In a test of video game skill, Big Buck Hunter players returned to the HyperX Esports Arena in Las Vegas recently to compete in the 12th Annual Big Buck World Championship tournaments.
The main event featured the top 64 hunters in the world (19 of them new to the event). Play Mechanix “upped the ante” on them by debuting all-new paths for its animals, doing away with any advantage players may have gained from memorizing hunting sites. “The World Championship was now a true test of speed and skill,” event organizers said.
Andre Rivas and Phil Beaupre both found themselves – for the first time – in the finals as the remaining two competitors. “With one adventure remaining to determine the champion, Andre Rivas chose the option to switch guns,” Play Mechanix said. “The final battle became one for the record books as the virtual hunters exchanged the lead several times.”
Ultimately, Rivas was the one to claim his first World Championship title, which came with a $20,000 payday, and the first title for a Californian.
The 9th Annual Ladies’ Tourney, featuring 32 top hunters, was also a part of the World Championship competition. It featured 2-time winner Melinda VanHoomissen.
However, the title and the $5,000 prize went to Lauren Hope of Saskatchewan – the first ever winner from Canada (and outside of the U.S., for that matter). She and 15 other female participants went on to compete in the culminating World Championship.
Next year marks the 20th anniversary of Big Buck Hunter, which will be celebrated with the release of the newly-announced Big Buck Hunter: Reloaded. The qualifier for next year’s tourneys opens at all online Big Buck HD units on Nov. 1. More information is available at www.bigbuckhd.com/world. Livestream events can be viewed at www.twitch.tv/bigbuckhd.
