2022 Avatar World Championship

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2022 Avatar World Championship
2022
Tournament information
SportAvatar
LocationVerlois
DateDecember 2022
Administrator(s)Glace
Tournament
format(s)
10 team single round robin
4 team best-of-seven elimination ladder matchups
Teamsx
Purse10,000,000 euclos

The 2022 Avatar World Championship (Gaullican: Championnat du monde d'Avatar 2022) was an esports tournament for the multiplayer online battle arena game Avatar. The Avatar World Championship series is the oldest official still-running tournament for the game (being founded in 2013), the one with the largest prize pool, and widely considered to be the most prestigious, with the most publicity and the highest competitiveness. An annual event, 2022 was the tenth iteration.

The event ran through December 2022, with a total prize pool of 10 million euclos, the equal (to 2021's) largest in the series' history. This prize pool puts the tournament in the top ten esports events with the largest prize pool. The event was hosted in Verlois, capital of Gaullica. It took place later in the year than usual, scheduled to avoid clashing with the 2022 Summer Invictus Games (where esports debuted as an Invictus Games medal event), also in Verlois.

Ten qualifying teams from around the world competed, first in a round-robin stage, with the four best-performing teams advancing to best-of-seven elimination matchups, which will produce a winner. Glace, the developer of Avatar, is the host and organiser of the event. A majority of teams that qualified to the 2022 tournament had also participated in the 2021 tournament, including the defending champions, the Arucian Angels.

Hosting

Mayor Vuyani Hachette (PSD) at the gardens of the Palais Gaullois

Glace, the owners and overseers of the Avatar video game franchise approached the Verlois city council following the 2021 Avatar World Championship in Bagabiada, Dezevau. Representatives of the company proposed to city councillors and Mayor Vuyani Hachette the idea to host the 2022 Avatar World Championship there. Whilst Verlois would be coming out of hosting the 2022 Summer Invictus Games, it was the first Invictus Games to host an esports event.

Glace's business leaders were eager to capitalise on the status and market potential a hosting in Verlois would bring to Avatar and esports in general, and successfully convinced the city council that a hosting would benefit both parties. Hachette would go on to say that "Cyber Sports are a sport of their future, and Verlois has already placed itself on the map where this up and coming sporting discipline has made its debut."

One of the lynchpins of the deal came from the existence of the Techtronique – Arène de Dêport-Cyber, built specifically to host esports at the Invictus Games. The most modern esports arena in the world, Techtronique contains numerous amenities deemed desirable by esports players, organisers and Glace themselves. These include: fibre-optic cabling, state of the art relaxation and preparation facilities, in-house showers, and a laundromat and several cafés and restaurants that are themed after popular videogames. Additional attachments to the stadium include an electronic repair shop, a merchandise shop and workshop rooms for video-game design affiliated with the University of Verlois.

Techtronique – Arène de Dêport-Cyber, found in the Confluence Quarter.

In terms of arenas for specific matches, there are four: Arène Lucroy, Arène Hennequin, Arène Emmanuelli and Arène Pinchon. Each is named after an influential Gaullican computer scientist, and in total they have a stadium capacity of 30,000 individuals.

Glace's head of esports in Euclea, Aloys Barthès, described the arena as "the finest eSports stadium in the world. It was built to host eSports; it hosted them during the Invictus Games; what a place to host the World Championship. Our players are familiar with it; it was designed with the gamer in mind."

Qualification

Certified regions were able to send their champions, with an extra two places granted to East Euclea and an extra one to West Euclea, because of the regions' strength. This marks a change from 2021, when the Brown Sea, Asteria Superior and East Euclean regions sent two (in addition to West Euclea), for a total of twelve teams. The reduction to ten but the increase for East Euclea was controversial, particularly given the East Euclean teams' equal 8th place finish last year. The adjustments were made partially based on the results of a number of smaller international tournaments, including the Global Qualifiers. Another relevant factor was the Central Euclea region not sending representatives, due to logistical issues, and their links with the East Euclea region.

Hopes that 2022 might see the Shangean competitive region mature enough to send a team were not met.

Participants

Team Qualification Players Coach
Top laner Top roamer Mid laner Bot roamer Bot laner
Arucian Angels Asteria Inferior
2022 Champions
tourdeforce
(Raymond Delacroix)
File:ImaguaFlag.png t0by
(Toby Williams)
Bonaventura GLGG
(Gianluca Varrone)
Île d'Émeraude k1ngManuel
(Manuel Fenelon)
mutiler244
(Camille Leroy)
File:ImaguaFlag.png Bart Derasmo
Grupp FALKN Asteria Superior
2022 Champions
File:Eldmark.png OneTrickRik
(Erik Lindholm)
File:Eldmark.png Egreg0re
(Clara Gylenhaal)
File:Eldmark.png GunthyWunthy
(Gunther Hansen)
File:Eldmark.png VandalVVitch
(Lilith Halland)
File:Eldmark.png Frakturkon
(Kris Nysund)
N.A.
Mtel Lion City Bahia
2022 Champions
Maucha Kumkani
(Cebo Joyi)
Maucha WaWa
(Anasa Schmitd)
Maucha XtaZ
(Lifa Jadezweni)
Maucha Chananga
(Lewis Goli)
Garambura J1
(Jean Maqoma)
Dezevau Jezaga Zemhinou
Red Crane Brown Sea
2022 Champions
Lavana Attisabad_9299
(Jirandai Yerbolat)
Lavana Pho-gamer
(Yokhunan Khamsomphou)
Lavana Thogfasisom_123
(Kapono Jeanovny)
Lavana BZiun_999
(Borachu Ziugiuzimha)
Lavana Mkphurik_M
(Mengu Sounvannaphouma)
Dezevau Badegiuva Naimhejia
Morwall Magpies East Euclea
2022 Champions
Template:Country data Estmere dr_dooda
(John Turner)
File:RwizikuruFlag.PNG WEKOMB
(Hungwe Kombayi)
Template:Country data Estmere xX_RascaL_Xx
(Robin Scott)
Template:Country data Estmere LilHill
(Caitlin Hill)
Senria estaku
(Nakao Toyotomi)
Template:Country data Estmere Ed Calhoun
SilverknightS East Euclea
2022 Runners-up
Amathia SilverPaladin
(Alexandru Verean)
Amathia ArkleeD
(Maria Braz)
Champania Marada
(Adam Bonnard)
Amathia ShielDCitadeL
Andreea Marin
Amathia Levikushi
Denis Perenoi
Gaullica Fabien Vernier
"Les Amateurs"
Équipe de Dêport-Cyber de Rouanet
East Euclea
2022 Wild-card
Gaullica XaverGamer
(Xavier Boutroux)
Gaullica FlameBlaise
(Sylviane Blaise)
Hennehouwe SerChl03
(Ingrid Bouchard)
Gaullica JPLGaming
(Jean-Paul Laurens)
Gaullica xX_Stunzeed_Xx
(Antoine Gérin)
N.A.
Rikan Kaminari Senria
2022 Champions
Senria dokidoki24
(Isogai Takebe)
Senria Kyouma
(Rintaro Okabe)
Senria Daru
(Itaru Ikari)
Senria Lancier35
(Takebayasi Ayanami)
Senria senshatou
(Nagisa Nisizumi)
Senria Shinji Fuyutsuki
S5 Gaming West Euclea
2022 Champions
Soravia kl1ment
(Kliment Smeshnoy)
Kantemosha & Ambrazka delphi
(Villiam Järvenpää)
Sagacité
(Dragomir Lenov)
Soravia volo_city
(Valentina Voloshyn)
Vedmed niangi2
(Mikhel Saakashvili)
Soravia Cheslav Ungern
Team Ace West Euclea
2022 Runners-up
vasilthegreat
(Vasil Vasilov)
Bistravia Lucky
(Martin Gájda)
Soravia konk
(Konstantin Kulik)
Soravia rougelectrique
(Valerii Dultsev)
Bistravia Bardo
(Lukaš Vanček)
Bistravia Bartoš Nivica

Results

Place Region Team Round robin Tiebreakers Quarters Semis Finals Prize (%) Prize (Euclos)
1st West Euclea S5 Gaming 7-2 Bye 4-0 Bye 4-2 25% €2,500,000
2nd East Euclea SilverknightS 5-4 1-0 4-1 4-3 2-4 20% €2,000,000
3rd West Euclea Team Ace 7-2 1-0 0-4 3-4 15% €1,500,000
4th Senria Rikan Kaminari 6-3 0-1 1-4 10% €1,000,000
5th East Euclea Les Amateurs 5-4 0-1 7.5% €750,000
6th Asteria Superior Grupp FALKN 4-5 5% €375,000
East Euclea Morwall Magpies 4-5
8th Bahia Mtel Lion City 3-6 3% €250,000
Brown Sea Red Cranes 3-6
10th Asteria Inferior Arucian Angels 2-7 2.5% €250,000


Media

The 2022 Avatar World Championship was streamed live for the general public, as well as recorded and uploaded to the internet. Official broadcasts were made of all games in the Estmerish, Gaullican, Senrian, Shangean, Soravian, Vespasian, Weranian and Ziba languages; casters and other staff from regional leagues were brought in for this purpose. Some official broadcast content was also produced in languages including Amathian, Blostlandic and Luzelese. The gameplay footage, interviews, music and ceremonies were generally the same (but translated where applicable), but different language streams may differ in terms of the commentary, analysis and other content (such as giveaways, off-topic discussion and games).

Viewership records were broken in the first round of games, at over 5 million concurrent viewers. Factors contributing to this, other than the event's popularity itself, included a better timezone for Euclean viewers, and the fact that last year's world champions played in the first game. The debut of esports at the Invictus Games not long prior likely also contributed to popular interest. There was consistently high viewership from the Arucian, which had seen explosive growth over the course of the tournament the year prior. The finals, however, were watched by fewer than in 2021.

Glace maintains all relevant intellectual property rights in the broadcast; it does not allow unauthorised reproduction of the live broadcast, but does allow private recordings to be uploaded after the fact. This is part of its media strategy, seeking to generate publicity not only before, but also after the event, to maximise the effect of advertisement both for sponsors and for the game itself, while maintaining editorial control of the main stream of viewership.