(MAY 8, 2020) – Ultimate Gaming Championship and U.S. Army Esports have partnered to announce the Defender Cup, a national, online Rocket League tournament featuring a $5,000 USD prize pool for competitors to play for. The Defender Cup will span four weeks between May 13 and June 5, and will be played exclusively on UGC’s competitive gaming platform, UGC Esports.
Players can register and compete in one of five regional qualifiers across the country, each representing a U.S. Army Recruiting Brigade. The tournament will produce three regional qualifiers starting on May 13 to determine the top 32 teams from all Brigades, which are then advanced into the National Championship, a double-elimination tournament bracket, to play for $5,000 USD. UGC and U.S. Army Esports will work in tandem with the U.S. Army Recruiting Command in a cross-promotional capacity to maximize the size and scale of the Defender Cup. The Defender Cup National Championship will be broadcasted live on UGC’s official Twitch and Mixer channels on June 5.
“U.S. Army Esports is excited to once again partner with UGC to bring the first ever Defender Cup. As U.S. Army Esports is dedicated to connecting America to its Army through the passion of gaming, we are humbled to support the next generation of esports competitors. We hope you will join us on this journey with an amazing partner through UGC to crown the Defender Cup National Champions,” says Sergeant First Class Christopher Jones, General Manager of U.S. Army Esports.
UGC will operate and manage all areas of the event’s competition including setup, matchmaking, broadcast, and player support. UGC will also debut a significant user interface and design update on its platform, UGC Esports, alongside the Defender Cup. The latest UGC Esports update will include Partners Hubs, a dedicated area for collaborative activations with brands and companies, and a refined user experience putting the user in full control of their online gaming activity.
“We’re incredibly excited to be working alongside U.S. Army Esports and its many Battalions across the country for this activation. The Defender Cup will debut alongside a considerable user interface overhaul of our platform which will showcase our newly designed partner hubs for the first time,” said Matt Jackson, CEO & Founder of Ultimate Gaming Championship.
The Defender Cup is the third activation to be brought to market from a relationship between UGC and U.S. Army Esports budding in July 2019. Previously, the two companies collaborated to host two editions of the Apex Predator Series, an online, competitive Apex Legends event each featuring $4,000 in cash prizes.
The Defender Cup is a free-to-play tournament activation and is available to players in the United States only. For more information on the Defender Cup, please visit: https://ugcevents.gg/defendercup/
Join the conversation by using the event’s official hashtags: #DefenderCup, #ARMYRL5K
