Event organiser DreamHack‘s Spanish branch has announced that it is moving its winter festival from Sevilla to Madrid.
Expanding the scope and offerings at the event appears to be the primary motivation behind the new DreamHack Madrid.
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The four-day festival will be held over December 10-13th at IFEMA’s Feria de Madrid, which has hosted events such as Madrid Fashion Week and COP25. The event will host two major stops for professional esports competitions – the DreamHack Open as part of the ESL Pro Tour and the final stop in the Hearthstone Masters Tour.
DreamHack Open Madrid will see eight CS:GO teams compete for a $100,000 (£78,124) prize pool, with two of the available slots reserved for national teams. The last leg of the Hearthstone Masters Tour will have $250,000 (£195,226) up for grabs.
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Arturo Castello, CEO of Encom Games, commented on the change in a release: “We are excited to begin this new journey in a city like Madrid. Our winter DreamHack festival had already earned a slot in the international scene but we are sure that this step will allow us to grow even more, thanks to the possibilities that this city offers to a sector like ours.
“Nevertheless, we do not forget Sevilla. We want to thank the wonderful city of Sevilla and all its visitors, their hospitality during these two years of festival. Today we announce that for the time being we will not have any more events in Sevilla, but we are sure that we will return soon to enjoy esports with its citizens.”
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One of the core offerings of the event in the upscaled arena is a bring-your-own-console (BYOC) LAN party with space for up to 1,500 players. Other auxiliary offerings at the event include gaming merchandise stores, competitions and raffles, and an educational area for attendees to learn about study programs and career pathways to working in esports, gaming, and live music.
Esports Insider says: The move to Madrid makes sense as DreamHack looks to expand and grow. Although we’re sure fans in Sevilla will be sad to see the tournament leave the city, if the event can be bigger and better then it ultimately helps the Spanish scene.