Twitch & MLG hosting Ender's Game StarCraft 2 tournament

Twitch and Major League Gaming have paired with film production company Lionsgate to host a StarCraft 2 tournament to tie in with the release of sci-fi movie Ender's Game.

In a press release sent to VG247, Twitch confirmed that the deal marked the first time a motion picture company has backed an eSports tournament. The competition starts on February 5 and features a $20,000 prize pool.

An attached statement from Anne Parducci, executive vice president of marketing at Lionsgate reads, "The skills used to develop battle leaders in Ender’s Game are drawn from real world gaming, especially the types of skills used by premier tournament level players. We are excited to partner with Major League Gaming and Twitch, both leaders in the eSports world, to present this unprecedented movie tie-in aimed directly at those who take gaming seriously."

The US tourney sees 32 of the best StarCraft 2 players locking horns over two qualifying rounds which will be broadcast on Twitch and MLG.TV between February 5-9, followed by the second round broadcast on MLG.TV between February 11-16.

Then, the grand final will air on Twitch, February 22, and will see one player walk away with a cool $10,000.

We'll update you with winners as the competition gets under way. Stay tuned.