Virtual Athletics League Kicks Off Season 2 with International Space Junkies Arcade Tournament
The Virtual Athletics League is working in partnership with Ubisoft, HP, Springboard, and LIV to kick off VAL season 2 on February 19 with the International Space Junkies Arcade Tournament. Arcades have been granted early access to the game so they have an exclusive opportunity to show off Space Junkies to their customers prior to the March release via Steam and the Oculus store.
Fans who have been eagerly anticipating the arrival of the jetpack-fueled VR arcade shooter were thrilled with the news that one of their favorite games would be featured in VAL season 2 and that they’d have early access at their favorite VR arcade. Now they’ll be able to battle enemies in hostile space for the opportunity to win some sweet prizes.
Last summer VALVR hosted the globally successful Beat Saber Tournament and then they announced the official launch of season 1 in October. One notable change from season 1 tournaments is the fact that the International Space Junkies Arcade Tournament will include a regular season followed by a playoff season.
“We felt like this would provide a more intense experience and allow players to develop some serious skills in Space Junkies,” says Ryan Burningham, CEO of the Virtual Athletics League. “It would also allow arcade owners [an opportunity] to really build their own VR esports scene and community.”
There will also be three regions (Asia/Pacific, Americas, and Europe). Each will have their own regional championship series. The regular season will be followed by a week of playoffs that culminate in international tournaments.
Another change this season is that arcades will be allowed to recruit more than one team per arcade. They had been limited to one team per arcade in season one so in addition to competing with others in a region or internationally, this new rule will allow teams to compete against each other within individual arcades.
Pre-Season Schedule
- Arcade team recruitment period: Feb. 2 – Feb. 17
- Early team sign up schedule release date: Feb. 10
- Team schedule release date: Feb. 18
Season Schedule
- Day 1: Tuesday, Februrary 19
- Day 2: Thursday, February 21
- Day 3: Wednesday, February 27
- Day 4: Wednesday, March 6
- Playoffs: March 11 – 14
- Championship: March 15 March 19
Format
- Matches follow “best of 3” model.
- Each team will play 4 regular season matches.
- VAL admins will release match schedule the Friday before at 8 p.m. MST.
- Teams will be sorted into three regions (Asia/Pacific, Americas, Europe).
- Most matches will take place between 6:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. in the timezone for your particular arcade.
- Top teams at the end of the regular season will move on to the playoffs.
Prizes (distributed in each region)
- 1st place team:
- MVP of the team (as determined by performance in the championship)
- 1 Windows MR HP headset
- 1 Omen Mindframe headphones
- 200 cash 1st place team:
- 2nd player on the winning team
- 200 cash
- 1 Omen Mindframe Headphones
- 2nd place team:
- 100 cash for each player
- Arcade that produces the winning team
- 1 Windows MR HP headset (It’s up to the arcade whether to keep or distribute this headset.)
Additional sponsors added before the championship starts might result in an increased prize pool.
General Rules
- Teams are made up of two players
- Modes: Team Death Match and King Mode are allowed
- Modes are decided by vote before the start of each round.
- In the event of a tie in Team Death Match mode, it will trigger sudden death and the team that scores the first kill wins the game.
- All weapons are allowed.
- All pieces of equipment are allowed.
- All characters are allowed.
- Players must choose character and equipment before the start of each round.
- Players are allowed to change characters and/or pieces of equipment between rounds or during rounds when spawning it the airlock by accessing their armory.
How to Sign Up
Teams can complete this form to sign up for the tournament. Only one form is needed per team. It can be completed by players or the arcade staff.
Arcades can sign up to participate with this form.
Instructional Videos
If you’re interested in participating in the International Space Junkies Arcade Tournament, you can begin preparing now. Admins have compiled a terrific list of gameplay links to help you train.
- Sunblaster Training
- Cosmic Ripper Training
- Solar Sword and Photon Shield
- Biopump Training
- Ricoshaker
- Plasma Rifle Training
Sponsor Links and Contact Information
HP Inc.
Virtual Athletics League
- Discord
- Website
- VALVR admin: Dallin Funk – dallin@virtualities.com
- VALVR admin: Ryan Burningham – ryan@virtualities.co
SpringboardVR
LIV
Ubisoft
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