Stardew Valley is getting its own cash prize esports tournament
Stardew Valley, a massively popular 2D game often compared to Minecraft, will get its first-ever esports event with a cash prize in early September. The upcoming competition was announced by the game's creator ConcernedApe on Twitter, where he notes there will be a $40,000 prize pool to split among the winners.
The upcoming esports event will be called The Stardew Valley Cup, one that will revolve around teamwork, the skills involved in the game, and knowledge of how to expertly establish your own digital farm. The event is being launched in conjunction with "Unsurpassable Z" who shared a video detailing the tournament:
The esports event will involve the top content creators who play the game, as well as speedrunners who have mastered the farming simulator. According to the video from Unsurpassable Z, the Stardew Valley Cup will feature multiple teams who will face multiple challenges.
More than 100 challenges have been assembled; the players will start on their own beach farm, getting points for each completed challenge. The points will be awarded based on challenge difficulty, with examples including things like five points for giving foraged items to NPCs all the way to 25 points for giving a gift to a loved one during the winter star in-game event.
In collaboration with @UnsurpassableZ, I'm pleased to announce the 1st official Stardew Valley Cup! It's a competition of skill, knowledge, and teamwork, with a prize pool of over $40k. See some of Stardew's most dedicated players in their element! Main event is Sept. 4th 9am PST pic.twitter.com/qtDW5e5LvD
— ConcernedApe (@ConcernedApe) August 21, 2021
The tournament will be hosted by Unsurpassable Z on Twitch alongside ConcernedApe. The prize cash comes straight from ConcernedApe, giving the winners $28,000 and the remaining funds to the next few teams with the most points. The competition will start on September 4 at 9 AM PT / Noon ET.