Tickets Now Available to See Top Players Grubby, LucifroN, viOLet, and Scarlett Compete and Attend 16^th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards LIVE

CALABASAS, Calif. and SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 23, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) and IGN Pro League (IPL) today announced they are joining forces to produce the first D.I.C.E. IPL Showdown event (#DICEIPL).  Four of the world's top StarCraft II players will battle it out for a $10,000 prize pool and the title of Fight Club champion on Thursday, Feb. 7^th, from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. PT, in the Vinyl Nightclub at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas.  Following the Showdown, ticket holders are invited to attend that evening's 16^th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards (#DICEAwards), the premier peer-based video games awards show, which will be hosted by self-proclaimed nerd and video game enthusiast Chris Hardwick.  

Tickets to the two events will be open to the first 500 individuals who sign-up for the D.I.C.E. IPL Showdown through Eventbrite (details below).  Included with the ticket will be full access to the D.I.C.E. IPL Showdown, and balcony seating for the 16^th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards.  Attendees have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spend an evening cheering their favorite game makers as they take the stage to claim their D.I.C.E. Award for the best games of 2012. 

The four top StarCraft II players competing in the head-to-head battles at the D.I.C.E. IPL Showdown are:

• Manuel "Grubby" Schenkhuizen is one of the most accomplished real time strategy players of all time, winning more than 38 live events, including 6 World Championships. Having a storied past in WarCraft III, Grubby has shown promise recently in StarCraft II, playing in the GSL for the first time this year. He is now living and training in Korea with two time GSTL champions FXO. Grubby is known for his great game knowledge, being a great analytical caster as well as premier player. Grubby still hopes to capture his first international live event.
• Pedro "LucifroN" Moreno Duran is one of the best StarCraft II players from Spain and quickly becoming one of the best players in all of Europe. LucifroN broke into eSports near the end of WarCraft III's international scene when it was very difficult for unknown players to make a splash. He won more than $10,000 in prize money very quickly without having much of a following or being internationally reknown. He capitalized on his success early in the StarCraft II beta, winning several international tournaments, but then stopped playing competitively to focus on his academic studies.  Playing alongside his brother and teammate Juan "Vortix" Moreno Duran, recently he has come back in full force. He won the WCS 2012 Spanish Championships and then finished 3rd in the WCS European Finals. He has since gone on to perform well in several international championships, including representing the World in the "GSL Korea vs World All Stars" match.
• Donghwan "viOLet" Kim is another former WarCraft III player who had a breakout performance towards the end of the game's run. Having really found his stride in StarCraft II, viOLet won the MLG Spring Arena 2 to claim his first premier international title. He has been a consistent online performer and live tournament player since early 2012. His most recent accolades include a 2nd place finish in IPL5 followed by a 2nd place finish in the North American Star League Season 4 the next week! These two finished earned him $35,000. viOLet looks to claim another title and continue to establish himself as one of the top Zerg players in the world.
• Sasha "Scarlett" Hoshyn came to prominence by winning the Playhem "Sponsor Me!" Tournament that gave her entry into IPL4. She did not waste her free trip as she pulled huge upsets against Terious and Ddoro before losing in the third round in a close match against Oz. She then pulled off a great victory against DeMusliM to knock him out of the tournament. Her most notable feat is winning the Battle.net North American Championship following a win in the same series for Canada. Both were won with relative ease, and Scarlett won a combined $30,000 for her efforts.  She has continued to perform well in international events, but has been unable to take down a major international title.

For more information on D.I.C.E. IPL Showdown please visit www.IGN.com/ipl.  For more information on the 16^th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards please visit www.interactive.org. To claim your ticket for the event, please visit http://diceshowdown2013.eventbrite.com/.

SOURCE Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences