With the release of Gears 5 just a few days away, Gears developer, The Coalition, has announced a few details about Gears Esports, with a full announcement to come on September 13th. The Gears Pro League will officially launch on September 22nd.
Gears Esports has teamed up with esports tournament organizer, PGL, to operate three major events leading into a World Championship, as well as several regional events.
So far, we know that players all over the world will be able to compete in regional ladders and online tournaments for cash prizes. Top teams from every region — North America, Central America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and South America — will also be invited to the major international events with their travel fare covered. The Coalition has announced that prize pools for these events will be "massive," although an approximate number hasn't been disclosed.
At least for the upcoming season, every major event will be open to all teams, unlike franchised leagues like the Overwatch League and upcoming Call of Duty League.
In addition to these events, teams in North America, Central America, and Europe can qualify for an online "Pro League." Pro League teams will earn a prize just for qualifying, and will automatically be entered into major events. Pro League teams will be counted separately from teams in the regional ladders and will be ineligible for weekly online tournaments, allowing other teams a chance to shine. Presumably, the cash prize for becoming a Pro League team will be greater than the prize winnings from weekly tournaments. Throughout the season, top regional teams will have a chance to become a Pro League team, while the lowest-ranked Pro League team will have to fight to keep their spot.
Escalation will be returning from Gears 4 as the default competitive game mode, but with a few changes.
Escalation in Gears 5 will have two teams of five battling to control three rings, similar to the previous title. Players do not get to customize their loadouts, and instead, every player starts with a Lancer and a Gnasher. After every round, new weapons spawn. New to Gears 5 is a life system, where each player has a pool of five respawns per game, with a free respawn every round and an additional five respawns added at halftime. Teams will also be able to choose a weapon they want to spawn every round, with access to more powerful weapons as the match goes on.
The minimum age to compete in Gears 5 esports is 16 for live events and 17 for the Pro League. The game will release worldwide on September 10th.
The Coalition seems to be putting in lots of effort to legitimize Gears 5 as an esport, but only time will tell if Gears 5 takes the competitive Gears scene to new heights.