The world of Guns of Boom (Free) esports is getting even cooler this weekend, with the start of Guns of Boom season two. I was lucky enough to be invited out to the championship event that ended season one last year, and I think Game Insight is doing a lot of stuff right both when it comes to fostering a fabulous competitive environment, as well as making spectating these things an enjoyable experience. That last part is the key for any esport, and the AR viewer built into Guns of Boom super cool. The main themes surrounding season two, which begins on January 19th, seem to be: Bigger, better, and more.

First off, the overall prize pool is increasing from $200,000 last year to $500,000. Additionally, both Latin America and Southeast Asia are totally new competitive territories for the game. Last, but certainly not least, is rejiggering the structure to include three distinct leads with a new high-tier “Gods of Boom" league that introduce stadium-size events (with the first one being the IEM Expo). If you’re interested in getting involved with any of this, you can register with the ESL to participate in the Challenger Series, and for more information you can take a look at their exhaustive recap on Facebook.

If you’re reading this from the USA, you might be scratching your head as to why someone would want to get involved in esports for a mobile shooter, and you probably think that because you’ve got a gaming PC, several consoles, and other “better" platforms to play competitive games on. The fascinating thing about mobile esports is when you watch them, how apparent is it that having so many options isn’t really a thing most of the world has, and as a result, how into competitive mobile gaming those markets get. Guns of Boom, and a lot of other mobile esports lean into those markets in a really cool way.

What I’m getting at is this is definitely something that should be on your radar.