A recap of the XPO Game Festival 2017 event

Kansas Wesleyan University takes home League of Legends top prize.

TULSA, Okla. – Oct. 24, 2017 – Indie developers, publishers, streamers, podcasters, cosplayers, performers, professional gamers, and more gathered in Downtown Tulsa October 13-15 for the second annual XPO Game Festival. The event brought notable industry professionals, including: keynote speaker Chris Avellone; live music by Bit Brigade, Heatbox, Metroyd Myk, and The Returners; a number of educational panels from speakers from What’s Good Games and Game Attack – and high-intensity eSport tournaments presented by Osage Casino.

The show floor at the Cox Business Center was packed with a variety of exhibitors ranging from retro and tabletop games to indies, VR … and even laser tag! With so many great titles available to demo it was tight competition for this year’s Audience Choice Award – which was given to the team at OverHook Games for their origami-inspired, meditative mobile puzzle game Zenfold.

Throughout the festival, eSport teams faced off in popular titles such as Overwatch, Hearthstone, Rocket League, Halo 5, Super Smash Bros. 4, and Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite. The League of Legends tournament boasted a $10,000 prize pool distributed among the winners. Taking to the battlefield, Warriors landed in third place – with Solo Queue taking second place, and Kansas Wesleyan University emerging victorious as the first place winners. The Wichita State University Overshocks team placed first in the Overwatch tournament. For Rocket League, Future took first place, and High Octane took second place. Sebastian Pineda won the Hearthstone tournament, and Damon Morris won Halo 5. All PC tournaments were managed by Oklahoma eSports.

This year’s cosplay contest was another XPO highlight. Hosted by Mythos Creations, attendees could strut their cosplay creations across the festival’s main stage. The contest included some popular cosplay characters such as Ghost from Call of Duty: Ghosts, Charizard from Pokémon, and an NCR Ranger from Fallout: New Vegas. Three winners were selected: Brianna Duncan (a.k.a. Bree Lime Pie) as DC Comics’ Harley Quinn (3rd Place); Sarah Lee (a.k.a. Azure Dahlia) as Gunner Yuna from Final Fantasy X-2 (2nd Place), and Dustin Skinner (a.k.a. Dustin Digitaria) as Ganondorf Dragmire from The Legend of Zelda series (1st Place).

“This year’s XPO Game Festival was a massive upgrade from last year’s event in more ways than one – with help from generous sponsors such as Osage Casino,” says Matt Stockman, event manager at XPO Game Festival. “We’re so incredibly proud to represent the City of Tulsa with XPO and hope to take next year’s festival to a whole new level.”

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About Osage Casino
Ever since Osage Casino opened its first casino in 2002, it hasn’t stopped growing. Osage Casino now boasts seven locations, all in Osage County. Located in Tulsa, Bartlesville, Sand Springs, Ponca City, Skiatook, Hominy and Pawhuska, Osage Casino prides itself on serving customers’ individual needs and exceeding guests’ expectations. All seven properties feature exciting gaming action as well as a variety of dining choices from a casual drink to an all-you-can-eat buffet. Overnight lodging is currently available in Ponca City and Skiatook, and a brand new resort hotel is now under construction in Tulsa. Scheduled to open in 2018, this addition will feature a brew pub, expanded event center and conference facilities. Osage Casino is committed to delivering exceptional personal service and offering guests the best gaming experience in Oklahoma. For more information on Osage Casino, please visit http://osagecasino.com.

About VisitTulsa
VisitTulsa, a division of the Tulsa Regional Chamber and Tulsa Regional Tourism, is dedicated to promoting the Tulsa region as a premier destination for global leisure travel and convention business. VisitTulsa partners with area hotels, attractions and restaurants – leading a united effort to draw visitors to the region and grow the economic impact of the tourism industry. For more information on VisitTulsa, please visit http://visittulsa.com.

About XPO Game Festival
Presented by VisitTulsa and the George Kaiser Family Foundation, XPO is a festival for gamers, fans, developers, and game industry leaders. Join thousands of other gamers in Tulsa for a packed expo floor, panels and speakers – and a first look at new gaming technology. For more information on XPO, please visit http://xpotulsa.com.