Farming Simulator 19 Gets Its Own Esports League

Nearly every genre of video game can be turned into an esport, with everything from Tetris to the cult hit Catherine finding a competitive audience, but the latest game to jump into the ring took us by surprise. Giants Software’s Farming Simulator 19 is getting an enormous esports league across Europe and more than $250,000 in prizes will be at stake.

The Farming Simulator League will be the continuation of the original Farming Simulator Championship, and it will feature 10 different tournaments across Europe. Games will be team-based with three players on each side working to harvest their crops. Previously, the competition used simple bale stacking, but the new format should let us know who the greatest virtual farmer truly is.

“We have lots of esports enthusiasts in our company who can’t wait to show the world that farming can indeed be fun and competitive at the same time,” Giants Software CEO Christian Ammann said in a press release. “We believe we found the right mix of real farming and fun-to-play game elements to ensure everyone will find it entertaining.”

Once the 10 European champions have been selected in the tournament, they will then all compete against each other for 100,000 euros in prizes, and with prizes also being given out at the preceding tournaments, 250,000 euros is at stake — or about $284,000. With that kind of cash, you can begin to invest in a real farm and grow your own food, but you’ll likely need some Mountain Dew Game Fuel if you want to have your senses heightened enough for competitive Farming Simulator 19 play.

While competitively harvesting vegetables isn’t the first thing we think of when we hear “esports,” it’s exciting to see esports branch out from the first-person shooters, fighting games, MOBAs, and battle royale games that have dominated since competitive gaming’s infancy. We’re still holding out for competitive What Remains of Edith Finch to take the world by storm, but that might not happen.

Farming Simulator 19 is available now for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. More information on the league will be available in the future, presumably including the starting date and the location of all 10 European tournaments.