For the last four years, Hi-Rez Studio has hosted the ‘Hi-Rez Expo‘(HRX) for fans of all things Hi-Rez. The annual event is the go-to convention for fans of Hi-Rez titles and this year it has got bigger and better.
The event has moved from Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre to DreamHack Atlanta where there’ll be a plethora of esports action, and, one would assume, big announcements too.
Last year’s edition of the Expo featured announcements of titles such as: Paladins Battle Royale (Realm Royale) as well as Bot Smashers plus new characters and game modes aplenty for its flagship titles.
This year, the event features four esports events – with three world championship titles on the line. There’s two in SMITE, and one in Paladins and a whole lot of money on the line in both titles.
We broke down the action, and what to expect from the Expo over the next few days. HRX takes place over 3 days from November 16th till November 18th. All below times are in GMT (+0 UTC)
All of the action for SMITE will take place on Mixer here, whilst Paladins will be on the same platform but found here.
SMITE World Championship 2019
SMITE World Championships comes to DreamHack Atlanta, with teams from Europe and North America coming together to battle it out for their share of the spoils and the ultimate prize in SMITE.
With two spots given to the 1st and 2nd seed in Europe and NA Fall Seasons and another four given to those who qualified via the SWC pre-event, this year looks to be a hotly contested one.
Teams:
- Dignitas
- Spacestation Gamin
- Splyce
- Obey Alliance
- eUnited
- Trifecta
- NRG Esports
- Team RivaL
First day matchups:
- Dignitas vs Spacestation Gaming
- Splyce vs Obey Alliance
- eUnited vs Trifecta
- NRG v RivaL
The first games should spring up some gems, too. European outfit Dignitas will face all North-American Spacestation Gaming and it’s safe to say that Dig will be firm favourites. Another match that will likely be one sided is eUnited versus Trifecta. The former will be extremely disappointed should they lose the first game in their SMITE World Championship defence. They’ve looked formidable this year too and will be the one to beat in Atlanta.
Both the Splyce and NRG matches are more intriguing with the sides closely matched. The action gets underway at 15:30 UTC (GMT+0) and can be viewed here.
Daily schedule start time:
- Quarter-final: 16/11 @ 15:30
- Semi-final: 17/11 @ 16:15
- Grand Final: 18/11 @ 20:00
SMITE Console World Championship 2019
It’s not just about SMITE on PC over at DreamHack Atlanta, the console championships also take place and we’ve been following the action since it begun. While only four teams remain after weeks of competition, the storyline is an intriguing one too. There’s three teams from NA (Astral, Flash Point and InControl) and the last remaining EU side (Team RivaL) will be battling for not only their own pride but that of their region. They face NA 2nd seed Flash Point first up, yet tougher tests will await should they get through.
Teams:
- Astral Authority
- InControl Gaming
- Team RivaL
- Flash Point eSports
First day matchups:
- Astral Authority vs InControl Gaming
- RivaL v Flash Point
Daily schedule start time:
- Semi-final:17/11 @ 03:15 & 23:30
- Grand Final – 18:15 @ 16:15
Paladins World Championship 2018
This is the second year of the Paladins World Championships, with the finals of the 2018 title taking place in January 2018 with the title going to Natus Vincere. This year will see Na’Vi return as they attempt to retain their title with plenty of big names in contention.
The single elimination bracket means there’s no room for error out in Atlanta. One slip up and even the best of the world could be knocked out and have their dreams dashed for another year. All of the action will go down here.
Teams:
- Natus Vincere
- Ninjas in Pyjama
- Team Envy
- G2 Esports
- Fnatic
- Spacestation Gaming
- Kanga eSports
- Virtus.Pro
First day matchups:
- Natus Vincere vs Virtus.Pro
- G2 Esports vs Fnatic
- Team Envy vs Kanga eSports
- Ninjas in Pyjama vs Spacestation Gaming
Daily schedule start time:
- Quarter-final: 16/11 @ 16:15
- Semi-final – 17/11 @ 16:15
- Grand Final 18/11 @ 21:00
Paladins Console Wars
The Paladins Console Wars return with four sides doing battle at DreamHack Atlanta. Onslaught, Vexed Gaming, Flash Point and Elevate will do battle to become Paladins console champions.
Teams:
- Onslaught
- Vexed Gaming
- Flash Point
- Elevate
First day matchups:
- Onslaught v Vexed Gaming
- Flash Point v Elevate
Daily schedule start time:
- Semi Finals – 16/11 @ 23:30 and 17/11 @ 20:45
- Grand Final – 18/11 @ 19:15
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