The 8th Alliance Tournament, pinnacle of e-competitions, begins this weekend. For those unfamiliar with the Alliance Tournament, it is basically EVE’s version of the World Cup, NCCA Basketball Tournament, World Series, Olympic Games…you get the idea. 64 Alliances are each allowed to field a team, made up of their own pilots, using their own in-game assets which they stand to lose. They go through a few weekends of matches, battling it out with the top pilots that play EVE Online, helping to set up the finals weekend. The winning team goes away with bragging rights, substantial in game currency and some beautiful, unique ships.

And, the best thing is all of this is televised, LIVE in HD.

In addition, the last weekend will include lots of commentary before and after matches.

Must Read Items on the Tournament

• Introduction
• How to Tune In and Prizes
• Format
• Rules

What sets it apart from other video game competitions?

• These are real in-game assets. You lose it, you lose it. More than just pride is on the line.
• There is immense strategy that goes in before the match even starts. How will each of your team set up their ships? How will you handle the eventualities of the other teams?
• Since it is a single-shard world, these aren’t just random opponents, these are pilots that you can encounter, exact revenge upon, or even team up with. It leads to interesting situations, such as a revenge assassination attempt during the last tournament. How often do you see a linebacker turn on their quarterback during the Superbowl?