Contest to draw gamers from D.C., Baltimore, Boston, Philly
Austin Smith may not be very good at soccer, but he still values the relationships he has built at his Thursday night recreational league games.
Another activity that has always brought Smith great joy is video games, although he has always wished for more esports equivalents to the friendly but competitive leagues that have long been a part of his life. That frustration played a role in his decision to create Mission Control, a St. Louis-based company designed “to gather and grow community” through esports.
To take that goal even further, Smith recently partnered with Comcast to launch the Xfinity City Series, a three-month gaming competition in which gamers in Baltimore, Boston, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and Pittsburgh compete for prizes and bragging rights in tournaments based around Fortnite, Rocket League and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
The Xfinity City Series kicks off Tuesday with the first round of Fortnite tournaments and runs through early April. The $50,000 in prizes that will be handed out include GameStop gift cards, video game consoles and controllers. Gamers will also compete for the opportunity to join a livestream with Fortnite World Cup champion Bugha and the honor of being crowned an Xfinity City Series champion.
Pittsburgh had the most registrants of any participating city as of Jan. 12, according to Smith, who is Mission Control’s CEO. That speaks to the city’s thriving esports community, which includes the Pittsburgh Knights, multiple local universities with esports teams and minors, and the David L. Lawrence Convention Center hosting the 2021 Esports TravelSummit in December.
“That just shows there’s a big appetite for this stuff in Pittsburgh,” Smith said. “And that’s just one indicator of many.”
Comcast has been increasing its involvement in esports for quite a while, according to Mark Cruz, the company’s director of brand partnerships and amplification. As a company that provides gamers with internet and broadband connections, Comcast sees sponsoring the Xfinity City Series as “truly a way that we can be involved with this audience by providing value back to the gaming community,” Cruz said.
He appreciates Mission Control’s ethos of fostering recreational competition and jumped at the chance to be involved with an event that reminds customers of how “our internet empowers a better gaming experience.” It was a no-brainer for Comcast to include Pittsburgh as one of the five participating cities because of its established esports scene, according to Cruz.
“We’re excited to see you participate, we can’t wait to hear your feedback, and we hope you have a
ton of fun,” he said. “We’re just excited to see how it turns out.”
One of the participants in the Xfinity City Series is Colin Stubbs, a 19-year-old Kittanning man who works at Burgettstown’s Pavilion at Star Like as a security supervisor. When he’s not working toward his dream of becoming a commercial airline pilot, Stubbs can often be found playing Minecraft with his uncle, messing around with Microsoft’s flight simulator or booting up Fortnite, Grand Theft Auto V or Call of Duty.
As someone who is “used to playing with people in whole other time zones,” Stubbs saw the Xfinity City Series as a way to meet more Western Pennsylvania-based gamers and to potentially connect with an es-ports legend like
Bugha. He plans to compete in Fortnite and might dabble in Rocket League as well.
Stubbs warned his fellow gamers that he will be “bringing my 100 game” to the Xfinity City Series and hopes local gamers will impress competitors in the other four cities.
“I’m all for any way to help Pittsburgh that’s possible,” Stubbs said. “I am Pittsburgh strong.”