DreamHack "down under" is currently slated to happen in September of 2022 as one stop on a larger global events list that aims to bring the world of esports and gaming together in a meaningful, celebratory IRL way. Which is something I think we can all agree is what the world needs right now, and certainly something any Melburnite would be emphatically be clapping their hands about right now.

In being able to speak with Brad Baldwin, special events project manager at ESL Australia, he told us DreamHack's coming to Australia was in part because Aussies are just mad for games.

"Australians love gaming and esports," he excitedly told AusGamers. "We have a very strong gaming culture. If you look at some of the past events we've held in Australia -- Intel Extreme Masters, the Melbourne Esports Open -- we've been able to prove that the Australian market has a massive appetite for esports and gaming 'mega-events'. That was a big part of the justification to bring DreamHack down to Melbourne.

"DreamHack already holds massive festivals across Europe and North America, so the next logical step was to work with our global team to bring DreamHack down under, to our super-engaged market of passionate gamers here in Australia."



The event will run across three days between September 2 till September 4 and will feature "the biggest range of esports and gaming content ever seen at an Australian festival". The likes of League of Legends, Halo Infinite and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive are all set to headline proceedings, supported by numerous retail and gaming initiatives that will make up the expo part of the whole experience. And while it might seem close to PAX Aus, which traditionally takes place in the same city the following month, Brad and co see DreamHack "down under" as a partner event to that, rather than anything competitive of cannibalistic to the IRL event cause.

"PAX Australia is one of our favourite gaming events of the year," he tells us. "Our whole team enjoys going, and we don’t want to take away from that. A key focus for us will be providing a unique DreamHack festival experience to attendees. In 2022, this will include multiple arena-scale esports tournaments featuring the best players from around ANZ and the world, in a form that only exists at DreamHack.

"We strongly believe each event will benefit through the success of the other," he adds in conclusion. "And after a long period without events, we’re expecting that Australian gaming fans will be keen to make up for it by attending as many events as they can!"

You can learn more about the event right here, and by staying tuned to AusGamers for news surrounding this and other events as we sail on into 2022. And be sure to check out the DreamHack "down under" reveal trailer embedded below.