ESEA launch Mountain Dew League

From Season 21 onwards, ESEA began tweaking their Premier division (the tier below the Pro League in ESEA and ESL's system) to include offline finals and Season 22 saw the launch of the "Global Premier Challenge LAN," a $50,000 offline competition which would see the top two Premier teams from North America and Europe and regional teams from elsewhere all compete.

ESEA have wasted no time upping the ante for the forthcoming Season 23 of their league, as they have now teamed up with Mountain Dew, an American soft drink brand owned by PepsiCo, to launch the Mountain Dew League in conjunction with the Global Challenge LAN.

The move is in partnership with ESL and will primarily see a number of changes taking place to ESEA's Premier divisions in both North America and Europe and to the format of the Global Challenge LAN.

ESL and ESEA have partnered with Mountain Dew to retool the Premier division

First and foremost, the Premier division will be extended from 17 teams to 24 teams, with 22 of those teams drawn from current Premier, Main, Intermediate, and Open ranks; the final two teams in each region will qualify through a Last Chance Qualifier slated for August 27-28.

Eight weeks of action in the Premier divisions will then culminate in December (and combine with other regions) at the Mountain Dew Global Challenge, which will string eight teams together:

• North America – 2 Teams (Top 2 Premier teams) 
• Europe – 2 Teams (Top 2 Premier teams) 
• Brazil – 1 Team (Regional Winner) 
• Australia – 1 Team (Regional Winner) 
• Asia – 1 Team (Regional Winner) 
• South Africa– 1 Team (Regional Winner)

Mountain Dew will apparently provide "competing players...access to online tutorials and pro coaches" although details are not further ironed out. A press statement from Sonika Patel, Senior Brand Manager at Mountain Dew, reads:

"Esports is becoming an integral part of gaming culture. As instigators in this space, we want to push the boundaries of competitive gaming and enable everyone in this community to take part in the experience...Our partnership with ESL is unique in that it gives everyone a platform to participate on a level playing field."

For those feeling a little left behind, ESEA have also provided a small FAQ in their press release for Season 23 of play:

• Q: How do I qualify for the Dew League? 
• A: You're already qualifying by playing in Season 22 
• Q: What if I missed this season? 
• A: Last chance qualifiers will start on August 27th  
• Q: Can we create a completely new team to sign up for the Last Chance qualifier? 
• A: The tournament is open to anyone and everyone to sign up. You do not need to be currently competing in Season 22.

stich writes for HLTV.org and can be found on Twitter