ESL and Intel Extreme Masters in San Jose had a great weekend – during the tournament the company saw viewership double in numbers: 7 million hours of watched content and close to 17 million total sessions were recorded over the two event days. The IEM crowned two new winners over the weekend. Origen and Natus Vincere (for League of Legends and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive), were the ones who took home the combined amount of US$175,000 in prize pool.
It was an insane weekend for fans and pro players, as Mark Cuban and Intel CEO, Brian Krzanich, took to the stage at Intel Extreme Masters San Jose, together the two raised over US$38,000 for The Cybersmile Foundation in a celebrity League of Legends showmatch. During the showmatch, Krzanich’s team, consisting of ex-professional League of Legends players such as; SaintVicious (Coach), HotshotGG, Hai, Chauster and Bjergsen, earned money for charity based on in-game achievements. Krzanich’s team went up against Cuban’s team, who was also full of all-stars. Cuban’s team consisted of; Snoopeh (Coach), Reginald, Meteos, DoubleLift and Voyboy.
Mark Cuban helped in doubling the money raised, how did he do it? By dropping the f-bomb. Mark was warned during his pre-show interview that he would be fined if he continued to do to so.
The Intel Extreme Masters Cologne kicks off in the German ESL Studios December 19-20. The event will feature teams from around the world voted in by the community. Voting is still live, so if you haven’t had a chance to cast your vote, you can do so by visiting Intel Extreme Masters
