1. Overview

The MLB The Show 24, Championship Series (“MLBTS24CS” or “Competition”) is operated by ESL Gaming (alternatively “ESL” or “Tournament Organizer”).

The MLBTS24CS is a video game competition conducted using MLB® The Show™ 24 (“MLB The Show 24”) for the PlayStation®4 console (“PS4”), PlayStation®5 console (“PS5”), Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, or Nintendo Switch.

These Tournaments are not affiliated with or administered by Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC.

If you have any questions about this competition, its registration process and how to participate, please visit Tournaments Discord.

2. Player Eligibility & Registration

2.1 Eligibility Requirements

Only eligible individuals can participate in the Competition.

Employees of ESL, Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (alternatively “Publisher”) and its respective affiliates, subsidiaries, representatives, advertising, promotion and publicity agencies, and the immediate family members or persons living in the same household of such employees are not eligible to participate in the competition.

Individuals who wish to participate must:

• be residents of a participating jurisdiction as outlined in Appendix B: Countries/Areas & Age.
• be eligible to play MLBTS24CS according to their local age restrictions, throughout the Competition, as outlined in Appendix B: Countries/Areas & Age. Players who are minors (under 18 years old), must obtain consent from their parents or legal guardians to enter the Competition. If minor Players have entered Competition, it shall be deemed that they have obtained the required prior consent from their parents or legal guardians. A player will be disqualified where that Player cannot demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the Tournament Organizer, that they have obtained the requisite consent.
• at all material times during the Competition own or have access to a version of MLB The Show 24 and play ALL matches on a PlayStation®4 console (“PS4”), PlayStation®5 console (“PS5”), Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, or Nintendo Switch with a compatible controller;
• have a MLB The Show Game Account, necessitating a valid account on one of the following platforms: PlayStation®Network (“PSN Account”) and an associated “PSN ID”, Xbox Live (“Xbox Live Account”) and an associated Gamertag (“Xbox Live Gamertag”), or Nintendo Switch Online (“Nintendo Online Account”) and an associated Nintendo Account (“Nintendo Account”);
• have a valid subscription to PlayStation®Plus if competing on a PS4 or PS5 console, a valid subscription to Xbox Game Pass Core if competing on an Xbox One or Xbox Series X|S, or a valid subscription to Nintendo Switch Online if competing on a Nintendo Switch,
• have a valid ESL account;
• have at least 5Mb of internet connection bandwidth to be able to broadcast, as players will be required to share their pov during advanced stages;
• confirm acceptance of the terms and conditions governing this Tournament “MLBTS24CS Ruleset” (see 2.2 below for how to accept).

Individuals who meet all of the eligibility requirements listed above are referred to hereafter as “Players”.

If at any point during the Competition, the Tournament Organizer becomes aware that an individual does not meet any one of the eligibility requirements they will be removed from participating in the Competition and/or prevented from winning a prize.

2.2 Registration

To register, Players must:

1. Sign up through the ESL Play tournament hub page here;
2. Link their MLB The Show Game Account to their ESL account on the ESL Play tournament hub page;
3. Read and accept the MLBTS24CS Ruleset and relevant privacy policies, including the ESL privacy policy. For more information on how ESL will process your information, please review section 6 (“General Terms'') below.

3. Tournament Structure

The MLBTS24CS will consist of:

• Summer Circuit
• Fall Circuit
• Wild Card
• Grand Finals

Each Circuit will have its own Qualifiers stage and Playoffs stage. Additionally, in each one, Circuit Points will be awarded to the top 40 players, based on their final position. These Circuit Points will be reflected on the Leaderboard.

Players who accumulate the most points across both circuits will be invited to the final stages of the Championship. The top 6 players will qualify directly for the Grand Finals. Meanwhile, players positioned 7th to 14th, a total of 8 players, will be invited to the Wild Card stage to compete for the last 2 spots in the Grand Finals.

Finally, the best 8 players will come together in the final stage to compete at the highest level, with the goal of becoming the champion of the season.

The MLBTS24CS will be run in the following regions:

• North America

The full list of countries per region is available in Appendix B: Countries / Areas & Age.

3.1 Circuits

There will be 2 Circuits: Summer Circuit and Fall Circuit. Each circuit will have 2 Open Qualifiers and a Playoffs stage. Below, you will find all the details.

3.1.1 Qualifiers:

Registration

All eligible players can enter/take part/participate in Qualifier tournaments.

Qualifier Format Details

• There will be 2 Open Qualifiers.
• Each Qualifier will span 2 days.
• Tournament System: Swiss.
• Number of rounds: 10.
• Elimination after: 2 losses.
• Series Size: Best of One (Bo1).
• Player Seeding: Random.
• Top 4 players from each qualifier will advance to the Playoffs: Upper Round.
• Players positioned 5th to 20th (a total of 16 players) from each qualifier will advance to the Playoffs: Lower Round.
• Players who do not achieve a top 4 in the first qualifier have the opportunity to participate in the second qualifier. If a player who placed between 5th and 20th in the first qualifier qualifies for the Playoffs in the second qualifier, we consider the higher of the two rankings and their slot in the Lower Bracket obtained previously will be assigned to the next player from the first qualifier.

About Swiss System:

Swiss is a cup system where you won't get kicked out of a Swiss cup after your first loss, you will stay in the Swiss cup until a certain loss-threshold has been reached or the cup has finished. Every Swiss cup has a fixed amount of rounds. In every round you will be matched against opponents of your skill group, based on the current player score (for example, players who have a 1-1 score face others with the same score). A ranking will be shown at the end of the cup based on the points of every Player’s performance.

Final position in the swiss ranking will be determined by the number of wins, or if equal than determined - by tiebreakers. Tiebreaker system takes three values into account which are described below.

• Tiebreaker 1 (Buchholz system): represents the sum of the opponents wins.
• Tiebreaker 2 (W/L Sum): represents the performance of opponents that a player played during the tournament. Players who played against stronger opponents will be ranked higher within the standings of the tournament. To calculate this value, sum the number of points each opponent contributes. Opponents contribute +1 for each win they accumulate throughout the tournament and -1 for each loss they accumulate throughout the tournament. Each single opponent may never contribute less than -3 points to a player's first tiebreaker. Default wins contribute 0 points to the player’s W/L Sum tiebreaker.
• Tiebreaker 3 (First Tiebreaker Sum): represents the performance of the opponents that all of a players opponents played. Players who played against opponents who consistently played against stronger opponents throughout the Tournament will be ranked higher within the standings of the tournament. To calculate this value, total the sum of W/L Sum for all opponents that the player played. Default wins contribute 0 points to the players Second Tiebreaker Sum tiebreaker.

3.1.2 Playoffs:

Registration

Players who qualify via the qualifiers will receive an invitation to participate in this stage. The invitation will be sent to the email address linked to their ESL account. This stage will have additional rules.

Additional requirements:

Invited players must register and check-in through the Discord server (the link will be provided in the invitation) during the designated period, which starts 2 hours before the tournament begins. It's essential to complete this process within the first hour of this period to secure their participation in the tournament; otherwise, a backup player may take their spot.

Invited players need to have their Twitch or YouTube channels configured and must broadcast their games live. This allows our broadcasting team to share their point of view (POV) through the official broadcast.

Upper Round Format Details

The top 8 players from the qualifiers, 4 players from each, will be invited to this stage.

• Day 1: Group Stage
• 8 players will be divided into 2 groups of 4 players each.
• Tournament System: Single Round Robin.
• Series Size: Best of One (Bo1).
• The top 2 from each group will advance to the Bracket Stage.
• The bottom 2 from each group will be eliminated.
• In case of a tie between one or more players, an additional game will be played.
• Day 2: Bracket Stage
• 4 players.
• Tournament System: Single Elimination Bracket.
• Player Seeding: The players who obtained the first place in each group will play against the second place from a different group, randomly selected.
• Series Size: Best of Three (Bo3).

Lower Round Format Details

The 16 players who placed between 5th and 20th in each qualifier, totaling 32 players, will compete to determine their final position within the range of 9th to 40th on the Leaderboard.

• 32 players.
• Tournament System: Single Elimination Bracket.
• Series Size:
• Ro32, Ro16 and Quarter finals: Best of One (Bo1).
• Semifinals and Grandfinals: Best of Three (Bo3).
• Day 1:
• Ro32, Round16 and Quarterfinals.
• Day 2:
• Semifinals and Finals.

3.1.3 Point Distribution:

3.2 Wild Card

The players whose positions on the Leaderboard fall between the 7th and 14h place (8 players) will receive invitations to join this stage, thus providing them with the last chance to qualify for the Grand Finals.

Wild Card Format Details

• Day 1: Group Stage
• 8 players will be divided into 2 groups of 4 players each.
• Tournament System: GSL Groups.
• Series Size:
• Opening Matches: Best of One (Bo1).
• Losers Matches: Best of Three (Bo3).
• Winners Matches: Best of Three (Bo3).
• Decider Matches: Best of Three (Bo3).
• Opening Matches and Losers Matches from Group A and Group B are played on this day.
• Day 2: Group Stage (cont.)
• Winners Matches and Decider Matches from Group A and Group B are played on this day.
• Day 3 Bracket Stage Finals
• Tournament System: Single Elimination Bracket.
• Player Seeding: The players who obtained the first place in each group will play against the second place from a different group.
• Series Size: Best of Three (Bo3).
• The top 2 players will qualify for the Grand finals.

3.3 Grand Finals

The top 6 players on the Leaderboard will automatically qualify for this stage. They will be joined by the top 2 from the Wild Card stage.

Grand Finals Format Details

• 8 players:
• Top 6 from Circuits Leaderboard.
• Top 2 from WildCard.
• Tournament System: Single Elimination Bracket.
• Series Size:
• Quarter finals and Semifinals: Best of Three (Bo3)
• Grandfinals: Best of Five (Bo5).
• Weekend 1:
• Day 1: Quarterfinals 1 & 2.
• Day 2: Quarterfinals 3 & 4.
• Weekend 2:
• Day 1: Semifinals 1 & 2.
• Day 2: Grandfinals.

3.2 Match Rules

Match start time

• If Swiss: All matches are played at the scheduled match time. You can find the date and time for the start of each round on the tournament page under the "INFO" tab.
• If Bracket: All matches will start as soon as both players are present in the round. It is important to note that if both players win by default (due to not having an opposing player, because the opposing player did not show up, or for any other reason), the match must still begin even if the specified time is different. The schedules for the next rounds depend on the completion of the previous match.

Joining your game lobby

1. Add your opponent as a friend.
2. Set up the match and invite your opponent to the match.
3. Play the match.
4. After the match is finished, please enter the result directly on the ESL page and attach the corresponding proofs of the final score.
5. Take a screenshot showing your match result in case you need to open a Protest Ticket.

Match details

Before each match, make sure to have the following options enabled:

• Cross play: ON (network setting)
• Add friends: ON (network setting)
• Messaging: ON (network setting)

Settings:

• Innings: 9
• Mode: Diamond Dynasty
• Hitting: Legend
• Pitching: Legend
• Guess Pitch: OFF
• Quick Counts: OFF
• Strike Zone: ON
• Hot Zone: OFF
• Balks: OFF
• Umpire Accuracy: Perfect
• Umpire close plays: OFF
• Ejections: OFF
• Injuries: OFF
• Presentation mode: Fast Play


• Pitcher energy carryover within BO - Swapping out a SP with a bullpen pitcher is allowed. Bullpen pitcher cannot be used for following games in Bo3. In a Bo5 the pitcher can be used after two games (ex. played in game 1, can be used for game 4).

Roster requirements

• Summer Circuit and Fall Circuit: Wild Cards are not eligible for Summer Circuit & Fall Circuit. Season 1 Cards are not eligible for Summer Circuit & Fall Circuit. Only Season 2 and Core cards are eligible.
• Wild Card and Grand Finals: Wild Cards can be used. Season 3, Core Cards and Wild Cards (up to 4) are eligible for use in the Wild Card and Grand Finals.

Roster Restrictions:

• No Create A Player
• No Knuckleball Pitchers eg. Matt Waldron

Stadium Restrictions:

• No Create A Stadium
• No Polo Grounds

Bo3 and Bo5 Starting Pitcher Requirements:

Competitors are required to provide their 5 Starting Pitcher rotation prior to series start. Competitors must use a different Starting Pitcher from the provided rotation for each game in the series.

Hosting

• If Swiss:
• Bo1:
• Game 1: The player on the left side of the match page will be the home team and is responsible for creating the lobby and inviting their opponent.
• If Bracket:
• Bo1:
• Game 1: The player with the higher seed (lower number) will be the home team and is responsible for creating the lobby and inviting their opponent.
• Bo3:
• Game 1: The player with the higher seed (lower number) will be the home team and is responsible for creating the lobby and inviting their opponent.
• Game 2: The player with the lower seed (higher number) will be the home team and is responsible for creating the lobby and inviting their opponent.
• Game 3: The player with the higher seed will be the home team and host the game.
• Bo5:
• Game 1: The player with the higher seed (lower number) will be the home team and is responsible for creating the lobby and inviting their opponent.
• Game 2: The player with the lower seed (higher number) will be the home team and is responsible for creating the lobby and inviting their opponent.
• Game 3: The player with the higher seed will be the home team and host the game.
• Game 4: The player with the lower seed will be the home team and host the game.
• Game 5: The player with the higher seed will be the home team and host the game.

The hosting player will be responsible for setting up the game lobby, with the correct settings.

No show

Each player has 10 minutes to show up to a match (scheduled match start time +10 minutes). Not showing up within 10 minutes results in a default loss. The player that is waiting must create a Protest Ticket (https://esl.gg/add-protest).

Results

The results must be reported by the players on the match page or by a Protest Ticket with evidence of the final score.

Disconnection

In the event of a disconnection, regardless of the situation, both players need to notify the administration via a Protest Ticket. Players must share with the admin team screenshots with the message of disconnection and information about the state of the game before the disconnection happened (score, inning on play, balls, strikes, outs).

Match Disputes

• If any issues are encountered in a match, it’s the players responsibility to create a dispute and reach out to the admin team.
• In order to create a dispute, go to the match page and select the option “Open Protest”. You can also create a dispute using the ESL Play website (https://esl.gg/add-protest).
• Players are responsible for providing proof of match results in case of disputes. This can be done with screenshots of each victory or video replays uploaded to websites such as YouTube or Twitch.

3.3 Match Media

The following match media are acceptable forms of proof during match reporting and protests:

• Twitch livestream VODs (with clear naming of the players, score, select teams, date, etc).
• Screenshots (or photographs) showing both players and the result/issue.

4. Prizing

4.1 Prize distribution

4.1.1 Summer and Fall Circuit

Each Circuit will distribute 25,000 USD.

Playoffs: Upper Round Prizing.

4.1.2 Grand Finals

The Championship final will distribute 51,000 USD.

Cash prize values referenced are always before taxes. For this competition ESL uses Matcherino to deliver prize money. Matcherino will automatically deduct any applicable taxes from prize winnings, except where prohibited by local law.

4.2 Prizing Terms and Conditions

Prizes are not transferable. No substitution of Prizes for other goods and services is permitted, except ESL reserves the right to provide a substitute Prize of approximately equal value if the advertised prize is unavailable. All expenses not specified above, including, without limitation, all applicable federal, state, and local taxes, and international tariffs are the sole responsibility of the individual Winner.

Receiving a prize is contingent upon compliance with these Official Rules; all prizes claimed in accordance with these Official Rules will be awarded. In the event that a potential winner is disqualified, or the prize is forfeited for any reason, ESL will award the applicable prize, time permitting given the nature of the prize, to the next eligible runner-up. Only 3 alternate runner-up winners will be chosen, after which the Tournament Organizer retains the discretion to donate the applicable prize to a charity of ESL’s choosing. Potential winners may be required to provide a shipping address to claim the prize. Allow up to 3 months for delivery of prizes.

5. Tournament Schedule

6. Game Coverage

SIE reserves exclusive rights to the coverage of MLBTS24CS matches. This includes all forms of transmission, including IRC Bots, Shoutcast-streams, live broadcasts on platforms like Twitch, YouTube and the likes. SIE can assign the coverage rights of a match or of several matches to a third party or to the actual players themselves. In this case, terms and conditions would have to be arranged with SIE management, or ESL as Tournament Organizer, before the match is shown. In case of a broadcasted Final, additional rules can apply. In this case all participants will be informed of the new ruleset within their invitation.

SIE or ESL as Tournament Organizer, will contact any player or team if they wish to broadcast one of their matches. If no contact is made within 24 hours before a scheduled match starts, Players are allowed to arrange their own broadcasts.

7. General Terms

Players’ personal data will be collected, shared, and used subject to ESL’s Privacy Policy which includes ESL’s sharing of personal data with SIE. By choosing to participate in the Competition, you agree to such Privacy Policy and data sharing with SIE. Players’ personal data will be processed for the purpose of organizing, running and monitoring the Competition and prize fulfillment, including, publishing Player’s names in public brackets, and if a Player wins a prize, publishing (i) their name on the Winner(s) List and (ii) their name and country of residence online (including but not limited to social media or the ESL Website) in connection with the Competition. Please note that if you choose to link your Account for PlayStation Network with ESL and participate in the Competition, your personal data, name and country, as mentioned before, will be displayed publicly regardless of any choice you made to hide MLB The Show 24 in your Account for PlayStation Network or console privacy settings.

Players can remove their name from the Winner(s) List by unlinking their Game Account and ESL account and deleting their ESL account.

Personal data will be processed in Germany, in the European Union, or any other country in which, ESL, its subsidiaries, or third party agents operate. By entering the Competition, you consent to your personal data being transferred to recipients in the United States and other countries that may not offer the same level of data protection as the laws in your country/area of residence or citizenship.

Players have the right to access, delete, and correct their personal data on their ESL account page.

• Sign into your ESL account.
• Edit your personal data.
• Save.

By participating in this Competition, each Player further agrees:

(a) That the Tournament Organizer’s decisions will be final and binding on all matters related to this Competition;

(b) The Competition is governed by the laws of the State of California and all claims must be resolved in the United States. Nothing in these Official Rules shall have the effect to deprive you of the consumer protection rights granted to you by the laws of your country of residence that cannot be derogated from by agreement.

(c) The Tournament Organizer reserves the right to cancel, suspend and/or modify the Competition, or any part of it, if any fraud, technical failures or any other factor impairs the integrity or proper functioning of the Competition, as determined by Tournament Organizer in its sole discretion. If terminated, Tournament Organizer may, in its sole discretion, determine the winners from among all non-suspect, eligible entries received up to time of such action using the judging procedure outlined above. Tournament Organizer, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to disqualify any individual it finds to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Competition or to be acting in violation of these Official Rules or those of any other Competition, or the PlayStation Network Terms of Service and Users Agreement, or in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner and void all associated entries. Any attempt by any person to deliberately undermine the legitimate operation of the Competition may be a violation of criminal and civil law, and, should such an attempt be made, Tournament Organizer reserves the right to seek damages and other remedies (including attorneys’ fees) from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law. Tournament Organizer’s failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision.

(d) To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, by participating in the Competition each Player agrees (or, if a minor, such player’s parent or legal guardian agrees on such Player’s behalf) to completely release and hold harmless Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc., Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe Ltd., and Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC, the MLB Entities and MLB Players (as defined in Section 8) and each of their respective employees, agents, parents, subsidiaries, and affiliates from any and all liability or any injury, loss or damage of any kind arising in connection with the Competition.

(e) By accepting any of the prizes, you acknowledge and agree that the Tournament Organizer and its designees have the right to use the below information and any other information provided in the administration, marketing, and promotion of the MLBTS24CS, without further consent or compensation to you, unless otherwise noted below:

• Background info: Full name, country of residency, age, platform, persona (including Game Account), likeness.
• Social Media info: Twitter handle and Twitch account handle (if applicable).

(f) THE PLAYERS ACKNOWLEDGE THAT GIVING AND TAKING BRIBES ARE ILLEGAL. THE TOURNAMENT ORGANIZER RESERVES THE RIGHT TO DISQUALIFY, AT ITS SOLE DISCRETION, ANY PARTICIPANT THAT IS INVOLVED WITH ANY ILLEGAL ACTIONS.

Nothing in these Official Rules shall be deemed to exclude or restrict any of the Player’s statutory consumer rights.

Commercial Rights

All commercial rights (including without limitation any and all marketing and media rights) relating to the MLBTS24CS belong to Tournament Organizer and its licensors.

Players shall not associate themselves with the MLBTS24CS, ESL, Electronic Arts Inc., SIE, and the MLB Entities, or the MLB Players in any commercial manner, nor use any intellectual property rights of those parties, nor shall they permit any third parties to do so, without the prior written consent of Tournament Organizer or the applicable rights holders, which consent may be granted or withheld in each of their sole discretion.

Any Player or Player ad sponsor wishing to carry out or facilitate any promotional or marketing activities with respect to the MLBTS24CS, will need prior written consent from Tournament Organizer or from the respective rights holders, which may be granted or withheld in each of their sole discretion.

The recording and dissemination of images or footage of the MLBTS24CS for commercial purposes by or on behalf of Players is strictly prohibited.

“PlayStation” and “PS5” are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.

8. MLB Entities and MLB Players

• Definition of “MLB Entities”: The “MLB Entities” shall mean the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball (“BOC”), its Bureaus, Committees, Subcommittees and Councils, the Major League Baseball Clubs (“Clubs”), MLB Advanced Media, L.P., Major League Baseball Properties, Inc., The MLB Network, LLC, each of their parent, subsidiary, affiliated and related entities, any entity which, now or in the future, controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with the Clubs or the BOC and the owners, general and limited partners, shareholders, directors, officers, employees and agents of the foregoing entities.
• Definition of “MLB Players”: As used herein, “MLB Players” means, collectively, the Major League Baseball Players Association (“MLBPA”), MLB Players, Inc. (“MLBPI”), and OneTeam Partners, LLC (“OTP”), each of their respective parent, subsidiary, affiliated and related entities, any entity which, now or in the future, controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with the MLBPA, MLBPI, and/or OTP and the owners, general and limited partners, shareholders, directors, officers, members, employees and agents of each of the foregoing entities, including all Major League baseball players.
• Exclusion of Employees of the MLB Entities from Eligibility: Employees of the MLB Entities and/or the MLB Players, (defined as parents, children, siblings and spouse and their respective spouses, regardless of where they reside) and those living in the same household or with whom they are otherwise domiciled, whether or not related, are not eligible to enter or win in the Competition.
• Right of Publicity Release: Participants in the Competition (if minor, his/her parent or legal guardian) agree to be bound by these Official Rules and agree that the MLB Entities, the MLB Players and their respective designees and assigns may use the participant’s name, voice, city/state of residence, photos, video or film clips, and/or other visual likeness for advertising and/or trade purposes and/or for any other purpose in any media or format now or hereafter known without further compensation (financial or otherwise), permission or notification.
• The Competitions are in no way sponsored, administered, executed or produced by any of the MLB Players. Officially Licensed Product of MLB Players, Inc. MLBPA and MLBPI trademarks, copyrighted works and other intellectual property rights are owned and/or held by MLBPA or MLBPI and may not be used without the written consent of MLBPA or MLBPI. Visit MLBPLAYERS.com, the Players Choice on the web. All rights reserved.
• This Competition is in no way sponsored, administered, executed or produced by any of the MLB Entities. Major League Baseball trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball. Visit MLB.com.

Appendix A: Code of Conduct

This Code of Conduct applies to all Players in the MLBTS24CS at all levels of the Competition unless otherwise specified.

Where a Player is found to have acted in contravention of the Code of Conduct, the Tournament Organizer reserves the right to levy penalties, sanction or disqualify any Player at its discretion.

DURING THE COMPETITION

Players must conduct themselves in a reasonable manner, maintaining an appropriate demeanor towards all individuals, including spectators, members of the press, tournament administrators, other players, and any other persons they may interact with. These conduct requirements apply to both offline and online interactions, encompassing social media conduct as well. All players are expected to consistently adhere to the standards of good sportsmanship, demonstrating respect and professionalism in every interaction.

Players will refrain from using vulgar or offensive language.

Abusive behavior, including harassment and threats is prohibited.

Physical abuse, fighting or any threatening action or threatening language, directed at any Player, spectator, official or any other person is prohibited.

Any action that interferes with play of a game, including but not limited to purposely breaking a game station, interfering with power, and abuse of in-game pausing, is prohibited and can result in match forfeiture and/or disqualification from the competition.

Gambling, including betting on the outcome of games, is prohibited.

Players must not disclose any confidential information provided by the Tournament Organizer or any of its affiliates to any other people or groups of people, including via social media.

COLLUSION POLICY

Collusion is defined as any agreement among two or more Players to disadvantage other Players in the Competition. Collusion between Players is strictly prohibited. Any Players determined by the Tournament Organizer at any phase of the MLBTS24CS to be engaging in collusion will be removed from the Competition, be forced to return any compensation and/or prizes they’ve received.

Examples of collusion include, but are not limited to:

• Intentionally losing a match for any reason.
• Playing on behalf of another Player, including using a secondary account, to aid them.
• Any form of match-fixing.
• Agreeing to split prize money.

PENALTIES

Violation of any part of these Official Rules will, at the Tournament Organizer's election, result in (a) sanction(s) and/or (b) loss of winner status. All Players must follow the Tournament Organizer's directions. All decisions and rulings of the Tournament Organizer are final and binding. The Tournament Organizer reserves the right to sanction any Player in competition at any level, at any time for any reason. Sanctions may include, in no particular order, the following:

• Warning.
• Reprimand.
• Forfeiture of single match.
• Forfeiture of all matches.
• Loss of awards (including prize money and other paid expenses).
• Disqualification from the MLBTS24CS.

The Tournament Organizer also has the right to publicly announce penalties that have been levied on Players. Players who have been penalized by the tournament organizer hereby waive any right of legal action against the MLBTS24CS and PlayStation, and/or any of its affiliates.

Please note that this Code of Conduct is in addition to the code of conduct in the PlayStation Network Terms of Service and User Agreement and any game-specific terms of service that may be applicable to your participation in the MLBTS24CS.

PLAYER SPONSORSHIP

Players in the MLBTS24CS have the ability to acquire ad sponsors. Ad sponsorship acquisition is limited, however, to exclude certain categories and industries. If the ad sponsor falls under the below limited categories, then the ad sponsorship may not be displayed by the Player in conjunction with or during the MLBTS24CS. Tournament Organizer and its designees reserve the right to update the below list at any time. The following is a nonexclusive list of prohibited ad sponsors:

• Gambling or gambling websites.
• Alcohol, Tobacco, and/or Non-“over-the-counter” Drugs.
• Firearms or any type of weapons.
• Pornographic or adult material.
• Products or services from direct competitors of PlayStation, its partners, and its other subsidiary brands.
• Direct competitors of PlayStation.

Tournament Organizer reserves the right to prohibit any third party at their sole discretion.

Appendix B: Countries / Areas & Age

Below is a comprehensive list of all eligible countries, their respective tournament region and minimum age required to participate in the MLBTS24CS:

Appendix C: MLBTS24CS Code of Conduct

In addition to the ESL Gaming GmbH Code of Conduct and the PSN Community Code of Conduct, which can be found here: https://www.playstation.com/en-us/support/account/community-code-of-conduct/, the following Code of Conduct applies to all Participants in the MLBTS24CS during the MLBTS24CS and for two years following the MLBTS24CS. Violation of this Code of Conduct can lead to disqualification from the MLBTS24CS and suspension from future Sony Interactive Entertainment or San Diego Studio sponsored tournaments. This Code of Conduct applies to conduct in the MLBTS24CS, social media and activity on live streams. Except as otherwise noted herein, the Sponsors’ decisions are final and binding in all matters relating to the MLBTS24CS.

• Use of hate speech, slurs, abusive or otherwise offensive language is prohibited.
• Abusive behavior, including harassment, threats, bullying, or stalking is prohibited.
• Physical abuse, fighting or any threatening action, directed at any Participant, or any other person, is prohibited.
• Discrimination and disparaging actions against anyone based on their race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, nationality, religion, appearance, mental or physical ability, or other personal characteristics, is prohibited.
• Defamation or infringement of intellectual property, privacy or publicity rights, is prohibited.
• Creation or distribution of graphic sexual content or abhorrent violent material is prohibited.
• Any action that interferes with play of a game, including breaking a console, interfering with power, abuse of in-game pausing, the use or exploit of any bugs, glitches, vulnerabilities, or unintentional mechanics for a competitive advantage, is prohibited.
• Gambling, including betting on the outcome of games, is prohibited.
• Giving and receiving bribes is illegal and prohibited.
• Collusion, defined as any agreement among two or more Participants to disadvantage other Participants in the MLBTS24CS, is strictly prohibited. This includes the following:
• Intentionally losing a match
• Playing on behalf of another Participant
• Any form of match-fixing
• Soft play (a Participant not trying their hardest in order to allow another Participant to increase their score)
• Agreeing to split current or future prizes
• Entrants are prohibited from implying or representing that they have a commercial relationship with the MLBTS24CS, Sponsor, the MLB Entities or the MLB Players. Use of the intellectual property of the Sponsor, the MLB Entities or the MLB Players is strictly prohibited without written consent of the intellectual property owner.