This global gaming tournament is making a stop in Philly

In case you didn’t know, there’s an online collectible card game called Hearthstone with a massive global following, to the tune of 70 million players as of May last year.

The game’s maker, Blizzard Entertainment (a praised studio behind other huge names like Overwatch and World of Warcraft) organizes a yearly tournament that treks through 150 countries looking for the best players.

And this year, the Hearthstone World Championship will make a stop in Philly, with help from esports tournament organizer N3rd Street Gamers. From Dec. 14–16, at the company’s NoLibs gaming hub Localhost Arena, some 256 gamers will get a chance to square off for their share of the $1-million prize pool and a shot at the World Champion title.

The Hearthstone Championship Tour is coming to Philadelphia’s very own Localhost Arena on December 14-16th.

Get ready to top deck for the $15k prize pot and 191 HCT points. Registration opens for the HCT tour Saturday, October 27th.

For more information: https://t.co/IqIyq9wVgD pic.twitter.com/QA57XZvYC9

— Nerd Street (@nerdstreet) October 23, 2018

“This is a particularly big deal because the Hearthstone Championship Tour goes all over the world,” said N3rd Street Gamers’ head of communications, James Love. “Competing in an official tour stop means not only a chance at the prize money, but also a chance to earn competitive points. These points qualify players for seasonal tournaments which grant spots at the Hearthstone World Championship.”

In 2017, the tour only made one stop on the East Coast. Love says a stop in Philly provides access to the event that doesn’t happen very often.

The local tournament stop features a total prize pool of $15,000. In April, N3rd Street Gamers organized a local Hearthstone tournament, aptly named Brotherly Brawl.

The news of the company’s partnership with Blizzard comes just days after the announcement of its first out-of-Philly gaming hub: An 18,000-square-feet esports venue in Lakewood, Colo.