Following two television events in 2006, DirecTV has announced the Championship Gaming Series, a league for 2007 that will make its competitors true professionals. Besides hosting the events with cash prizes, DirecTV will form franchises within the four outlined regions – them being North America, South America, Australia/Asia/Middle East, and Europe/Scandinavia.

Three games have been selected for the league, them being Counter-Strike:Source (PC), Dead or Alive 4 (Xbox 360), and Project Gotham Racing 3 (Xbox 360). These were the games used at the December CGI event.

A breakthrough aspect of the league is certainly the provided salaries that come with participating in the CGS. Each player will receive a salary, along with any additional money won during the league’s duration in tournaments or competitions.


As of today, only details on the North American franchises and qualification process have been released. Within the United States and Canada, there will be six franchises, each headed by one General Manager. The GM will also receive compensation from the league. Rosters will be assembled through a draft from the pool of qualified players. The ability to add, drop, and trade players will be in the hands of the GM, who will also be handling sponsorships, player promotions, relations with the community and media, and running the franchise as a whole.

In order to qualify for the draft, a player must go through two “phases”. To get by the first phase, players must win an online qualifier, rank high in the online ladders, or win a micro event. Doing so will take them to the second phase – the North American Qualification Finals. This phase will consist of a tournament "to identify the best gamers, highlight personalities, and build future stars." Specific details regarding the two phases are yet to be announced.

Once the draft is complete, league play will begin. Any player not drafted still has the ability to join a franchise in the future through competing in CGS online competitions later in the year. The four teams at the top of the standings will move on to a single elimination bracket at the conclusion of the season to determine a North American champion. That winner then moves on to the international Championship Gaming Series Grand Slam to be hosted in the United States, where the regional champions will gather to compete for the title of 2007 World Champion.

The qualifiers are set to begin in March of 2007, with the North American Regional Tournament to take place in May. Once that is complete, the Player Draft will occur in May as well. More details on the CGS are still to be announced.

Teams, players, and anyone interested can register at the CGS website to receive more information as it is released.

Players wanting to compete can register here

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