MLG 2012 Pro Circuit kicks off January 31 with Starcraft II

No rest for the wicked-ly good at games: The world's largest eSports league is ready to leap into a new year of action.

The 2012 MLG Pro Circuit begins with invitation-only winter regional online qualifiers, which run from January 1 through February 8. This season marks the debut of a new title in MLG's Pro Circuit line up - StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty.

The qualifiers lead into a brand new event, the MLG Winter Arena, which will take place February 24 to February 26 in New York. While the qualifiers are quieter affairs, the Winter Arena will be live streamed. The top eight players from the Providence event in 2011 will be joined by 24 of the best-placed competitors from the regional qualifiers, to battle for a $26,000 prize pool and a seed in the Winter Championship.

The top 16 players will receive all-expenses trips to the MLG Winter Championship, which will be held on March 23-25 in Columbus, Ohio. The Championship will of course be live streamed, but spectators will also be able to attend in person.