BAM11 smashes Australian esports records with intense fighting games

Record-breaking competitors at Battle Arena Melbourne

IEM Sydney broke the records, and now Battle Arena Melbourne joins the history books too. In its 11th year, BAM is Australia’s largest open esports competition. This year, BAM smashed all previous numbers. The region’s biggest fighting game tournament returned to the Melbourne Convention Centre on May 17-19.

Competitors flock to BAM

With a $50,000 AUD prize pool, it’s definitely a must for fighting gamers. Over 1,000 participants registered to compete in the various fighting games. Super Smash Bros., Tekken, Mortal Kombat, Dragon Ball FighterZ, and many more delighted gamers. Some competitors fought for a single title, whilst others battled for multiple games.

As usual, there was plenty of cosplay, artists, indie devs, and tech for the fans. This must have definitely attracted the masses, as over 4,000 people visited BAM11 over the course of the event. Forty-two different events were played across the three days. Core fighting games were joined by the likes of Splatoon 2, Quake Champions, and Apex Legends, further expanding the fighting game community.

Global links

BAM ties into many of the global tour series. It’s one of the key stops on the global circuit for Tekken 7 and is the Master event of the Tekken World Tour. Street Fighter V is also a Ranking Event on the Capcom Pro Tour. We’ve got the breakdown on all the participant numbers:

• Super Smash Bros Ultimate – 340 entrants
• Tekken 7 – 258 entrants
• Mortal Kombat 11 – 124 entrants
• Street Fighter V – 121 entrants
• Super Smash Bros Melee – 140 entrants

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Tekken 7, and Mortal Kombat are all the biggest ever tournaments in Australian and New Zealand esports history. BAM attracted a number of international players, 78 to be exact.

One of the biggest draw cards for this tournament is the BAM Path to EVO. Players battle it out to be declared the best in Tekken, Street Fighter, and Smash Bros. in ANZ. This is only for ANZ players and gives them a pathway to the World Championships.

Daniel Cossington (NZ, Tekken), Travis Styles (AUS, Street Fighter V), and Bradley Kun (AUS, Smash Ultimate) are crowned the best in the region. Each of these players wins a fully paid trip to compete at the EVO World Championships held in Las Vegas later this year. 2019 is the second year this prize has been on offer. This year the program was much more expansive, with a running points system across ANZ. We wish these competitors all the best at the World Championships.

See a full list of all the BAM11 results on the Event Hub website.