HEXUS Interviews the Intel Man Behind the Bloodline event!
Nick Knupffer, is Intel's UK Public Relations Manager, but within Intel UK he's also known as 'Intel's gaming guy'.Unsurprisingly it falls upon Nick's shoulders to organise Intel sponsored UK based LAN gaming events, such as the latest Intel Pentium 4 Extreme Edition Challenge III this coming weekend (December 3rd, 4th and 5th).
During the course of our preparations to support the forthcoming gaming action, HEXUS has managed to score this exclusive interview with Nick, and get Intel's view of the world with regards to gaming and its sponsorship of the successful UK Clan '4Kings'.
HEXUS: How long has Intel been a sponsor of 4Kings?, and how did the Intel sponsorship of 4Kings come about?
Nick: We have sponsored the 4Kings since they won the Intel Masters Gaming Championships in 2002.
HEXUS: Other than financially, how does Intel support 4Kings?
Nick: In many ways - firstly we equip them with high end Intel Pentium 4 Processors and Intel motherboards. They really appreciate the power this gives them and the renowned Intel desktop board stability is a definite plus in extreme gaming situations. The two winners of the Bloodline tournament this weekend will both win Intel Pentium 4 Processors 3.46GHz supporting Hyper-Threading Technology Extreme Edition & Intel D925XECV2 Desktop boards.
Intel is keen to move esports into the mainstream, and sponsoring the 4Kings is one way of achieving this. We are using the power of our brand to bring esports to those who have yet to discover the joy of spectating these fast paced and exciting games. The UK is behind much of the world in this area - with esports provoking sniggers and chuckles even amongst those in the IT industry. Esports is a recognized sport in Russian and China, and we all know how big it is in Korea!
HEXUS: What equipment do 4Kings use for practise and matches?
Nick: The 4Kings are equipped with high end Intel Pentium 4 processors and desktop boards.
HEXUS: Is Intel looking to sponsor other clans specialising in other games?
Nick: Intel sponsors several clans throughout the world including Scandinavia, Brazil and France. The 4Kings currently play a good selection of games and this Bloodlines tournament is designed specifically to find them new players for a new game. Intel's involvement in gaming doesn't stop with clan sponsorships however - you may know that Intel is a great supporter of the CPL as well. Not many people realize this fully but we are at the very core of esports worldwide.
HEXUS: What would be Intel's advice to clans looking for sponsorship?
Nick: The only way to get noticed is through professionalism and results. If you have a mature outlook and a great set of tournament winning players - you will get noticed.
HEXUS: How does Intel see its sponsorship of 4Kings benefiting UK gaming?
Nick: Well, we are helping create the UK's best & most professional clan. The 4Kings is a business, many of their players play full time and this is the only way nowadays to be able to participate on the world stage. This is working - the 4Kings are the WCG Warcraft 3 World Champions! We are very proud of them.
Nick: More and more companies in the UK are following our lead and either actively sponsoring or looking at clan sponsorship. We welcome this turn of events, and I am particularly keen to see the first sponsor that is not from the IT industry getting involved. This would signal a maturing of the industry.
HEXUS: Does Intel feel that the time has come for computer gaming to be taken seriously as a sport and if so, why?
Nick: Absolutely. It is an officially registered sport in Russia and China already and this sport is assured of success simply because it is so exciting to watch! I am always amazed at how fast the industry is moving, it always outstrips my best expectations.
HEXUS: What is the Intel Extreme Edition Challenge?
Nick: The Intel Extreme Edition Challenge is a series of films that we have released as a way of pushing e-sports to new audiences. We have a long standing relationship with the film-maker Simon Bysshe and together we will be making a new movie based on this event. Expect to see it on Monday the 13th December. Previous films can be seen here: www.gotfrag.com/extremeedition2
HEXUS: Intel is the headline sponsor for Bloodline, what support have they given the event?
Nick: We are not only sponsoring it, we are organizing and funding the whole event. We decided to hold a great competition in the UK and invited Jolt and the CPL to hold it for us.
HEXUS: There is some serious hardware up for grabs at Bloodline, but does the average player stand a chance of getting anything?
Nick: Yes absolutely! We have 2 sets of parallel tournaments going one - the CPL and the BYOC. The pro teams are taking part in the CPL tournament and the prize for this is to be flown to Dallas and take part in the Winter CPL.
The BYOC tournament for the amateur teams also boasts magnificent prizes including over £4000 in prize money, 10 Intel Pentium 4 processors, Intel desktop boards, DDR2 memory from Corsair, Jolt clan servers and much much more! There will also be a raffle that everyone can take part in.
There will also be some really cool "Extreme Edition" black fleeces up for grabs!
HEXUS: Have Intel provided any of the equipment for the Bloodline LAN, and if so, what?
Nick: Yes, we are providing switches, gigabit switches, match servers and rental PC's. However the CPL and the bloodline tournament itself will be played on top of the range Dell XPS gaming systems featuring Intel Pentium 4 Extreme Edition processors. These are phenomenal machines!
HEXUS: Will Intel have a stand at Bloodline, or failing that, any girls in tight shorts and skimpy tops?
Nick: Why not come down and see for yourself?
HEXUS: How does Intel see the future of computer gaming as a sport?
HEXUS: What does Intel think would be the biggest step towards popularising e-sports?
Nick: Television. If we can get programs similar to the "Intel Exteme Edition Challenges" onto TV I expect that participation and interest in the sport would rocket.
HEXUS: Does Intel have any future plans for UK e-sports?
Nick: Certainly! But they are all under tight wraps. Stay tuned.
Thank you Nick for your time, we look forward to rockin` at the event For more Information on the Intel Pentium 4 Processor Extreme Edition Challenge III - Bloodline event please read our main story here
