Daybreak Game Company and Twin Galaxies teamed up earlier this year for the for first H1Z1: King of the Kill team-based pro tournament, with a $300,000 prize pool, including $180,000 for the winning team. Apparently that event was a success, because today they announced an even bigger venture in the form of the H1Z1 Pro League, which will feature 15 teams with a base player salary of $50,000, a "comprehensive Player Bill of Rights," and league-wide revenue sharing.
"Our goal with the H1Z1 Pro League is to create a world-class experience worthy of our incredibly competitive community,” Daybreak's H1Z1 general manager Anthony Castoro said. “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 H1Z1 Pro League is set to get underway early next year, with 15 teams of five players each competing in 75-player battles over two ten-week splits, followed by finals slated for late 2018. Interestingly, Daybreak said in the announcement that "there will be no fees or buy-in costs for teams to take part in the league": Instead, the lineup will be selected by way of an application process that will begin later this fall. How exactly that will work wasn't made clear in the announcement, but it's quite a contrast to Blizzard's Overwatch League, which also has 15 teams and a $50k base player salary—and a rumored $20 million franchise fee.
The teams taking part in the H1Z1 Pro League will be announced in early 2018, just ahead of the start of the first season. Teams interested in taking part can attended a "private H1Z1 Pro League briefing" on October 20 at TwitchCon in Long Beach, California. There's no mention of an online option but you can RSVP if you'd like to attend (or, one would assume, ask them about connecting online) at H1PL@twingalaxies.com.
