War Thunder eSports tournament 'Gladiators.WT 4X4' announced

War Thunder developer Gaijin Entertainment has announced the free-to-play air combat game's first global eSports tourney. Say hello to Gladiators.WT 4X4 and it's $28,000-plus prize pot.

In a press release sent to VG247 today, Gaijin confirmed that Gladiators.WT 4X4 is now on, and will close before the end of March. Winners will compete in the skies for cash rewards, gaming laptops, video cards and tablets courtesy of sponsor MSI.

Matches will be streamed and discussed over on the War Thunder forum, and the initial qualifying rounds will see more than 1,800 pilots across 310 teams representing over 30 countries. The player count will be whittled down to 32 over the course of several weeks, culminating in a series of play-offs for the top prizes.

In a statement, Gaijin Entertainment’s Creative Director Kirill Yudintsev said, "Gladiators is a special set of rules well known among virtual pilots, and through trial we have perfected the tournament and optimized it, so that it is best suited for flight simulators.

"The Gladiators.WT 4x4 iteration marks the first time that fans can watch the tournament live, making it a true e-sport experience. We’re looking forward to seeing which squad will be crowned a War Thunder champion.”

You'll find the official tournament rule-set here.

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