The Next Level: Ubisoft's New eSports Push

Competitive gaming for those who find Dota 2's barrier to entry a bit too staggering.

In an effort to help bring eSports to the masses, Ubisoft has unveiled its new competitive gaming experience called The Next Level. Launching at PAX Prime this weekend, The Next Level is set to provide an entry-point for gamers to get into eSports that’s less intimidating than games like StarCraft II and Dota 2.

The Next Level presents a tournament which includes multiple games spanning many different genres. The games players can expect to compete in at the inaugural event in Seattle include Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, Just Dance 2014, The Crew, Rayman Legends, The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot, and more. The sheer variety of games in the tournament brings to mind the classic Nintendo World Championship cart which featured brief challenges from Super Mario Bros., Rad Racer, and Tetris.
But despite this first volley of games being exclusively Ubisoft titles, the library of challenges is likely to grow in the future. Josh Milligan, Ubisoft’s senior director of player engagement, told IGN that the company is in talks with several other mainstream publishers about bringing in outside games to the The Next Level. Ostensibly, a tournament in the future could include a lineup of Rayman Legends and The Crew, alongside games like Mario Kart 8, Battlefield 4, and Spelunky.

Prizes in The Next Level won't just include money, but also trips to future events and scholarships as well. Again, this variety provides another distinction between Ubisoft's initiative and the more intimidating worlds of competitive Dota and Starcraft.
After PAX Prime, Ubisoft has plans to showcase The Next Level at larger venues like New York Comic Con, as well as smaller, localized events.