[Sep 5, 2014] West Coast Warzone 4 (Orange, California)

[johnrog]

Hi folks!

I'm John and have run West Coast Warzone in years past and am returning to the tournament scene with our next entry in September. I've very happy to include Super Smash Bros. Melee for the first time after having my eyes opened recently to the competitiveness of the game.

I've come to really enjoy Smash Brothers for two major reasons:
I heard someone say, "why would you play a game where the combos are pre-made for you?" And that really made me appreciate the creativity of the game.
The BRAVERY! You knock someone off the edge, and then you jump off yourself to guard the ledge?! I don't know why but that concept made me fall in love with watching Smash Brothers.

All said, I hope we can become a SoCal major that really meets the desires of the Smash community. We have 8000 square feet of ballroom space this year and we've already allocated a third of the entire venue floor for Smash Brothers. As it is the first time we're running Smash Brothers, I would love any and all input on how to make this a great event for the community!

Official Website: http://www.westcoastwarzone.com

Where: Doubletree Orange - 100 The City Drive, Orange, California 92868
Rooms have been blocked out at $103 per night for those of you who would like to stay close to the action. You can call into the hotel and ask for the Warzone group rate or book your room through the link on our website.
When: Sept. 5 through Sept. 7th 2014
Games: We have eight official games this year with capped registration.
Title (cap) - Console

Super Smash Bros. Melee (256) - Wii/GameCube
USF4 (256) - XBox360
MVC3 (256) - XBox360
BlazBlue:CP (128) - Playstation 3
Injustice (128) - Xbox360
Killer Instinct (64) - XBox One
KOF (64) - Xbox360
Tekken Tag 2 (64) - Playstation 3

Venue Opens: Sept 5th @‌ 12pm

Payment Details:
Venue Fee - $35 (Until August 28th)
Venue Fee - $45 (August 29th - September 2nd)
At the door emergency registration: $60 Venue Fee + Game Entry – We keep online registration open almost just a few days before the event (or until a game hits the cap). We will also be accepting emergency registrations during these times.
Thursday (Sept. 4th): 6pm - 11pm
Friday (Sept. 5th): 12pm - 8pm
We will also be accepting all major credit cards at the venue.

Spectator Fee: $10 for all three days

Game Entry:
Super Smash Bros. Melee - $15
Ultra Street Fighter 4 - $15
Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 - $15
All other games - $10

Stream Provided By:
Level|Up
VGBootcamp

I'll be happy to answer any questions here on this thread as well at our Facebook page. I'm very excited to bring back West Coast Warzone and I look forward to seeing you there!

Thanks!
-John Rog

 

[johnrog]

Hi guys!

Wanted to drop a quick update for you here: We've changed the schedule a bit to make the Smash singles tournament all on one day (Saturday, Sept. 6th). Team tournament will still be on Friday, Sept 5th. This is from feedback we've received to make travel easier for those who can't stay until Sunday.

We will also be flying the fine folk at VGBootcamp over to run the stream for Smash Brothers so that you guys have the most trusted name in the business to run the Smash stream.

Thanks!
John

 

[NeoAkira]

$35 venue fee X 1088 entrants = $38k

What exactly are we paying so much for?

 

[Skrlx]

Probably the same reason why EVO charges around that amount (probably a bit more): It's at a hotel and it's for 3 days. Also, the TO wants to make some money.

 

[johnrog]

$35 venue fee X 1088 entrants = $38k

What exactly are we paying so much for?

Hi Akira,

If you take a look at California's biggest major: SoCal Regionals, their numbers were (from EventHubs article):
1. Super Street Fighter 4 Arcade Edition v2012 - 256
2. Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 - 220
3. Blazblue: Chrono Phantasma - 97
4. Injustice: Gods Among Us - 95
5. Super Smash Bros. Melee - 76
6. King of Fighters 13 - 69
7. Killer Instinct - 60
8. Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo - 56
9. Tekken Tag Tournament 2 - 54

If we did get max entrants per game (and all unique players per entry at that), that would be truly amazing, but if we go based off of other tournament entrance rates in recent memory, we likely won't get near those numbers. As much as I would love to pocket $38,000 (trust me, I really would!), I think that's a pipe dream.

That said, there's actually a lot of costs associated with running an event like this. The obvious ones may be the hotel venue itself (which happens to be a hotel in Orange County near Disneyland at the end of summer so it is a little pricier, should have thought that one out better, but we'll see the fireworks every night!), but you start tacking on buying hotel rooms for staff, flying out guests like VGBootCamp from the east coast & Nemo from Japan, putting them up in hotels, renting projectors, screens, paying for streamers, renting power drops, buying event badges, awards, 100 pizzas to give out on Saturday, etc and it all adds up very quickly. As it stands right now, we're looking like we're just going to break even if we get numbers similar to SoCal Regionals and more than likely will actually dip a little into the red this year.

EVO, SoCal Regionals, and CEO likely make money (I don't know for sure), but looking at how many tournaments are closing up shop (Season's Beatings, East Coast Throwdown, etc), and from personal experience, I can tell you that running an event like this is not a lucrative business. The only year out of three I made money running West Coast Warzone, I got ~$500 which I took to Norms and treated the volunteers to pancakes and mozzarella sticks.

So I hope that answers your question. I'd be happy to answer any other questions you may have and I hope to see you at the tournament

Thanks!
John Rog

 

[NeoAkira]

Thank you for your candid response John, that actually helps quite a bit.

 

[johnrog]

Hi guys,

We've added the hot new anime game Uniel to the tournament. Registration has been updated.

Early bird registration ends next week and the registration fee does increase by $10 after the 28th so sign up today at westcoastwarzone.com

Thanks!

 

[unknownPresence]

hello,

for super smash bros how are the stations going to be set up. will they be tournament only or will there be free play allowed (or possibly a free play section)

 

[johnrog]

Hey guys,

Unfortunately, we will be canceling the Super Smash Bros. tournament this year. All registered entrants will receive full refunds, along with a complimentary Spectator pass should they still want to come!

As it turns out, our tournament lines up with another established SoCal Smash Tournament which will be taking place on the same weekend. As we're all part of the gaming community, any entrants that were going to Warzone should consider instead going to this other tournament which takes place in Pasadena, about 40 miles away from our Venue. Looks like there is going to be a large turnout and it should be a great Smash event!

We apologize for the inconvenience for those who did sign up to play at Warzone and we'll to be back next year (hopefully with no conflicts).

linkhttp://smashboards.com/threads/sep-6-2014-macd-presents-mayhem-melee-and-project-m-new-venue-pasadena-ca.343347/


Thanks,
John