Esports Awards set for Las Vegas debut Dec. 13 at Resorts World

The Esports Awards have established itself as the premier awards show in the esports industry. The show has grown and evolved through its first seven years and is about to break new ground this December.

For the first time, the awards show is headed to the Las Vegas Strip at Resorts World on Dec. 13.

“It was the right time at the right place at the right moment,” CEO Michael Ashford said. “When we first put the awards together, there are always these golden opportunities on where the awards could call home. Las Vegas ranked very, very highly. To be in Vegas in year seven is a dream come true for us.”

Las Vegas has become a destination for gaming events, including the recent Ultimate Crown battle, featuring MrBeast and Ninja, and the return of Evo in August.

The Esports Awards hopes to add to the city’s legacy of esports events and set a new standard for the level of production.

“It’s something you hope to live up to. There’s the thought in the back of your mind, that itch of wanting to be able to pull off a Las Vegas show,” Ashford said. “No matter what your event is, no matter what bucket you fall into, there’s an allure. It’s an adult playground. It’s a magical adventure rolled into a city. It’s an exciting premise for us.”

While the awards show is the highlight for many, the ceremony will be preceded by a number of events over three days. A golf tournament, a lifetime achievement mixer, networking opportunities and, of course, a red carpet will all lead up to the awards ceremony.

“We want to make sure we live up to everything we want to live up to and do it justice,” Ashford said.

This year also marks the first time in three years that general admission tickets are available, giving fans a chance to be up close and personal with some of their favorite esport athletes and creators. Tickets can be purchased here.

“It’s such a huge part of the overall event,” Ashford said. “We are fans first. We all grew up watching these people play video games. To have that inspiration, one of the coolest things for me is having people reach out to me to say my goal is to win an award one day. I’ll be on that stage one day.”

As the Esports Awards inches closer to its Las Vegas debut, Ashford is excited to show what they have in store for their first year on the Strip.

“It’s an incredible canvas to bring the awards show to,” Ashford said. “I’m a big fan of our values, which are recognizing excellence, creating legacy and honoring industry. The biggest one we focus on the most is creating legacy. That’s something we can do with being the first awards show at Resorts World in our genre. We’re doing some really cool stuff. Year one will be the blueprint and from there we can build and hone our craft and deliver bigger and better and more exciting things the longer we stay in Vegas.”