Amazon’s Prime Video are releasing a five-part documentary sequence which takes a glance behind the scenes of the inaugural Esports World Cup in 2024.
The main occasion held tournaments for 22 completely different recreation titles, together with League of Legends, Counter-Strike, and Name of Responsibility, with a mixed prize pool of $62.5 million (£46m).
The Esports World Cup: Stage Up documentary will premiere on Friday, June sixth, with subsequent episodes releasing weekly.
The sequence has been produced by Sony Footage Tv’s documentary filmmakers ‘This Machine’ and has been directed by Emmy Award-winning director R.J. Cutler, who additionally directed the Elton John: By no means Too Late documentary movie.
Stage Up has been filmed ‘verité’ model, taking a fly-on-the-wall method behind the scenes of the match. That on-the-ground footage from Riyadh will then be blended with house visits to a number of execs from all world wide.
A few of the essential storylines of the sequence have already been revealed, with a number of esports execs highlighted.
Considered one of them is, unsurprisingly, Lee ‘Faker’ Sang-hyeok, essentially the most achieved LoL participant of all time and one of many best esports rivals ever.
LoL followers may additionally have an interest to see the concentrate on Natus Vincere CEO, Yevhen Zolotarov, as NAVI are rumoured to hitch the LEC this yr. The documentary will concentrate on the Ukrainians’ private expertise of Russia’s invasion of his house nation.
Stage Up may also characteristic Sanford ‘Sanford’ Vinuya, a 19-year-old Cellular Legends: Bang Bang participant who was competing to earn cash as the first bread-winner for his household after his father suffered a stroke.
They may also spotlight the backstory of Atlana FaZe Name of Responsibility professional Zack ‘Drazah’ Jordan and the way he grew to become a professional participant after rising up close to the North Pole in Alaska.
It’s these tales that director Cutler says he’s most enthusiastic about: “Stage Up isn’t simply concerning the unbelievable competitors and prize cash.
“It’s concerning the dedication, the eagerness, and the sheer will of those athletes and groups pushing the boundaries of what’s doable.
“Below excessive stress, we uncover the true character of the rivals who vie for $60 million, however who additionally expose their humanity within the course of.”
In my seven years of esports writing, I’ve introuduced esports protection to newspapers, interviewed a few of the largest names within the trade, and pushed viewers mad with the puns in my YouTube scripts. I’m most happy with the latter.
