For those of you interested in the eSports of Blizzard titles, the top 32 StarCraft 2 players and the top 10 World of Warcraft Arena teams are battling it out this weekend for the chance to win $500,000. More than 10,000 people will gather in the audience at the Shanghai Expo Mart in Shanghai, China to witness the battles, and with it two of our best Australian players.

Andrew Pender and Tim He are competing in the StarCraft 2 championship for Australia after being dwindled down over the past year from 600 players to just 32. The stakes are probably at their highest, so hopefully things go well for our fellow gamers.

“The Battle.net World Championship will be a truly epic finale to a series that’s already featured some unforgettable action,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “It’s been a thrill to watch the world’s best StarCraft II and World of Warcraft players fight for a seat at the event, and we can’t wait to see who’s going to win it all.”

“We’re excited to bring this world-class eSports event to China, and we feel this is a historic occasion for eSports and the community of gamers worldwide,” said William Ding, CEO of NetEase. “We’re looking forward to some spirited competition and to celebrating our shared passion for gaming with Chinese players and eSports fans around the globe.”

For those not able to attend in-person, Blizzard has ensured the world will be able to watch with a free live broadcast via six-channel HD which you can find over at the official website. You'll also find a full list of the players competing in each game, plus a schedule for those keen to catch our Aussie players.

Good luck!

Wait its Mafia :D

Andy (moonglade) has come a long way from playing 2v2's with me in WC3.

The only competition I ever won money from ($20) was that 2v2 lan competition with him at some random internet cafe in toowong :D

not impressed with the production so far...