CHANGE LOG - 3/26/2025 @ 11:00am ET: Adjusted start date of Tournament of Champions to April 30, 2025.

 

1/13/2025 @ 2:30 PM ET: "Premier" Registration Closing Date adjusted to January 21, 2025.

 

11/19/2024 @ 11:12 AM ET: Spring 2025 Merch Drop and Tournament of Champions graphics added below. 

 

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Hey, again! While there are still a few weeks left to go before we crown our Fall champions, we know how quickly time goes by and we wanted to pull back the curtain a bit on Spring to give y'all an early taste of what you can expect when January rolls around.

For more on the Fall season, including important dates, links, and more, CLICK HERE.

Keep reading to learn about exciting updates on competition and benefits, as well as our roadmap for the next few months. 

So without further ado - 

MEMBERSHIP OPTIONS & SPRING 2025 OFFERS

 

Programs interested in our Varsity Membership, which includes unlimited entry into exclusive competitions for all supported games, as well as access to Circuit-based competitions, have two options available to them:

• $1,000 - ONE SEASON - SPRING 2025 ONLY
• $2,500 - THREE SEASONS - SPRING 2025, FALL 2025, SPRING 2026

You can apply for a Varsity Membership HERE.

 

 

There are no changes to Open Membership pricing for the Spring 2025 season. Standard Memberships will be available for $10 per player and Premier Memberships will be available for $20 per player.

FOR SPRING 2025 AND BEYOND: A VARSITY OR OPEN PREMIER MEMBERSHIP WILL BE REQUIRED FOR PARTICIPATION IN ALL CIRCUIT TITLES (APEX LEGENDS, FORTNITE), DOTA 2, AND HEARTHSTONE, TO BETTER ALIGN WITH OUR BROADER PRICING STRATEGY FOR ALL PRIZED TITLES. SEE DOTA 2 NOTE BELOW RE: PRIZING.

Membership is not required to participate in partner competitions, including Collegiate Chess League, eNASCAR College iRacing Series, and PUBG MOBILE Campus Championship.

 

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NEW FOR SPRING 2025

 

Playoff Tiers (Plus divisions only)

We are experimenting with a new, tiered Playoffs structure to give more teams more competitive matches within a given season. 

Let’s say right now a division has eight teams. Traditionally, the top four teams move on to the postseason and the bottom four are eliminated. Under this new model, the top four teams will still move on to the postseason to compete for the divisional championship; however, those bottom four teams, whose season was previously over, will now have the opportunity to compete in their own postseason, adding more value, and more opportunities for those students to play.

Example: 8-team division

• Top four: Divisional playoffs
• Bottom four: Consolation bracket

Hearthstone League Play

For the Spring season, Hearthstone is going to play out a bit differently than it has in recent years. Based on feedback from the community, we will be transitioning Hearthstone to a league-based format, similar to our other head-to-head titles. This will include weekly matches on Saturdays, a seven-week regular season, postseason playoffs, and scholarship prizing.

Apex Legends Tournament Circuit

We’re thrilled to announce that we’ll be offering a full tournament circuit for Apex Legends this Spring. Teams will have the opportunity to compete in several open qualifying tournaments to try to earn their place in the Spring championship and claim a piece of the scholarship prize pool. More details, including the full schedule, will be announced later. 

Dota 2 Prize Pool

We have a long history with Dota 2 and want to see that community thrive and grow. To that end, we are adding scholarships back to our Dota 2 competition. Beginning Spring 2025, teams will be competing for a $500 scholarship prize pool in addition to the divisional trophy.

Merch Drop

The Spring 2025 merch drop will include early access to our latest College Esports t-shirt release and a sticker pack featuring a selection from our exclusive iconography. All Playfly College Esports participants are eligible to redeem this offer. Participants are responsible for shipping and handling.

 

 

 

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COMPETITION BENEFITS

 

Tournament of Champions Spring LAN

To close out the school year in a big way, we’ll invite the top Fall teams and the top Spring teams from our highest Varsity and Open divisions to come together at one massive LAN. 

 

 

 

This year we’re joining forces with CSMG to bring the Tournament of Champions to the Collegiate Esports Commissioners Cup (“CECC May Madness”) in Arlington, Texas from April 30 - May 4, 2025. Read the original announcement HERE. The event will feature $18,000 in additional scholarship prizing, and travel stipends will be available for all participating teams ($250 for every player on the starting roster).

Scholarship Prizing

This Spring we’ll award nearly $90,000 in scholarship prizing to participating students competing in our highest Varsity and Open divisions and Circuit competitions.

 

Weekly Broadcasts

Our weekly broadcasts are returning for the Spring 2025 season, and each week we’ll feature select Varsity and Open matches from our most popular games.

 

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EXTRAS

 

Website Updates

We’ve added individual pages for all of our Circuit titles to alleviate confusion and help you better understand the intricacies and differences between them. Currently, fall information is listed on these pages and will be updated with spring information in early December.

• Apex Legends
• Fortnite
• Hearthstone (transitioning to a league title for Spring 2025)

School Merch Shops

We're excited to share that our first official school shop is live! Get your CIU Rams esports gear now HERE.

Interested in setting up a merch shop for your esports program? APPLY NOW to get started with no upfront costs!

Playfly College Esports Brand Assets

We’re excited to see participating schools including our branding in their stream and match cards. The following Drive includes access to all of our latest high-res logo variations. Please feel free to integrate, as needed, into your graphics and be sure to tag us on social (@playflygg) to have your posts amplified.

PLAYFLY COLLEGE ESPORTS BRAND ASSETS

Marketing Kit

Our Marketing Kit launched this Fall. It was developed to help growing programs simplify the development and maintenance of their creative assets, and we know many of you have already put it to good use. 

If you haven’t received it and are interested, please email esports@playfly.com.

We are always looking for ways to address our community’s pain points, and you can look forward to more resources like this coming online in the future. If you have feedback or suggestions please complete our seasonal postseason surveys. The fall 2024 competition survey will be released in December.

 

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SPRING ROAD MAP

 

Varsity Applications: October 31, 2024

Spring Merch Drop Reveal: Early November 2024

Tournament of Champions Brand Reveal: Early November 2024

Spring Registration Opens: December 10, 2024

Spring Registration Closes:

• Premier: January 21, 2025
• Plus: January 27, 2025

Spring Season Starts: 

• Premier: January 27, 2025

• Plus: February 3, 2025

Tournament of Champions: April 30 - May 4, 2025

 

 

ICYMI - For more on the Spring league schedule CLICK HERE.

Notice regarding holiday response times: With the holidays approaching, we encourage you to disconnect, and take time for yourself and for your friends and family. We expect the same of our incredible team of League Officials. From November 28-30 and December 21-January 1, response times may be delayed by 24-48 hours as the team enjoys some well deserved time away.

That’s all for now! Follow @playflygg and join our Discord to stay up to date on all our very latest news and updates as they happen.

Until next time.

CW