DRAGON CON EXPANDS ESPORTS WITH ADDITION OF SKILLSHOT’S ATLANTA OPEN 

2019 Gaming Release (PDF Version)

Skillshot Atlanta Open Stops at Dragon Con to Host Tournaments, Meet-and-Greets, and VR Open Play

Dragon Con adds 200 Peachtree to its 140,000 Square Feet of Gaming Space Featuring ‘Round the Clock Gaming Plus Panels with Top Game Designers, Voice Actors, and Industry Experts

ATLANTA – August 26, 2019 – Dragon Con, one of the largest gaming conventions in the nation, will expand its eSports programming, playing host to the Skillshot Atlanta Open featuring cash-prize eSports tournaments and other events including live music performances and meet and greets with professional players and developers from SMITE and Paladins.

Gaming’s footprint is also expanding this year to include 200 Peachtree, an event space next to the Westin Peachtree, for selected events including the 8-Bit Ball on Thursday, 10 pm to 2 am, and the Heroes and Villains Ball, Saturday, 10 pm to 2 am, both in the Whitehall Ballroom.

Some 85,000 fans will converge on downtown Atlanta for Dragon Con, Atlanta’s internationally known pop culture, fantasy, sci-fi and gaming convention that occurs over the five-day Labor Day weekend, Aug. 29 to Sept. 2, with events and activities across AmericasMart Buildings One and Two and five host hotels – Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Marriott Marquis, Hilton Atlanta, Westin Peachtree, and Sheraton Atlanta.

With more than 140,000 square feet, gaming at Dragon Con features the full array of gaming including PC and console games, board games, miniatures gaming, role-playing games, collectible card games, and even LARPs.  A large selection of modern Japanese arcade games not usually seen in the United States alongside classic American cabinet-style arcade games will be available for ‘round the clock free play.

The gaming hall opens at 4 p.m. on Thursday, August 30, and stays open through 5 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 3.

The enormously popular Artemis bridge simulator, in which eight players man a Star Trek-style starship, will now have a second dedicated installation where cooperative and head to head play will be available. Gamers of all skill levels can play as pilot, gunner, communications officer, or even captain in this intuitive, cooperative game experience. More information about the Artemis Bridge game can be found at artemisspaceshipbridge.com/info.

eSports tournament host Skillshot will hold a number of events at DragonCon for the Skillshot Atlanta Open. On Saturday and Sunday, they will host an open-entry Dota Underlords tournament with $3,600 in prizes available each day. They will also host meet-and-greets with the Hi-Rez Studios development team and some of the top pro SMITE and Paladins players. Additionally, the Skillshot area will have an open play area available to gamers, complete with VR titles. Attendees can visit this area to enjoy giveaways, music, anime, and face painting. Location details and further information is available at www.skillshot.com/dragoncon. 

Dragon Con attendees can watch professional players and teams compete against each other live while their gameplay broadcasts to overhead screens. Meanwhile, gaming fans at home can watch the gameplay via Twitch.  Amazon-owned Twitch, Dragon Con’s broadcast partner for its tournaments, has approximately 1 million viewers at any given time for its eSports and related programming.

Costumers and costuming enthusiasts can look forward to this year’s Video Game Costume Contest Friday evening at 5:30 PM in the Westin’s Peachtree Ballroom. Judged by professional cosplayers and emceed by Mass Effect’s Kimberly Brooks, this event is bound to thrill those who love to bring their favorite video game characters from screen to scene.

In addition to the guests, key gaming guests for 2019 include voice actor Quinton Flynn from the Sonic franchise, voice actor Dave Fennoy, best known for his role as Lee Everett in the Walking Dead game, and former Epic Games president Mike Capps, whose company developed Fortnite, Gears of War, and Unreal Engine. Gaming entertainment guests will include LAVA – Loud, Annoying, and Very Annoying variety show with Max Mittelman, Ray Chase, and Robbie Daymond. More information about LAVA can be found at www.lavatheshow.com/the-show.

About Dragon Con

Dragon Con is the internationally known pop culture convention held each Labor Day in Atlanta. Organized for fans, Dragon Con features more than about 3,500 hours of comics, film, television, costuming, art, music and gaming over four days. For more information, please visit www.dragoncon.org and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

About Skillshot

Based in Alpharetta, GA, Skillshot provides a turnkey esports solution for leading competitive titles, including online and offline tournament organization, industry-leading esports production and active community management. Skillshot has more than five years of esports experience in hosting thousands of global competitors, paying out millions in tournament prizing and serving more than one billion esports views to date. Learn more at www.skillshot.com.