To coincide with the rapidly growing battle royale genre, Daybreak Games and Twin Galaxies have partnered up and are establishing the H1Z1 Pro League. This league is being formed to help create a sustainable esports ecosystem that benefits all parties.
All of the players are in talks of receiving $50,000 in guaranteed salary but ultimately the final number will be determined by the governance committee. The league will be made up of 15 teams taht will compete with one another over the course of two 10-week splits, leading to the Championship in late 2018. There will be no fees or buy-in costs for teams to take part in the league, and teams will be selected through an application process that will begin this fall.
Daybreak Games has already begun to push H1Z1: King of the Kill as an esport. If you remember, the game did appear earlier this year on The CW with Fight For The Crown. This new league will help sustain the game’s growth as an esport and help it appeal to a wider audience.
“H1Z1 burst on to the esports scene with its first Battle Royale tournament over two years ago and has continued to serve the community with events like the H1Z1 Invitational, Elites Series at DreamHack and the primetime broadcast of Fight for The Crown on The CW Network. Our goal with the H1Z1 Pro League is to create a world-class experience worthy of our incredibly competitive community,” said Anthony Castoro, H1Z1 General Manager at Daybreak Games. “We chose to partner with Twin Galaxies because they bring a unique and compelling vision for how H1Z1 can reshape the world of professional esports, and they share our core value of putting players first.”
The players have a Bill of Rights that has been put together as well, which is designed to put all the players on equal footing. You can read the full Bill of Rights below.
The Right to Participate: Each H1Z1 player shall have the right to participate in the H1Z1 Pro League provided the player (a) is in good standing with Daybreak and Twin Galaxies, (b) has the talent to compete by meeting the eligibility requirements, and (c) follows team, League, Twin Galaxies, and Daybreak rules, policies, and regulations.
The Right to Equal Opportunities for Success: Each H1Z1 Pro League player shall have the right to equal opportunities for success that are not limited by the League, teams, or fellow players due to age, gender, race, nationality, sexual orientation, or disability. To create opportunities for success, each team is responsible for ensuring players have proper preparation to compete through access to practice environments provided by Daybreak Games.
The Right to Fair and Equal Governance: Each H1Z1 Pro League player shall have the right to fair and equal governance by a penalty system that (a) protects the player’s right to participate if he or she is not charged with a violation of the Pro League rules and regulations, (b) requires all players to comply with the rules and regulations of the Pro League, (c) punishes guilty parties commensurate with the severity of the infraction and strives for consistency when penalties are needed, (d) is reasonable and in accordance with best practices in the industry, (e) is clearly communicated to all players and teams, and (f) does not impose penalties that would deny participation opportunities for an entire team if fewer than all players are charged with rules violations.
The Right to Minimum Compensation: Each H1Z1 Pro League player shall have the right to minimum compensation as determined by the Governance Committee to be a fair and livable wage.
The Right to Share in Leadership: The H1Z1 Pro League players shall have the right to share in leadership of the League by selecting a representative to join the Governance Committee. The voice of the player representative in the Governance Committee shall be equal to all other representatives in the Governance Committee.
The Right to Appeal: Each H1Z1 Pro League player shall have the right to appeal penalty decisions given the player provides additional information that was not considered at the time of the original ruling. Additionally, it is the responsibility of the Governance Committee to create a safe pipeline for communication, that is independent of the teams, to voice concerns regarding League operations, rules, penalties, prizes, compensation, scheduling, or anything else that may be of concern to the player(s).
The teams that will be competing in the league will be announced in early 2018 with the season starting shortly afterwards. Teams that are interested in learning more can attend a private H1Z1 Pro League briefing taking place at TwitchCon 2017 on Friday, Oct. 20 in Long Beach, CA.