Two weeks ago, we revealed the StarCraft II War Chest, a program that allows players to earn a wealth of in-game content including skins, sprays, portraits, emojis, and more, at a big discount. While the War Chest itself brings exciting new content into the game, we also envisioned the War Chest as one piece of the puzzle in enabling long-term sustainability of StarCraft II esports.

Therefore, we committed to contribute 25% of all War Chest purchases directly into the StarCraft II esports ecosystem, the first $200,000 of which would enhance the existing $500,000 prize pool for the StarCraft II World Championship Series Global Finals.. Today, about a week after sales of the War Chest kicked off, your enthusiasm has helped us hit that goal! That additional money makes what was already the biggest StarCraft II esports prize pool in history, even larger. At BlizzCon alone, our StarCraft II global champion will earn $280,000.

We’re incredibly grateful for the passionate support of players who have helped us reach this first goal so quickly. We believe earmarking the additional funds from the War Chest for general support of StarCraft II esports ensures that the benefits are felt equitably by all pro players and the broader ecosystem. We intend to learn from the experience of this first War Chest and explore the possibility of having additional “stretch goals” in future seasons.

If this is the first you are hearing of the War Chest, full details are available on our website and the War Chest is available for purchase here until October 4^th. Phase I can be played out in the game today, while Phase II will commence on August 16. Thanks for your continued support, and we will see you in the game!