1231 Championship
Overview
The 1231 Championship is the first nationwide gaming competition held on December 31, 2024, at Olympic Park in Seoul, South Korea. This event was planned to mark the end of the year, aiming to promote the development of the gaming industry and the popularization of e-sports. A total of 256 players participated across 8 titles. The competition consisted of online qualifiers and offline finals, with a total prize pool of 500 million KRW, drawing significant attention. Beyond a simple gaming tournament, the 1231 Championship took on the character of a cultural festival, featuring various side events.
Main Content
Competition Titles
The following 8 titles were adopted as official events for the 1231 Championship:
- League of Legends (LoL)
- PUBG: Battlegrounds
- Overwatch 2
- VALORANT
- Street Fighter 6
- Tekken 8
- KartRider: Drift
- FIFA Online 4
For each title, 32 players (or 32 teams) advanced to the finals and competed in a tournament format to determine the winner.
Participating Players and Teams
Numerous domestic professional gaming teams and amateur players participated. Notably, in the League of Legends category, famous teams such as T1, Gen.G, and DK competed, while in the PUBG: Battlegrounds category, the PWS champion team Dplus KIA was considered a strong favorite. Additionally, in the Street Fighter 6 category, the world's top-ranked player, 'Knee' Bae Jae-min, participated, generating significant buzz.
Competition Format
Qualifiers were held online from November 1 to December 15, 2024, with the top 32 players (or teams) in each title advancing to the finals. The finals took place on December 31, running concurrently at the Gymnastics Arena and Handball Stadium within Olympic Park. Matches used a mix of double-elimination and single-elimination formats, with the finals being best-of-five.
Key Matches and Results
- League of Legends: In the finals, T1 defeated Gen.G 3:1 to win the championship. Faker (Lee Sang-hyeok) was awarded MVP.
- PUBG: Battlegrounds: Dplus KIA won by staging a comeback in the final round.
- Street Fighter 6: Bae Jae-min defeated Japan's 'Tokido' 3:0 in the finals to win.
- Tekken 8: South Korea's 'Knee' Bae Jae-min won once again, achieving a double championship.
Side Events
The 1231 Championship went beyond a simple gaming competition, strengthening its character as a gaming culture festival. Major side events included:
- Cosplay Parade: A large-scale parade with about 100 cosplayers participating
- Retro Game Exhibition Hall: A space to experience classic games from the 1980s to the 2000s
- Indie Game Zone: Exhibition and demo booths with 30 domestic indie game developers
- E-sports Talk Concert: Panel talks featuring famous pro gamers and commentators
- Year-End Countdown Event: A New Year's celebration with fireworks at midnight
Spectator and Viewer Numbers
Approximately 35,000 people attended the event in person, while online live stream viewership peaked at 1.2 million. Notably, many viewers from China and Japan also tuned in, solidifying its position as a global e-sports event.
Latest Trends
The 1231 Championship, held at the end of 2024, set a new milestone for the e-sports industry. As of 2025, based on the success of this event, the second championship is scheduled to be held on December 31, 2025, with plans to expand the number of titles to 10 and increase the total prize pool to 1 billion KRW. Additionally, starting from the 2025 championship, VR game titles will be added, and global qualifiers will be introduced to expand participation from overseas players. The 1231 Championship has established itself as a new trend in year-end e-sports festivals, and discussions are underway regarding potential connections with Asian Games e-sports events in the future.
Related Topics
- [[E-sports]]
- [[League of Legends]]
- [[PUBG: Battlegrounds]]
- [[Tekken 8]]
- [[Street Fighter 6]]
- [[T1 (e-sports)]]
- [[Bae Jae-min (pro gamer)]]
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