Intel Extreme Masters Season VIII looms on the horizon of New York and Shanghai, their latest Global Esport stops.

 

With the Heart of the Swarm one of the main titles to be featured in IEM, SC2 takes a place in history, as the season starter in Shanghai will signify the first ever WCS event to take place in Asia. It will also be the first Starcraft II international event of the year, with the last event being all the way back in 2011 in Guangzhou.

The tournament features a newly developed format, and boasts a tasty $25,000 prize pool, with an additional 750 WCS ranking points up for grabs for the players.

The qualifier dates for each region are as follows:

The Americas: Tuesday June 25th + Wednesday June 26th

Europe: Saturday June 29th + Sunday June 30th

Asia: To be determined

The format details are in the pictures below:

Source: Intel Extreme Masters