DreamHack comes to Atlanta November 16-18
World’s premier gaming lifestyle festival to present nearly $2 million in esports tournaments plus 24-hour LAN party, cosplay championship, live music, and tons more
HI REZ EXPO TO BRING MORE THAN $1 MILLION IN PRIZES FOR SMITE AND PALADINS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
HALO $300,000 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
DREAMHACK OPEN $100,000 COUNTER-STRIKE: GLOBAL OFFENSIVE (CS:GO) RETURNS
BRAWLHALLA $100,000 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
EDM SENSATIONS SLUSHII, KILL THE NOISE AND RIOT TO KICK OFF LIVE MUSIC AT DREAMHACK MAIN STAGE
AVGL UNIVERSITY ESPORTS NATIONAL LEAGUE OF LEGENDS GRAND FINALS ALONG WITH FORTNITE AND LEAGUE OF LEGENDS GRUDGE MATCHES
COSPLAY CHAMPIONSHIP FEATURING ATLANTA CELEBRITY JUDGE YAYA HAN
DREAMHACK SELECTS SAVE THE CHILDREN AS GLOBAL CHARITY BENEFICIARY
DreamHack and Celebrity Streamers To Raise at Least $100,000 in 2018
Premier gaming lifestyle festival DreamHack returns to Atlanta for three days Friday, November 16 – Sunday, November 18, 2018, at the Georgia World Congress Center. The 24 hour-a-day festival weekend features all things gaming under one roof and will be jam-packed with nearly $2 million in pro esports tournaments, collegiate matches, world-famous LAN party, music concerts, cosplay championship, panels, art, activities, expo and more; sponsored by Monster & H4x. Full details here.
DreamHack made its Atlanta debut in 2017 bringing nearly 25,000 visitors from a total of 48 states and 25 countries. Following the Austin festival in June, DreamHack’s only other U.S. stop of the year will be Atlanta in November.
“We’re thrilled to bring DreamHack back to the great city of Atlanta,” said DreamHack CEO Marcus Lindmark. “Featuring all things gaming under one roof, this year’s festival is bigger and better than ever. From the Hi-Rez Expo to the 24-hour LAN party, professional esports, live EDM and Hip Hop music, and the celebrity-hosted Cosplay Championship — the DreamHack experience is unlike anything else.”
DreamHack is a gaming lifestyle festival where communities from all walks of gaming life come together for a three-day weekend celebrating digital culture IRL (in real life). DreamHack Atlanta features a 24-hour-a-day Local Area Network (LAN) party; esports gaming competitions; university matches; stream studio; console, PC and arcade games; tabletop games; expo; Cosplay Championship; art gallery; indie game zone; main stage with live music; panel discussions, workshops and keynote speakers; and a host of other activities. Gamers can participate or watch professionals compete in esports tournaments with hundreds of thousands of prize dollars on the line.
ESPORTS TOURNAMENTS
Major titles will include: over $1 million SMITE World Championship (including PC & Console) and over $300,000 Paladins World Championship (including PC & Console); $300,000 Halo Championship Series Finals; $100,000 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO); $100,000 Brawlhalla World Championships; $33,000 Fighting Game Championships (FGC) with prizes spread across Super Smash Bros. Melee and Wii U, Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition, Dragon Ball FighterZ, Tekken 7, Soul Calibur 6 and more; $15,000 Hearthstone Grand Prix; and $10,000 Halo 3.
Hi-Rez Expo
For the first time ever, Hi-Rez Expo will be at DreamHack, welcoming more fans than ever before to experience the SMITE and Paladins World Championships in person — with over $1 million dollars prizing for SMITE and over $300,000 prizing for Paladins on the line.
Halo Championship Series Finals
Teams will compete in Halo 5: Guardians 4v4 mode for $300,000 – the most for an open event in competitive Halo history! There will also be a $10,000 side competition for 2v2 Halo 3.
DreamHack Open Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
Now in its eighth year, the DreamHack Open CS:GO pro-am circuit includes Atlanta in this year’s list of international stops, with $100,000 on the line. The event will consist of six direct invites issued to teams, based on merit, through ranking and results.
Community BYOC Tournaments Include:
Fortnite, League of Legends, Overwatch, PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS (PUBG), Rocket League, Rainbow Six Siege, CS:GO, SMITE, Paladins, and more.
COSPLAY
DreamHack Atlanta’s Cosplay Championship will reach a new level with celebrity head judge Yaya Han joining the team. Yaya Han® — who hails from Atlanta — is one of only a few cosplayers in the world to build a business in this hobbyist community. After a decade of success, she strives to stay true to what got her into this field originally — fun and creativity. To this day, Yaya has made more than 375 costumes, appeared as a guest at hundreds of events around the globe, and been featured in two U.S. network TV, shows. Yaya is the first cosplayer to create a cosplay-focused fabric line for Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores; the first to design a cosplay patterns line for a major pattern company, McCall Patterns; and the first cosplayer to launch a sewing machine with Bernina Sewing Machine Company. Additional celebrity cosplay guests in attendance Harrison Krix and Catherine Jones. The Cosplay Championship will take place on Saturday, November 17 at 7:00 p.m.
The Hi-Rez Expo at DreamHack Atlanta this year means more cosplay action than ever before, thanks to the arrival of the Hi-Rez Cosplay Contest. Attendees will bring Hi-Rez characters to life, taking center stage to compete for a prize pool of $15,000. Three lucky cosplayers from around the world will win an all expenses paid trip to Hi-Rez Expo by participating to the #COSPLAYTOHRX Video Contest — submissions will close October 5, and the contest will take place on Saturday, November 17 at 3:00 p.m.
DREAMHACK SELECTS `SAVE THE CHILDREN´AS GLOBAL CHARITY BENEFICIARY
DreamHack is proud to be a supporter of global humanitarian organization Save the Children in 2018. Save the Children already had a presence in the Expo at DreamHack Austin and Summer, and will also be at DreamHack Atlanta and Winter, giving attendees an opportunity to learn more about the organization’s work, including a virtual reality experience. During these events, charity streamers will work together in an effort to raise at least $100,000 as part of Save the Children’s Stream Team: creators who game, stream or vlog to help save kids in need. DreamHack will also offer limited edition merchandise to support the cause.
Save the Children’s End of Childhood Report is released every year to commemorate International Children’s Day on June 1. The report takes a hard look at the events that rob children around the world of their childhoods and prevent them from reaching their full potential. The report also includes an index of 175 countries, ranking the best and worst places in the world for children to have a safe, secure and healthy childhood.
Save the Children believes every child deserves a future. In the U.S. and around the world, Save the Children gives children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. They do whatever it takes for children — every day and in times of crisis — transforming their lives and the future we share.
ADDITIONAL DREAMHACK HIGHLIGHTS
LAN PARTY
DreamHack Atlanta offers pro and casual gamers the opportunity to bring their own gaming rigs, hook into a LAN socket powered by one of the world’s fastest internet connections, and get their game on. Attendees have the option to play around the clock for three days straight, just for fun or to compete in BYOC tournaments where thousands in cash prizes are on the line.
BYOC Game Rows — Attendees can sit in a row of like-minded gamers to play games including: Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO), Fortnite Battle Royale, Overwatch, Paladins, PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUND (PUBG), SMITE, and World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth.
BYOC Tournaments — The perfect way to participate in your favorite game during the event. Game together with your friends or find a new team on site. $16,000 in prizes will be on the line in this year’s BYOC tournaments and all entries are included with your BYOC ticket.
COLLEGIATE ESPORTS
The DreamHack AVGL Collegiate Series is hosting a nationwide, online qualifying league in October with grand finals held in Atlanta (details announced soon) — along with a collegiate Fortnite tournament, League of Legends grudge matches featuring regional rivals, and mobile esports grudge matches.
National Online League — A national online league will take place throughout the month of October with winners earning a trip to Atlanta for the grand finals at DreamHack.
League of Legends — College rivals from the Southeast will compete on stage in grudge matches pitting local college rivals against each other.
Fortnite Tournament — AVGL will host an exciting day-long tournament with local universities.
Mobile Esports Grudge Matches — The DreamHack main stage will feature AVGL-hosted mobile esports grudge matches pitting local colleges against each other.
All of these matches will be broadcast November 16-18 at twitch.tv/dreamhack, on the following schedule:
- Friday, November 16 (10am – 6pm EST): Collegiate Fortnite Tournament
Saturday, November 17 (10am – 6pm EST): National Tournament Grand Finals (details TBA), League of Legends Grudge Matches, Mobile Esports Grudge Matches
Sunday, November 18 (10am – 1pm EST): League of Legends Grudge Matches
LIVE MUSIC
On Friday, November 16, DreamHack will kick off live music with EDM sensations Slushii, Kill the Noise, and Riot. Additional hip hop music performances will be announced.
One check of SLUSHII’s ever-growing record of credentials and there’s no doubt that the 20-year-old, forward-thinker is the future of electronic dance music. To describe Slushii’s ascent as meteoric would be an understatement —in just two years since he emerged on the scene, he’s brought his vibrant, textured sonics to five continents and countless countries, with three headlining tours already under his belt. Slushii has electrified festival crowds everywhere from EDC Las Vegas to Germany’s Parookaville, Tomorrowland to Lollapalooza, all while holding down residencies at some of the world’s most renowned clubs, including Intrigue and Encore Beach Club. His rap sheet doesn’t end athis relentless touring itinerary either. Massive collaborations and remixes co-signed by the likes of Marshmello, Maroon 5, French Montana and more make Slushii a dominating force in the digital streaming landscape, as he continues to flex his ultra-versatile production capabilities with everything from poolside pop to punishing trap products. Touted as the next generation’s torch-carrier by the likes of Tiesto, Steve Aoki, and Skrillex, Slushii has closed out an unforgettable breakout chapter of his career in 2018. He started the year off white-hot with the release of There x2 featuring Marshmello that raked in impressive streaming numbers across all platforms and climbing. He followed that up with a seven-track dubstep EP, Find Your Wings, and a momentous return to Ultra Music Festival in Miami. Slushii has come an immeasurably long way since his 2016 chart-topping debut EP Brainfreeze, and now that the bright young beatsmith has truly found his stride, there’s no chance of him cooling down any time soon.
The music of Jake Stanczak, better known as American producer and DJ KILL THE NOISE, was born out of an era where Ridley Scott imagined utopian futures on the silver screen, and artists like NIN and Aphex Twin rocked MTV. After channeling the influences of his youth through over a decades’ worth of forward-driven electronic releases (Roots, Kill Kill Kill, Black Magic, Occult Classic), and charismatic live shows (Coachella, EDC Lollapalooza, Hardfest), the name “Kill the Noise” has become synonymous with some of the leading acts in dance music — getting creative in the studio with the likes of Dillon Francis, Deadmau5, AWOLNATION and Skrillex — and as 2018 unfolds, he’ll be unveiling even more material.
Straight outta Israel, and recently relocated to Los Angeles — the heart of the dance music scene — the duo RIOT is a mix of two entirely different worlds of music breaking the barriers of music genres in the EDM scene. Their new, innovative sound is produced by the duo of Tom Davidson and Daniel MAgid and has already earned the favor of an impressively long list of the world’s greatest electronic artists including Knife Party, Infected Mushroom, Bassnectar, Excision, Zeds Dead, Kill the Noise, Slander, Nghtmre, Steve Aoki, Dillon Francis, Joyryde and Zomboy, among others. The style mixes the extremes of EDM and energizes the audience to feel the chemistry between the two without a second of rest throughout the entire performance — that’s what makes RIOT one of the most outstanding and interesting groups on the EDM scene. Despite their age, relative to the field, RIOT was able to advance far in a short amount of time, positioning six times at Beatport’s No. 1 in the dubstep, hip-hop and glitch charts with top-charting hits. In addition, they have performed together with world-ranking DJs such as curators of their very own festival, RIOT Festival.
EXPO
In the DreamHack Expo Hall, exhibitors present the world’s newest hardware and software, games, gadgets, gaming gear and swag. They also host activities such as game demos, giveaways, contests and more. Developers and programmers, streamers, pro gamers and other celebrities also frequent the expo.
COMMUNITY ZONE
A long-time DreamHack favorite, the Community Zone gives attendees the chance to meet, get autographs, and take selfies with their favorite pro gamers, streamers, online celebrities and more.
CLX Stream Studio
Stream Studio Boot Camp
Meet & Greets
Speedrunning Marathons
ART ZONE
The Art Zone showcases talented artists in the gaming and geek culture space.
Art Gallery — DreamHack Atlanta will include a gallery for talented artists to display their works in video games, tabletop, comics, anime and more.
Artist Alley — Amateur and professional artists have the opportunity to showcase their works and offer pieces for attendees to take home with them.
DIY ZONE
Only DreamHack can offer the rich creative environment – and global stage – afforded to talented and aspiring game developers via the DIY Zone.
Game Jam — DreamHack is teaming up with Game Jolt to bring the Game Jam experience to Atlanta, a contest where indie game developers submit their theme-based creations prior to DreamHack Atlanta’s November event. Winners’ games will be featured during the festival — first place will take home $1,000.
INDIE ZONE
Indie game developers can enter and win a complimentary booth to showcase their game. For attendees, the Indie Zone offers a sneak peek at new games before they hit the market or games you might have missed upon release.
BUSINESS ZONE
This Zone’s focus is to bring like minds across the industry to network, share stories, collaborate on new ventures, and more… whether it be it a new company, a new product or just a new contact.
Game Pitch Competition — Developers, innovators and other creative geniuses can hone their pitching skills, supported by an enthusiastic audience, via DreamHack Atlanta’s Game Pitch Competition, and take home $2,500.
B2B Lounge — This space brings like minds from across the industry together to network, share stories and collaborate on new ventures. DreamHack is a place that can inspire the start of something new… be it a new company, a new product, or just a new contact.
Workshops — Explore topics from cosplay design to game development. Leave DreamHack with a new skill or new idea!
STUDENT ZONE
Collegiate Tournaments — College gaming is taking the world by storm, and this year it is coming to DreamHack Atlanta together with AVGL! The collegiate League of Legends Tournament Grand Final will be played on the DreamHack Atlanta Main Stage. Esports grudge matches between regional universities will also face off on stage all weekend long!
Student Game Showcase — DreamHack gives student game developers a space to “market test” their latest gaming projects and network with digital entertainment industry decision makers. Students learning game design often work towards the goal of making a final project (a playable game) to complete their degree or otherwise develop on their own outside of class. However they get there, the ideas for their school projects could spawn a successful game down the road. The showcase gives students a chance to enter their game for a complimentary spot to display their work and make connections in the industry.
High School Tournaments — Local high school students will compete for glory on the DreamHack Main Stage; showing their skills before a live audience. See some of Georgia’s youngest stars in action.
SESSIONS
Panel discussions are designed to give attendees access to the people they want to see talk about the topics they care about. Recent topics have included: body hacking, how to build cosplay armor, future of MMOs, Philosophy of Game Difficulty, Intro to Video Game Design, Rapid Game Prototyping, Building an Esports Bar, Building a Collegiate Esports Team, How Personal Branding Works, Japanese Fashion Show, State of the Gaming Industry, Creating a Counter-Strike Level, Esports Psychology, How to Work in the Gaming Industry, and more! Panels for DreamHack Atlanta will be announced soon.
FREEPLAY
There’s no need for attendees to bring gaming gear to DreamHack. In the Freeplay, attendees have the opportunity to try out the latest games while playing alongside their friends. DreamHack Atlanta’s Freeplay includes: CLX PC Freeplay, Console Freeplay, Mobile Freeplay, VR Freeplay, Tabletop Freeplay and Arcade Freeplay.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Tickets
Kids under five FREE
Day passes $30; 3-day weekend passes start at $79
Purchase tickets here
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