ESPNs Sarah Spain Will Host 2015 Big Buck Hunter Championships Oct 23-24

CHICAGO -- The countdown to the 2015 Big Buck World Championship eSport spectacular is on. The coin-op videogame tournament goes down Oct. 23 and 24 here at the Hard Rock Café, where ESPN broadcaster Sarah Spain will host. The competition, which will pit the world's best virtual sharpshooters against each other, will also stream live on Twitch TV.

The event is open and free to the public. Spectators can also purchase an official V.I.P. pass, which comes with free drinks and food, as well as exclusive access to designated Hard Rock areas. Click here to learn more. The Music Trust, comprised of DJs Intel, Impulse and Dela Chapelle, will keep the rhythm going throughout the event.

This year's qualifying Buck Hunters, both men and women, come from the United States, Australia and Canada. They will compete for more than $75,000 in cash and prizes. The Big Buck World Championship Qualifiers ended on Sept. 27 with a record-breaking 6,450 players participating, compared with about 1,500 in 2014. The Big Buck coin-op subculture is growing in popularity thanks to a grassroots player community and social media phenomena, both independent of the game's creators. | SEE STORY

Arcade game studio Play Mechanix, which merged with Raw Thrills several years ago, released Big Buck Hunter in 2000 and held its first World Championship match in 2008. The latest game version, Big Buck HD, is the first-ever 1080p high-definition arcade video. It lifts the best features from its preceding Pro and Safari versions, while offering enhanced graphics, along with new shooting challenges, awards and tournament features. Big Buck HD is also optimized for online connectivity, allowing players to track scores and compete against each other from across the country for cash prizes. Connectivity also allows equipment owners and operators to remotely manage their games and to enable cashless transactions at points of play.

Go to twitch.tv/bigbuckhd to watch the matches Oct. 23-24 (Friday-Saturday). Keep up to date on the latest Big Buck World Championship news at bigbuckhd.com.