The next video game to get an esports league is… Farming Simulator?

When you want some competitive esports action, nothing beats watching a John Deere tractor ploughing a furrow in a field… right? That’s correct, apparently, as Giants Software, the company behind very popular farming title Farming Simulator, has announced the formation of a new esports league.

Called the Farming Simulator League, this evolution of the older Farming Simulator Championship will see ten European tournaments playing out with a considerable amount of prize money on the line. It’s not quite Call of Duty or Fortnite money but it still works out to about R3.9 million in earnings at the end of the day.

Giants Software CEO Christian Ammann said “Competitive farming is something people [have enjoyed] for years now, but it hasn’t been done in esports so far. 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. We believe we found the right mix of real farming and fun to play game elements to ensure everyone will find it entertaining.”

As for what competitive Farming Simulator will look like? Previous competitions have involved bale-stacking, where speed and accuracy matter, but there’s something new planned: a “…competitive 3 vs 3 mode where teams challenge each other to determine who is the best on the field”. Exact details on the competitive farming challenge will be revealed at a later stage. For now, colour us intrigued.

Source: Giants Software