Table Tennis, For Fun Labs has developed a fun, accessible way to play table tennis and compete against anyone in the world.

More Information

For information about future LIVE competitions and VR esports in general, stay tuned to VR Fitness Insider.

Sponsors for the League of International VR Esports for 2021 include Woojer, Marvo, Rebuff Reality, and VR Community Builders. If you’d like to invest in the growing field of VR esports with an international league, join the LIVE community Discord server to meet other community members, ask questions, make suggestions, and volunteer if you’d like to help build the league. Admins Dean Winchester (D3adShot) and bendaonfire007 are eager to assist you.

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