SXSW Gaming respawns with new schedule, tournaments aplenty

Ever since it was moved to the second weekend of South by Southwest in 2016, SXSW Gaming appears to have resurged without the pressure of competing with so many tech-related first-weekend events and programming.

For this year’s collection of panels, gaming tournaments, cosplay contest and open-world expo hall, SXSW Gaming is taking things even further: Moving into the uncharted territory of Sunday, after SXSW has largely ended.

Previously, SXSW Gaming was held Thursday through Saturday; this time, it will begin on Friday, March 15 and end Sunday, March 17, making it a more of a weekend event for families and more in line with other gaming festivals.

SXSW Gaming conference manager Andrew NcNeill said Sunday at SXSW Gaming is more likely to be a draw than a Thursday would have been. “Because gaming is largely a consumer part of the event, having another weekend day will be very valuable for us,” he said. “Especially with Spring Break falling awkwardly this year, that might be a benefit as far as attendance.”

That means that on a day usually reserved for cleanup, detoxing and the annual SXSW softball game, SXSW Gaming will still be going strong, concluding with a closing night party sponsored by Dell Technologies-owned Alienware on 7 p.m. at the Sunset Room.

Some of this year’s highlights, apart from the bounty of playable expo-floor games, tabletop/board gaming and esports tournaments, include some potential big news from the commissioner of the wildly popular Overwatch League, Nate Nanzer. He will be interviewed at 11 a.m. on Friday in Room 10AB of the Austin Convention Center by ESPN’s Mina Kimes and it’s likely he could announce new city teams for the league. The Houston Outlaws, the closest “Overwatch” team to Austin, will have a booth at the expo hall with a promise of prizes and play sessions.

SXSW Gaming will mark the coming out party of the Halo Championship Series Invitational. While Microsoft’s “Halo 6” is in the works, the classic “Halo 3” is the preferred esports platform for the franchise’s competitive gamers. Winners of a previous“Halo Classic tourney in St. Louis will be competing through the weekend for a $100,000 prize pool.

An opening party on Friday night at the Main on Sixth Street will feature a DJ set by the Roots’ Questlove and the public debut of “Blankos Block Party” from Mythical Games, an intriguing game tied to real-world blockchain-based rewards.

The annual SXSW Gaming Awards will take place Saturday on the 6th floor of Hilton Austin with co-hosts Lindsay Jones, a fan favorite voice actor from many Rooster Teeth Productions shows, and Alex Corea, host of “The Attack” who is now applying his comedy skills to the production company Super Creative.

A set of panels on the third floor of the Austin Convention Center will focus on the esports industry, game marketing and community and game design and development, while more gamer-focused panels will take place on the expo floor at SXSW Gaming’s Discovery Stage.

And last, but not the least bit bland, is SXSW Gaming’s annual Cosplay Contest, which for the first time will be streamed online along with many other panels and events, at twitch.tv/sxswgaming.

“It’s one of those things that has always been popular, but it hasn’t been something we’ve devoted a lot of resources to,” McNeill said. “This year, it will be at the Alienware Outpost (at Sunset Room) and we’re pretty excited.”

For a while, SXSW Gaming (once upon a time, it was called “ScreenBurn”) was a free event, but as in the past few years, attendance requires a SXSW badge or wristband registration at a cost of $25 a day or $49 for all three days. Kids 12 and under get in free if accompanied by an adult with a badge or wristband.

SXSW Gaming

When: Friday-Sunday, March 15-17

Where: Expo Hall 1 and 2 and Ballroom A, Austin Convention Center, 500 E. Cesar Chavez

Online gaming.sxsw.com

Video streaming: twitch.tv/sxswgaming

Wristbands: $25 per day, $49 for three days, children 12 and under free with adult admission

SXSW Gaming at a glance