Wargaming launching World of Tanks professional eSports league

Wargaming has announced a eSports league for World of Tanks.

The Wargaming.net League "aims to become a key player in the competitive gaming realm," according to the press release.

The new league is currently scheduled to launch in the first quarter of 2013, with regular regional tournaments and playoffs leading up to a Grand Finals, with the competitive season 2013 offering a $2.5 million prize pool.

"The scale and popularity of competitive gaming has been skyrocketing over the last couple of years, and we have now reached the point where we can focus significant effort on advancing World of Tanks on to the global eSports scene," said Wargaming global eSports director Jonghyuk Baak. "Wargaming.net League is a groundbreaking step in our quest to bring the game's eSports potential into the international spotlight."

The newly announced Wargaming.net League will help to "bridge the gap" between the World of Tanks "gaming communities, previously separated by geographic boundaries, and unite them into a tight-knit global eSports entity."