Gamers from all around the state brought their competitive edge and rallied together for an exhilarating showdown in the Last Frontier this month. The Northern Lights Invitational, Alaska’s biggest Esports Tournament, drew in 184 top-tier gamers eager to battle it out for a share of the $25,000 prize pool spread across three action-packed weekends.
The Northern Lights Invitational was designed for Alaskans by Alaskans. Teams of Alaskan residents played Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) as they participated in the Esports Tournament. GCI hosted the events on local servers connected to GCI’s Fiber+ network for a low-latency gaming experience. CS2: GO has a loyal following and continues to be one of the most popular games on Steam. Last year’s competition left teams eager for a chance to strike back, GCI was excited to host the tournament again.
The finals were streamed on Twitch for a continuous 7-hours featuring renowned esports commentators Boq and DarfMike. This was a tough competition down to the last minute. With the game going into an intense overtime the winning team, Weebs, walked away with a grand prize of $12,500. Our second-place winner, Nikiski, took home $7,500. The third-place winner, NexGen, and in fourth place, Slept On, received $2,500 each. Thank you to all the teams that played and big congratulations to our 2024 champions, Weebs!
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The thrill did not stop at that overtime ending, as the fun continued with a highly anticipated Northern Lights Invitational Charity Showmatch between our reigning 2023 champions, AKCS, and our newly crowned 2024 winners, Weebs. Whoever won the best of three matches would walk away with an additional $2,500 in prize pool money. The match ended with our 2023 Champions, AKCS, victorious. Not only did the tournament make for a fun and competitive day but it helped benefit the gaming community with a charitable donation of $2,500 made from GCI to University of Alaska Fairbanks to help continue to support the gaming community.
The Esports Tournament brings together people from across Alaska and it also displays GCI’s spirit for community with our Gaming for Good initiative. As a commitment to supporting the communities in which it operates, GCI made a charitable donation of $10 on behalf of every competitor who joined the tournament. This year GCI donated $610 to USO Alaska and $1,120 to The Alaska Esports Center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
This year’s competition showcased the very best of online gaming in Alaska and the superiority of GCI’s Fiber+ network. GCI and teams are already looking forward to next year’s tournament and the talent it will bring! Thank you to GCI’s partners, participants, and others who helped make this year’s events a success.