Turner and IMG’s ELEAGUE Street Fighter® V Invitational 2018 will be the first major fighting game tournament to track both competitors’ in-game eye movements at the same time, when the five-week showdown begins Friday, June 1, at 3 p.m. ET on Twitch. Featured Friday matches will air on TBS at 11 p.m. ET/PT each week.

ELEAGUE, in collaboration with its long-standing technology and marketing partner Dell Gaming, will leverage eye-tracking technology to offer fans unprecedented access to the minds of professional Street Fighter players. The Invitational will see 22 of the world’s elite players, along with two rising amateurs who emerged from ELEAGUE The Challenger: Street Fighter V,compete for $250,000 in prize money.

How the Technology Works

Micro projectors and sensors supplied by Tobii Group will track each player’s eye movements and use the data to create a visual of where the competitors look throughout a given match (see the image below). The overlay will be shown during special Dell “Getting Technical” studio analysis segments. ELEAGUE’s commentary team can use the enhanced highlights to offer fans a more detailed understanding of how the world’s best Street Fighter players gain match-deciding advantages during pivotal in-game moments.

“As esports continue to grow, technology presents unique opportunities for fans to have a window into the decision making of these highly skilled pro players,” said Robert Occhialini, Vice President, esports Products and Technology, Turner Sports. “Like in traditional sports, these esports stars have distinct abilities that we can now show as part of ELEAGUE’s live event coverage, and we are excited to offer viewers an unprecedented level of access to live fighting game competition through our partnership with Dell.”

This is the latest in a series of innovations ELEAGUE has integrated into its programming, including:

• Eye-tracking, advanced analytics and virtual reality for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive coverage
• Alienware and Dell PC hardware, which powers all of the thrilling action during ELEAGUE competition
• The award-winning ELEAGUE LIVE Game Command mosaic video player, which gives viewers ultimate control over how they consume ELEAGUE’s live CS:GO coverage
• Fully-produced live event studio coverage that is tailored for Twitch distribution, while coinciding with TBS coverage ­– including a standalone set and commentators dedicated to streaming audiences.