Major League Gaming

Major League Gaming

Current season or competition: 2010-11 MLG Pro Circuit Offseason
MLG logo depicting a video game controller.
Sport	Electronic Sports
Founded	2002
Commissioner	John Nelson
Country(ies)	United States[1]  Canada[2]
Most recent champion(s)	2010 National Championship[3] Halo 3: 4v4: Final Boss Halo: Reach: 4v4: UoR SyA Modern Warfare 2 (PS3): 4v4: Influence Modern Warfare 2 (360): 4v4: EnVyUs Tekken 6: 1v1: ATL Anakin Super Smash Bros. Brawl: 1v1: Gnes StarCraft II: 1v1: Liquid`Jinro
Most titles	Team: Final Boss: 4 (2004-05, 07, 10)[4] Individual: JWhoJCash: 3 (2007-09)[5]
Official website	MLG Website

Major League Gaming (MLG), founded in 2002^[6] by Sundance DiGiovanni^[7] and Mike Sepso,^[8][9] is a North American professional Electronic sports organization, headquartered in New York City, New York. MLG has held official video game tournaments throughout the United States and Canada. Major League Gaming competitions have been broadcast on television,^[9][10] ESPN.com,^[11] and other broadband sites.^[12] The company has also been involved in television production,^[9] and game development.^[13] MLG's aim is to elevate computer and console game tournaments to viable competitive and spectator events.^[10] Major League Gaming acquired Agora Games on August 18, 2009.^[13][14]

Pro Circuit

The MLG Pro Circuit roster currently includes Halo: Reach for the Xbox 360 and Starcraft II for the PC.^[15] Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 for the PlayStation 3 is the only online Pro Circuit title.^[16] Chris Puckett (Puckett) is the lead Play-by-Play commentator for MLG Live Events. Scott Lussier (Gandhi) provides professional insight into many MLG broadcasts. Danish Maqbool (DMAQ) is the co-host of the MLG Pregame show. Julie Alexandria (Julie) hosts the Old Spice Report, as well as reporting from the sidelines at MLG Live events.^[17]

Major League Gaming also hosts a series of online qualifier ladders for the online-only pro circuit titles leading to the national championship. In the past, MLG hosted Super Smash Bros Melee tournaments during the 2006 MLG season and other games such as Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Tekken 5, Gears of War, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas, Shadowrun, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2, Call of Duty 4, and Gears of War 2.

Each team must purchase a team pass to compete. Halo 3, Gears of War, and Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 teams include 4 members, while World of Warcraft teams include 3 members.^[18]

On February 6, 2009, MLG Commissioner John Nelson addressed the MLG community about changing the format for the 2009 pro circuit. Semi-pro teams now have the opportunity to gain pro status. The rolling rank points system and the championship bracket were also modified.^[19]

In March 2010, it was announced that fighting games will be returning to the pro circuit, with Tekken 6 exclusively on the PlayStation 3, and the return of the Smash competition with Super Smash Bros. Brawl. These two games will appear in the season opener in Orlando, along with the league's flagship, Halo 3, which will make its third season with the league. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 will be making its debut on the Online Pro Circuit on Gamebattles for PlayStation 3. Originally, the game was on both the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. Due to excessive hacking on the Xbox 360 console via JTAGs, it has been stripped of its "Pro Circuit" branding. Prize payouts will remain the same on both consoles. Playstation 3 players will be eligible to accumulate Pro Points. Those who have enough Pro Points at the end of the 3rd season of the Online Pro Circuit will be eligible to compete live at the MLG Nationals held in Dallas. Those competing on the Xbox 360 will not earn pro points and will have championships held online.^[20] On July 30, 2010, it was announced that StarCraft II will be added to the Pro Circuit. It made its official debut at MLG Raleigh.^[21]

The 2011 season is set to feature four titles: Halo: Reach, Starcraft 2, Call of Duty: Black Ops and the mid-season addition of League of Legends.^[22] Also, something that the MLG Pro Circuit hasn't seen since the 2005, Pool Play. The top 16 team will be seeded in 4 pools of 5 teams, where the 5th team would an undefeated amateur team. The team with the best record throughout pool play will advance to the winner's bracket semi-finals, securing themselves a top 6 finish.

National Championships

MLG archive, as of January 2011, includes national championship results from 2004 to 2010.^[23]

2011 - Providence

2010				4th
Halo: Reach 4v4	eon Instinct	Warriors	TGN Believe The Hype	FnaticMSi.Classic
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4v4	Quantic Nex-TT-hreat	eon EnVyUs	eon OpTic Gaming	SvG Collapse
StarCraft 2 1v1	FXO.Leenock	coL.NaNiWa	coLMVP.DongRaeGu	QIM.Mvp
League of Legends 5v5

2010 - Dallas

2010				4th
Halo 3 4v4	Final Boss	Status Quo	Instinct	Triggers Down
Halo 3 Bic Flex 4 FFA	SuperStr8Sick	Krunchy	Amish Acorns	Phenom
Super Smash Bros. Brawl 1v1	Gnes	Tyrant	ESAM	Ally
Super Smash Bros. Brawl 2v2	Ally/Lee Martin	Nick Riddle/Shakey	DEHF/Gnes	ESAM/MVD731
Tekken 6 1v1	ATL Anakin	GMMA Kor	NYC Fab	ATL Knee
Tekken 6 3v3	Anakin/Bronson/Trungy	Holeman/Knee/Nin	Pokchop/ShinBlade/Lil Majin	Crow/Kor/Mr Naps
Starcraft 2 1v1	Liquid`Jinro	FnaticMSi.TT1	PainUser	Liquid`Tyler
Halo Reach 4v4	UoR SyA	Hot Shots	UoR Victorious Secret	Darkest Hour
Halo Reach FFA	Hysteria	iGotUrPistola	Snip3down	OGRE 2
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 4v4 (PS3)	Influence	Victory Without Sacrifice	HSG Xtravagant	OpTic Gaming
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 4v4 (360)	EnVyUs	OD Xtravagant	iNF LeveraGe	iNF Art of Xecution

2009 - Orlando

2009				4th
Halo 3 4v4	Believe the Hype	Classic	Carbon	Instinct
Gears of War 2 4v4	Energy	Type-Z VisioN	Get Bronco	Infinity
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2 4v4	pT RAGE	EFX Rewritten	Vengeance	Carnage and Chaos
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare 4v4	iCn Xtravagant	BgR EnVyUs	DpG FeaR	MoB Genesis
World of Warcraft 3v3	CompLexity Black	CompLexity Red	Button Bashers	SK.EG

2008 - Las Vegas

2008				4th
Halo 3 4v4	Str8 Rippin	Instinct	Carbon	Final Boss
Gears of War 4v4	Energy	Infinity	FRAG | High Caliber	Dynasty ReTaLiaTioN
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 4v4	MoB RAGE	Iconz	InStill FeaR	MoB LoSt CauSe
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare 4v4	CA FeaR	EnVyUs	Head Trauma	TBRE
World of Warcraft 3v3	Fnatic/Orz	Gravitas Gaming	Pandemic	Got Game West

2007 - Las Vegas

2007				4th
Halo 2 4v4	Final Boss	Carbon	Str8 Rippin	FBI The Agency
Halo 2 FFA	KGB Soviet	Cloud	Naded	Legit
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 4v4	New Era	Harmony N Havoc	Profe$$ional $kill$	Explicit
Gears of War 4v4	Infinity	TH3 NSAN3Z	Vision	LGD Red
Shadowrun 4v4	Three Shot Killers	Shoot to Kill	Secret Weapon	UprisinG

2006 - Las Vegas

2006				4th
Halo 2 4v4	Carbon	Final Boss	Str8 Rippin	Legendz
Halo 2 FFA	Karma	StrongSide	Legit	OGRE 2
Super Smash Bros. Melee 1v1	PC Chris	KoreanDJ	Ken	Mew2King
Super Smash Bros. Melee 2v2	Ken/Isai	Chudat/ManaCloud	King/Mew2King	Husband/Wife

2005 - New York City

2005				4th
Halo 2 4v4	Team 3D	Team Phreaks	Str8 Rippin	XiT Woundz
Halo 2 FFA	Karma	StrongSide	OGRE 1	Walshy
Super Smash Bros. Melee 1v1	Ken	Azen	ChuDat
Super Smash Bros. Melee 2v2	Ken/Isai	Azen/Chillin

2004 - New York City

2004				4th
Halo: Combat Evolved 4v4	Team Domination	Filthy Jackalopes	Business Decision	The Dream Team
Halo: Combat Evolved 2v2
Halo: Combat Evolved FFA	Zyos	OGRE 2	Walshy	Gintron
Super Smash Bros. Melee 1v1	Ken
Super Smash Bros. Melee 2v2

Halo 3 Promotion & Relegation

Promotion and relegation rules

Here are the promotion and relegation rules (Starting in 2011):

1. The Top 5 teams according to the Halo 3 Points Standings will be exempt from relegation, but will be eligible for relegation the following year.
2. The next three teams (#6, 7, 8) will be relegated from the table. Three teams from the following year (#11, 12, 13) will replace the then #6, 7, 8 teams.
3. The #10 team will remain open for the winner of the Doritos Pro-Gaming Combine and will gain an automatic berth to be #9 for the next year.
4. The #9 team will be eligible for promotion or relegation the following year.

As of October 19, 2010

Pos	Team Name	Year Promoted	Year Relegated
1.	Instinct	2010
2.	Final Boss	2010
3.	Status Quo	2010
4.	Triggers Down	2010
5.	Believe The Hype	2010
6.	UoR Dynasty	2010
7.	Str8 Rippin	2010
8.	Carbon	2010
9.	Heaven and Earth	2010
10.	l SwiftKil l	2010
11.	UoR Warriors	2010
12.	Purgatory	2010
13.	Darkest Hour	2010
14.	Ambush	2010
15.	Legendz	2010

	Exempt from relegation, but eligible for relegation the following year
	Relegated
	Eligible for promotion or relegation following move from 10th to 9th place
	Awarded to winner of the Doritos Pro-Gaming Combine
	Eligible for promotion for following year

References

1. ^ "Major League Gaming". http://www.mlgpro.com. 
2. ^ "Major League Gaming Canada". http://www.mlgcanada.com. 
3. ^ "MLG Dallas 2010 Hall of Champions". Mlgpro.com. http://www.mlgpro.com/content/page/319309/MLG-Dallas-2010-Hall-of-Champions. Retrieved 2010-11-12. 
4. ^ "Pro Circuit Archive". http://www.mlgpro.com/Pro_Circuit_Archive. 
5. ^ "RAGE Wins RSV2 National Championships". http://www.mlgpro.com/content/page/294141/Rage-Win-RSV2-National-Championship. 
6. ^ "Major League Gaming Company Profile". http://www.crunchbase.com/company/major-league-gaming. 
7. ^ Mudhar, Raju (June 20, 2007). "Major League Gaming shoots into Canada". The Toronto Star. http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/article/227253. Retrieved 2009-09-25. 
8. ^ "Executive Team | Major League Gaming". Mlgpro.com. 2009-03-16. http://www.mlgpro.com/executives. Retrieved 2009-09-29. 
9. ^ ^{a b c} Devin Leonard, Devin Leonard (August 21, 2008). "Calling master chief A News Corp.-backed professional video-game league is getting a run for its money from two former ad guys.". CNNMoney.com. http://money.cnn.com/2008/08/05/technology/mlg.fortune/index.htm?postversion=2008082113. Retrieved 2009-09-25. 
10. ^ ^{a b} Terdiman, Daniel (April 17, 2006). "Major League Gaming goes big league". CNET.com. http://news.cnet.com/2100-1043-6062053.html. Retrieved 2009-09-25. 
11. ^ "ESPN:The Life:Video Games:MLG". ESPN.com. http://sports.espn.go.com/videogames/mlg. Retrieved 2009-09-25. ^{[dead link]}
12. ^ "ESPN 360 acquired". ESPN. June 4, 2009. http://sports.espn.go.com/videogames/news/story?id=4222274. Retrieved 2009-09-30. ^{[dead link]}
13. ^ ^{a b} "Agora Games acquired". The Business Review (Albany). August 18, 2009. http://albany.bizjournals.com/albany/stories/2009/08/17/daily14.html. Retrieved 2009-09-25. 
14. ^ "Major League Gaming Acquires Agora Games | Major League Gaming". Mlgpro.com. 2009-08-18. http://www.mlgpro.com/content/page/288410/Major-League-Gaming-Acquires-Agora-Games. Retrieved 2009-09-24. 
15. ^ "MLG | MLG CEO Sundance DiGiovanni Twitter". Mlgpro.com. http://twitter.com/mlg_sundance. Retrieved 2010-08-14. 
16. ^ "MLG | Major League Gaming 2010 Online Pro Circuit". Mlgpro.com. http://www.mlgpro.com/pro-circuit/2010/?url=online-pro-circuit/event-information. Retrieved 2010-08-14. 
17. ^ "Personalities | Major League Gaming". Mlgpro.com. 2010-08-14. http://www.mlgpro.com/personalities. Retrieved 2010-08-14. 
18. ^ "Registration | Major League Gaming". Mlgpro.com. 2009-10-14. http://www.mlgpro.com/forum/faq.php?do=search&match=all&q=registration&s=. Retrieved 2009-10-14. 
19. ^ "MLG Commissioner John Nelson addresses community concerns" (Press release). Major League Gaming. 2009-02-06. http://www.mlgpro.com/content/page/265014/Modifications-Made-to-2009-Pro-Circuit-Format. Retrieved 2009-02-28. 
20. ^ "MLG 4v4 Details" (Press release). Major League Gaming. http://gamebattles.com/forums/showpost.php?p=31699649&postcount=1. Retrieved 2010-08-15. 
21. ^ "MLG Starcraft II Announced". Mlgpro.com. http://www.mlgpro.com/content/alerts/310509/StarCraft-2-Format-Rules-and-Prizes-Announced. Retrieved 2010-08-14. 
22. ^ Lish (August 12, 2011). "League of Legends Joins the MLG Pro Circuit". Major League Gaming. http://www.majorleaguegaming.com/news/league-of-legends-joins-the-mlg-pro-circuit. Retrieved August 15, 2011. 
23. ^ "Major League Gaming:Pro Circuit Archive". Major League Gaming. http://www.mlgpro.com/content/news/294000/Anaheim-Halo-3-Full-Results. Retrieved 2010-01-28. 

External links

Official website