Wil Wheaton is set to host a new esports reality game show

Steven Rondina Published 14/02/2020

Esports has been enjoying a stronger mainstream over the last few years. It isn’t just tournaments that are getting attention at this point, however.

Georgia-based production studio Peach Maria Productions has announced its plans to create a new reality gameshow based around esports, GAMEMASTER. The series will feature 12 “amateur esports contestants” from the United States who will compete in a variety of titles. It will air on an unannounced streaming service.

Like other reality gameshows such as Big Brother and The Ultimate Fighter, the participants are isolated from the rest of the world and forced to live with their opponents. The first season will run for nine episodes, and will feature over two dozen different games. Press materials suggest that the contestants will come from a number of different competitive backgrounds but will be forced to compete with one another in other titles that they are not yet familiar with.

“GAMEMASTER takes the love of gaming and elevates it to a whole new level through the first immersive, multi-platform, head-to-head competition for both casual and diehard gaming fans,” said show creator and executive producer John Colp. “Our players won’t play the same game from noon to night. They will play different games throughout and, at the end, the person who has the best cumulative score will be crowned the champion.”

Contestants will be eliminated with each episode, with the winner receiving a $100,000 prize.

It is unclear what level of experience the competitors will have. The term “amateur esports contestants” opens the door for anyone from sponsorless professional talents to semi-pro players and untested casual gamers. It is also unclear what sort of games the players will actually compete in, which is notable as the elimination dynamic in a one-on-one fighting game would be quite different from that of a team-based shooter.

While it is unclear who will compete and what games they will play, there is one on-air talent confirmed to be taking part in the show.

GAMEMASTER will boast Wil Wheaton as an on-air personality. Wheaton is best known for playing Wesley Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation and its various movies, but has more recently appeared in a number of other television series including Leverage, The Big Bang Theory, and Family Guy.

GAMEMASTER follows NBC ordering a pilot of a semi-biographical comedy series starring RIck Fox. This also follows a number of esports-themed episodes in established television series such as Ballers and The Simpsons.

Steven Rondina

About Steven Rondina

Steven Rondina is a true lifelong gamer. His earliest memories are of playing video games, and he has continued playing them throughout his life with no plans to stop any time soon. Steven’s favorite franchises in gaming include Pokemon, Dark Souls, and Counter-Strike. He has previously published with Bleacher Report and other gaming outlets.

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