The Electronic Sports League (ESL), Europe’s premier professional gaming league, has partnered with games publisher Paradox Interactive to give the world a sneak peek at The Showdown Effect, a new 2.5D explosive multiplayer platform shooter. ESL will host a live studio event in its ESL TV Studio on Wednesday, February 20th, starting at 20:00 CET, where fifty gamers from the audience will band together in teams and battle to win a share of a 5,000 Euros prize pool. The entire event will also be streamed live, worldwide, on ESL TV.

Attendees will have the opportunity to get hands-on experience with The Showdown Effect, an upcoming release from Paradox Interactive that pits players against one another in high-intensity gunfights and brawls inspired by 1980’s action movies. The Showdown Effect is scheduled for release on March 5th, but competitors in the ESL event will get an early taste of the nostalgic action, alongside food, beverages, and 5,000 Euros in prizes during an action-packed tournament. The event will be streamed by ESL TV’s partner Twitch.tv, the leading video stream platform for gamers in the world. Both live audiences and streaming spectators can tune in on Wednesday, February 20th to see who is left standing at the end of the mayhem.

"The Showdown Effect is a blast, both literally and figuratively speaking, and brings back so many memories of sitting in front of the tv at night and watching tough guys like Arnold, Bruce and Sylvester pull off insane stuff. Now I’m able to do that myself in this 2.5D platform shooter from Paradox Interactive at the ESL TV Studio next Wednesday," said Sean Charles, Vice President of Communication and Marketing at Turtle Entertainment.

"ESL is a key player on the e-sports arena of the world who continues to drive development and innovation, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to partner up with them for The Showdown Effect and other upcoming projects," said Mattias Lilja, Executive Vice President Production at Paradox Interactive.