As was announced during the MLG Winter Championship, the spring season of MLG will begin on March 30th with the Open Online Qualifiers and will end with the Spring Championship in June. The whole season will consist of five events in total:
Open Online Qualifiers, 30.03 - 15.04, Online Only, No Broadcast - Once again, a total of three open qualifiers (North America, Europe and Korea) will be held. Top 32 of the NA and EU grandmaster leagues will be invited and the remaining spots will be open for anyone that wants to register. The top 8 from each region will get seeds into the invite-only qualifiers (see below).
Spring Arena 1, 20.04 - 22.04, New York, Broadcast live - a tournament with a smaller player size, featuring the top 8 from Winter Championship. The top four will divide a $10,900 in prizes and will get seeds to Spring Arena 2 and the Pool Play of Spring Championship. The bottom four will be seeded into the invite-only qualifiers.
Invite-Only Qualifiers, 27.04 - 30.04, Broadcast online - a 100-player event, featuring 9-80th finishes from the Winter Championship, top 8 from each of the open qualifier regions and the bottom 4 of Spring Arena 1.
Spring Arena 2, 18.05 - 20.05, New York, Broadcast live - similar format as the Winter Arena: 32-player tournament with top 8 from each Invite-Only Qualifier, top 4 from Arena 1 and 4 additional invites. Top 12 from Spring Arena 2 will join the top 4 from Spring Arena 1 to form the pool play of Spring Championship.
Spring Championship, 08.06 - 10.06, Anaheim, CA, Offline evnt, Broadcast live - Analogical format to Winter Championship, i.e. pool play plus an open tournament into a champions bracket.
But what about the pricing? Although MLG are keeping the Arena events non-free to watch, they are introducing a total of three different ways to access the spring season. Also, keep in mind that the invite-only qualifiers and the Spring Championship will feature a "freemium" model.
Spring Season Pass – $30: By far the best deal we offer. The Spring Season Pass gets you full HD access to all streams at all Spring Events at a substantial discount – 40% off what you would pay if you purchased each Event individually.
Get1080p access to all streams at Spring Arena 1, the Spring Invite-Only Online Qualifiers, Spring Arena 2 and the Spring Championship.
Gold Members – Special Discount: Gold Members, who already have full HD access to the Spring Championship, get a special discount on full HD access to all other events in the Spring Season. The entire Spring Season leading up to the Championship (Spring Arena 1, Spring Invite-Only Online Qualifiers, Spring Arena 2) will cost you just $15. That is half what it will cost non-Gold Members.
Note that Gold Memberships are no longer available online, but they are available at GameStop and Toys “R” Us locations in the US. If you don’t have a Gold Membership, the Spring Season Pass is your best option.
A La Carte HD: If you want to pay for full access to each event individually, prices are as follows:
- $10 for Arena 1
- $20 for the Invite-Only Qualifiers + Arena 2
- $20 for the Spring Championship
Source: MLG.com
