Esports World Convention

The Electronic Sports World Convention (ESWC) (formerly known as Electronic Sports World Cup) is an international professional gaming championship. Every year, winners of national qualifier events around the world earn the right to represent their country in the ESWC Finals. The event has been praised for its organisation and ability to put on a good show for spectators.
The ESWC was originally created by a French company, Ligarena, that had previously hosted smaller Local Area Network (LAN) events in France under the name of LAN Arena. In 2003, Ligarena decided to do something on a larger scale and the ESWC was born. In 2005, Ligarena became Games-Services.
In 2009, ESWC was bought by another French company, Games-Solution, which became the owner of the brand.
In 2012, Oxent, an agency specialising in electronic sports, acquired the ESWC.
The grand finals and masters of ESWC have had a total prize purse of €1,721,000 between 2003 and 2010.
Overview.
The first Electronic Sports World Cup was held in 2003 with a total of 358 participants from 37 countries and a prize purse of €150,000. To participate in the tournament, competitors had to place in their country's national qualifier. By 2006, the event had grown to 547 qualified participants from 53 countries and had a prize purse of $400,000 US. The event also featured the first competition with a game specifically made for it: "TrackMania Nations".
2003.
The 2003 ESWC saw around 150,000 players narrowed down to just 358 players, from 37 different countries, who attended the finals at the Futuroscope near Poitiers in France. The total prize fund for the event was €156,000.
2004.
The 2004 finals were once again held at the Futuroscope. Roughly 400 finalists, from 41 countries, attended to compete for a €210,000 prize purse.
2005.
In 2005, the venue was moved to a larger facility: The Carrousel du Louvre in Paris. The total prize payout was again raised - this time to €300,000.
2006.
The 2006 event took place at the Palais omnisports de Paris-Bercy and the total prize payout was approximately €300,000.
2007.
The 2007 ESWC took place at the Paris expo Porte de Versailles, Paris, from July 5 to July 8. There was a complete expo for this event, called "Mondial du Gaming" (World of Gaming).
750 finalists, from 51 countries, competed for a prize purse of $180,000 US.
2008.
Leaving France for the first time, the 2008 Electronic Sports World Cup took place in San Jose, California, USA, from August 25 to August 27 during the bigger "NVISION 08" event. The disciplines announced were: "Counter-Strike" (open and female), "Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne", "Trackmania Nations Forever", "Defense of the Ancients" and, "Quake 3". "Pro Evolution Soccer" was not included because the global Konami authority had not given its support to the competition. The prize purse was approximately $200,000 US.
Masters of Paris.
In place of the ESWC, the "Masters of Paris" was held from July 4 to July 6, during the "Mondial du Gaming", taking place at the Palais omnisports de Paris-Bercy. The same disciplines took place during this Masters and offered additional qualifying slots for ESWC Grand Final in San Jose. All winners won a slot to participate in the ESWC Grand Final, and hotel accommodation in San Jose, free of charge.
Masters of Athens.
"Masters of Athens" was held from October 17 to October 18, 2008, during the Athens Digital Week. Disciplines featured were "Quake III" and "Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne". The tournament had a $30.000 prize purse, and the champion qualified for ESWC 2009.
2010.
The 2010 "Electronic Sports World Cup", which took place at Disneyland Paris, featured a €213,500 prize purse. Games Solution (or DIP-Organisation) took over the ESWC in 2010.
2011.
This event marked the transitional replacement and additions of several cornerstone tournament titles. This included the replacement of "Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne" with "", as well as the replacement of "Defense of the Ancients" with "Dota 2". Additionally, this event marked the first and only year in which "Counter-Strike: Source" was present. It was also the last year that would include "Counter-Strike 1.6", which was the main attraction of the tournament for many years, and the last remaining game that had been featured in the inaugural ESWC event.
Medal Tally.
Throughout the ESWC finals the medal tally is as follows (as of ESWC 2014):