Smite Pro League takes on a new format for season two

The second season of the Smite Pro League will have teams battling through three separate "Splits"—Spring, Summer, and Fall—after which the top teams in each region will square off in LAN tournaments to determine who will be invited to the 2016 World Championship.

All teams, except those who have already qualified for the Smite World Championships, must take part in the Spring Split Qualifiers in order to earn a shot at the title. The top qualifying teams will make it into the Spring Split, while the rest must duke it out in the Challenger Cup for a chance to take part in the Summer Split.

The first qualifier will take place over February 14-15, with two more following on February 21-22 and February 28-March 1. The Spring Split itself will see the top six teams—two from the Worlds and four from the Qualifiers—battling in best-of-three competitions over a five week period from March 5 to April 5, while the single-elimination Challenger Cup will run simultaneously from March 5 to April 19. Once the Spring Split LAN is wrapped up, teams from the Challenger Cup will face teams from the Spring Split Pro League for relegation into the Summer Split.

There will also be a multi-region LAN event on April 25-26, in which the top two North American and European teams from the Spring Split will face off for "a big chunk of money" as well as a trip to Brazil to compete at XMA-X5 Mega Arena. And finally, there's an event coming up this weekend: The Smite PTS Showdown—Viewer's Choice, featuring both pro and amateur teams dueling on a new map with new items, and which for the first time ever will allow viewers to choose which games are streamed and broadcast.

Details about the Season Two format changes and Spring Split qualifiers are here. More information about the Summer and Fall Splits will be announced as the season progresses.