Announcing RIFT OF THE NORTH: The Region’s First Collegiate Esports Tournament
April 5-6, 2019 at MSUM Nemzek Hall in Moorhead, MN
Learn more about exciting collegiate esports programs and scholarship opportunities
MOORHEAD, MN, March 7, 2019 – Gravity Gaming by ByteSpeed is excited to announce Rift of the North – the region’s first collegiate esports tournament, hosted at Minnesota State University Moorhead.
The public is invited to watch as some of the Midwest’s best collegiate esports teams from North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, and Nebraska battle it out live for a $5,000 Rift of the North prize pool. The esports tournament will take place April 5-6 at MSUM Nemzek Hall in Moorhead, MN.
More than 128 universities nationwide have created “varsity”-level esports programs, and this number is growing rapidly. Varsity esports programs offer unique opportunities for recruitment, student scholarships, and increased student retention. Playing on an esports team can also help students build skills of leadership, communication, and discipline, just as an athlete would in traditional competitive sports.
“The University of Jamestown is proud to be one of the pioneers in the region and offer esports scholarships, which give students the opportunity to game constructively,” said Josh Knutson, the head esports coach at UJ. “Our esports program provides great opportunities for our local high school students, as well as the ability to expand our recruitment reach on a regional, national, and international level.”
Team coaches will be available at The Rift of the North to help students learn more about collegiate esports programs and scholarship opportunities. In addition to the collegiate Overwatch and League of Legends tournaments, there will also be a free, all-ages Fortnite Foray. Players should bring their own mobile device (such as tablet, phone, Nintendo Switch, etc.) to play Fortnite. The Fortnite Foray will run alongside the collegiate tournament both days, and will end when the final tournament begins on Saturday so attendees can watch the championship game.
The event is free and open to the public, and concessions will be available. There will be many great prizes, and the first 100 registrants will receive a free Gravity Gaming esports jersey. RSVP today: www.bytespeed.com/fortnite/
Rift of the North is sponsored by: Myriad Mobile, Bremer Bank, Choice Financial, Avalon Events Center, WEX Health, MSUM, Gravity Gaming by ByteSpeed, and the University of Jamestown.
ABOUT GRAVITY GAMING
Gravity Gaming (www.gravitygaming.com) is a brand dedicated to PC gaming and collegiate esports, created by ByteSpeed (www.bytespeed.com). We’ve combined our passion for PC gaming with more than 20 years of computer industry experience to create Gravity Gaming.