Very sad news coming in for gamers out there - we have received word that the ongoing World Series of Video Games has been cancelled. In line with this, the upcoming tournaments in Los Angeles (October 18 to 21), London (November 16 to 18), and Sweden (November 29 to December 2) will be cancelled as well.

The news comes straight from organizer Games Media Properties, which explained this was because revenue from the previous tournaments were unable to sustain the league. Further complicating the financial problems were the current WSVG's extensive televised coverage, and event sizes. Here reads a segment of the official announcements posted at the league's site:

Over the course of two seasons, we have been honored by the strong support the community has shown in attending our festivals, and watching our competitions online and on television-- all in record-setting numbers. We have been grateful for the generous support provided by Intel and other sponsors since our inception.

Games Media Properties further announced that it will shift its focus on its growing online advertising network of websites. As for the winners of the past matches, the organizers states that your money payments will be handed after the necessary paperwork is properly filled out.

Tomorrow may be a big moment on the history of gaming as broadcast giant CBS formally becomes the first network of its class to show a video game tournament as a regular sporting event like other athletic spectacles such as the Masters and March Madness.

"There are an enormous amount of people of all ages who play video games these days, so we’re going to try to see if video games’ popularity can translate into a viable television audience," says CBS Sports Vice-President Rob Correa as he explores the possibility of people looking at this moment as a poignant event after a decade or so.

The tournament concerned is the World Series of Video Games which will be held in Louisville, Kentucky. Edited footage from the event will show highlights of face-offs between players in games such as Fight Night Round 3, Guitar Hero and other non-violent titles. First-person shootouts in Halo and Quake will sadly not make it on air because of the nature of the content.

The idea of the tournament and the coverage by CBS is pegged on the South Korean model which has an entire nation embracing gaming and making it a part of pop culture. A full-time coverage in the manner that ESPN covers sports isn't possible for video games just yet but for now, this is the biggest step game broadcasting can take in the US.

The CBS coverage is also a pilot test of sorts on how game programming in cable TV initiated by G4 and Gameplay HD can work in a bigger scale. The response of viewers will determine future plans on the coverage of electronic gaming as a sport on the network.

On July 29, CBS will be showing some of the best World of Warcraft teams in North America battle it out in 3v3 PvP at 12pm ET or 9AM PT. Among the teams featured will be Team Pandemic, Insurrection, Mob TurtlePower, and fnatic.

This hour-long special is the network television debut of WoW. This event is being held as part of The World Series of Video Games where players compete for the whopping US$ 90,000 prize pot. This is the perfect time for other competitive WoW players to sit down and take notes on the strategies being employed by the top teams in the nation.

So will Team Pandemic walk away as the champion of the WoW arena, or will a new team be taking that title from them? We'll have to wait and see how this pans out. If you're a fan of WoW PvP, then you really should watch this event and pick up a few pointers. Before you go, be sure to check out the commercial for the event below.

Strap on your armor and shine that greatsword! The World of Warcraft 3v3 Arena qualifiers for the World Series of Video Games begin today. Big-name Arena teams and local contenders will battle it out in 8 qualifying pools for a shot at the coveted slots for the Saturday and Sunday brackets.

Similar to the Louisville event, the tournament will feature a 32+ team qualifying pool. Those that do well in the 1st round will move on to the top 16 for a double elimination bout. Winners from there will move on to the weekend tourneys, a step closer to the grand prize.

It goes without saying that organizing a tournament such as this would have its fair share of snags and delays. To prevent this, World Series of Video Games organizers are drawing from lessons learned in order to make the competition smoother. Previous events, such as the one in Louisville, had 10-20 minute delays between matches as players switched classes and talent trees.

Organizers are now mobilizing to reduce downtime between the matches by requiring teams to show up early in order to properly set up their characters and key configurations. All eligible character builds and talent specs must be set up before the matches in order to keep the flow seamless. While it might seem a hassle to have teams set up so early in advance, the ultimate benefit lies in having a faster, more efficient fight.

So visit your local engineer for a pair of those hyper-vision goggles, your enchanter for Savagery, and Marin Noggenfogger for some delicious Elixir. It's time to enjoy the bloodshed.

This week it's another new stretch for the World Series of Video Games tour, as the WSVG 2007 hits Dallas, Texas for another round up for Counter-Strike, World of Warcraft, Guitar Hero II, Call of Duty 2, Gears of War, Quake 4 and Fight Night Round 3 competitive players.

Prizes totalling up to US$ 90,000 will be given away at the event, starting July 5, Thursday up to July 8, Sunday. The highlight of Dallas is the inclusion of Xbox 360 titles Gears of War from Epic Games and Guitar Hero II from Red Octane, so the event might be worth checking out for the Xbox 360 gamer.

And if you can shrug off the US$ 10 admission fee, you might want to pick up a few tips from James ‘2GD’ Harding on dominating with your trusty Quake 4 railgun. Listen carefully, and see tips being put to practice on the grand arena floors.

Cheer for your select team or players and get your face plastered all over CBS Sports news, while demoing some of the industry's latest games and winning some free swag. But first things first: you'd have to figure out how to get to the Gaylord Texan Resort on time.

 

After a good Arena bout with MoB *Turtle Power* at World Series of Video Games China to win first prize, Team Pandemic takes a second victory at WSVG Kentucky for the US$ 10,500 prize money of the World of Warcraft PvP competitive leg. Included with their ten grand-prize is a US$ 3,000 travel wallet, which should cover just about everything else.

Next up in the Intel-sponsored WSVG is a classic Texan showdown in Dallas, this coming July 5, sporting another US$ 10,500 grand prize money (exclusive of travel wallet). Will Team Pandemic be up for a repeat performance and bring home the bacon for a third time in a row? Well it all depends on whether second placer Insurrection brings their game up to par or if the collective of MoB could say otherwise.

The World of Warcraft Final Standings at Louisville, Kentucky

1. [US] Team Pandemic - $10,500 + $3,000 travel
2. [US] Insurrection - $6,000 + $3,000 travel
3. [US] MoB Turtle Beach - $4,200 + $3,000 travel
4. [US] MoB TurtleForce - $2,400 + $3,000 travel
5. [US] Check-Six - $2,400
6. [US] 519 - $1,500
7. [US] Cute Baby Elephants - $1,500
8. [US] Evil Geniuses - $1,500

Tied at 9th place:

• [US] Cloak of Shadow word: Death Coil
• [US] Elitist Jerks
• [US] MoB *Turtle Power*
• [US] The One Shots

Tied at 10th place:

• [EU] Fnatic.WoW
• [US] Sapped Girls Can't Say No
• [US] Serenity Now
• [US] The Challenge

 

The World Series of Video Games (WSVG) is currently holding a four-day tournament over the weekend, starting June 21 (that's today) through to Sunday, June 24 over at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, Kentucky. Covered in detail by e-Sports media Amped Sports, the tournament has already entered its first day and Amped has already chalked up a few stats from the freshly-started World of Warcraft qualifiers round.

And it seems the entire Arena gang is there, from China WSVG winners Pandemic to rivals MoB TurtlePower, including Check Six (a collection of ZERG IT DOWN). Assorted Doughnuts and Evil Flurries have concluded their face off, ending in a 1-0 win-loss stat in favor for Assorted Doughnuts.

Prizes at stake for the World of Warcraft competitive leg totals to US$ 12,000, with the first placer taking home US$ 10,500, second bagging US$ 6,000, and the third keeping US$ 4,200. Anyone interested to witness World of Warcraft's competitive ambitions in execution can enter the event for a US$ 10 entrance free. From there on, it's game time.

For those who want to attend this year's Blizzcon but are finding their wallets a bit too thin to support the trip, here's some good news for you.

The World Series of Video Games (WSVG) will be sponsoring one team from the World of Warcraft 3v3 Arena competition which will be held in Dallas, Texas this July 5 to 8 on an all-expense paid trip to Blizzcon 2007.

Take note that the team will be selected at random from all the participants. That means even if you don't place in the tournament, you might be selected to go. The winner of the said contest will be announced on July 8 at 4:30 p.m.

Since the competition will take place in Dallas, the above mentioned time schedule should be for that location as well. Anyway, you don't have to do anything extra to join this giveaway except to sign-up in the event because teams will be automatically entered into the drawing upon check-in.

Like we said, the prize covers three all-expense paid trips and admissions to Blizzcon 2007 which will be held on August 3 to 4 in Anaheim, California. So, if you want a shot at going to Blizzcon for free, why not drop by the tournament and sign-up.

Who knows, you might be heading to Blizzcon for free even if you placed last. Please refer to our Read link below for more details and for the sign up page.

 

Are you interested in seeing where all the magic comes from? The root of all your toiling in Azeroth? Well, WSVG (World Series of Video Games, in case you've been living under a rock) is sponsoring a contest to test your guild loyalty and a trip to the Blizzard offices.

Did we get your attention? Good. The contest is called the WSVG Guild Challenge for World of Warcraft guilds. The contest includes both IRL and in-game challenges. Here are the challenges:

• Gurubashi Arena FFA - Put your best guildie to the test, last man (or woman) standing takes all.
• 5v5 Arena - 5v5 action as the name suggests.
• Joust - Inflatable joust pit, a weapon, and you do the rest.
• Sumo Wrestling - Real life sumo wrestling in an inflatable sumo suit.
• Guild vs Guild Tug O War - Bring your biggest guildmate and pull away.

Interested parties can register now for Louisville or Dallas WSVG stops. Players can also compete in the World of Warcraft tourney and go home US$ 30,000 richer. Earn enough points and that will win you a trip to Los Angeles for the E for All WSVG event in October. You also get a private tour of the Blizzard offices and have lunch with some devs. You can register by clicking the via link below. Good luck!

How much did Team Pandemic win, anyway? Aside from gaining bragging rights for winning the World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade segment of the World Series of Video Games, the team has also been awarded a cash purse of US$ 9,000. As for the rest of the runner-ups:

• Fnatic: US$ 4,500
• MoB: US$ 3,000
• Part of Shadow: US$ 2,400
• Obsidian: Warden: US$ 500
• Warden: US$ 500
• Extra Order: US$ 500

A total of US$ 50,000 was reportedly handed out in cash prices for China's WSVG event. Other champion teams we make mention of are team wNv.cn, who bagged a whopping US$ 10,000 prize for their Counter-Strike 1.6 bouts, and team Moon, who earned US$ 5,000 in the Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne matches.

That 's the short on the rewards for the first segment of this year's WSVG. Stick around in case details pick up for the upcoming fights to go down this June 21 to 24, at Louisville, Kentucky. Or, click on the read link for the full list of winners, and other competition details.