BERWYN, PA (October 12, 2023) – Playfly Esports, operators of NACE Starleague, the world’s largest collegiate esports league, in partnership with The National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE), North America’s largest association of varsity esports programs, announced today their plans for the next iteration of the NACE Starleague Grand Finals, set to take place at Boise State University. The Fall 2023 installment will occur at Boise State’s state-of-the-art esports arena from December 2-3, 2023.
This Fall’s NACE Starleague Grand Finals will feature 14 of the highest ranked teams from across the U.S. and Canada, competing for championship titles in Call of Duty, Counter-Strike 2, League of Legends, Overwatch 2, Rainbow Six: Siege, Rocket League, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. This season marks another remarkable milestone in the league’s history, as NACE Starleague saw more than 50% increase in participation from Spring 2023; totaling over 20,000 student athletes from nearly 800 colleges and universities. The Boise State Esports Arena is highly anticipated to serve as the perfect backdrop for this exciting showdown of collegiate talent.
“We are thrilled to partner with Boise State University and bring the 2023 Fall Grand Finals to their impressive Esports Arena,” said Curtis Winger, Vice President of Operations at Playfly Esports. “This event showcases the remarkable journey of NACE Starleague, where we’ve seen incredible growth in both participation and competition. We look forward to witnessing the highest level of collegiate esports talent and providing a memorable experience for players, schools, and fans alike.”
In an industry frequently buffeted by challenges, Playfly Esports and NACE, through NACE Starleague, have demonstrated resilience and a steadfast commitment to advancing esports, and they continue to achieve all-time highs in their collegiate league. This event marks another milestone in their journey to elevate scholastic gaming to new heights.
“After a successful event at Butler University in the spring we are thrilled to once again bring our Grand Finals to a NACE member school in Boise State,” said Michael Jones, NACE Director of Operations. “These events provide unique opportunities for the host school to showcase their competition and broadcasting facilities and the tremendous work being done by their students and staff.”
“The history of collegiate esports is written at these events”, said 4-time champion coach of Boise State, Doc Haskell. “We’re thrilled to host the best players, coaches, schools, and teams from North America this time and maybe even have a team of our own here for a home-field advantage.”
Participating schools in NACE Starleague include some of the biggest names in collegiate athletics, including Clemson University, University of Maryland, Oregon State University, Ohio State University, Pennsylvania State University, Virginia Tech, University of Miami, Ball State University, and more. These schools have brought their best and brightest esports talent to compete for the most coveted titles in gaming, showcasing the continued growth and development of esports programs on college campuses across the nation. Schools competing at the Grand Finals will be determined in playoff competitions starting in late November 2023.
Attendance for all fans and spectators will be free across both days of competition. Boise State’s Esports Park is located on campus at 301 S Capitol Blvd in Boise.
About Boise State EsportsBoise State Esports is a thriving community made up of students, varsity players, coaches and local community members. At Boise State Esports, you’ll find a place to enhance your gaming skills & a community that celebrates everyone in a welcoming environment.
7 Years, 2000+ Live Broadcasts, 1200+ total wins, 4 national and 11 conference titles, 2022 Program of the Year, and over 40 individual, team, and broadcast awards.
About Playfly Esports
Playfly Esports is helping to reshape how entertainment is consumed by younger generations with new methodologies that connect brands with gaming fans. We deliver scalable, media solutions that can directly place advertisers into the spotlight of the fastest-growing industry on the market, while monetizing custom built events capable of adapting to the consistently, all consuming streaming-based content sector of digital entertainment. Playfly Esports, in partnership with NACE, continues to own and operate NACE Starleague, the most comprehensive collegiate esports ecosystem in the world. In addition, Playfly Esports leverages the best practices from collegiate and is now supporting scholastic esports communities in Arizona, Louisiana, Oregon, Michigan and Washington.
About NACE
The National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE) is a nonprofit membership association organized by and on behalf of member institutions and is the largest association of college esports in North America. Together, NACE members are developing the structure and tools needed to advance collegiate esports in the varsity space. NACE colleges and universities collaborate to lay the groundwork in areas such as: eligibility, path to graduation, competition and scholarships. NACE represents the majority of varsity programs across North America.
