Never before has a stage so big been set for Natural Selection 2. Just over a year since launch, the pieces are in place for what promises to be a immense celebration of community, skill, and sportsmanship. The Natural Selection 2 World Championship is coming. After being funded against overwhelming odds, and despite the unprecedented scale and scope of the undertaking for a community of NS2's size, the NS2WC just got a step closer to happening. Today, registrations opened for teams wishing to participate in a tournament that could see you fly across the world to compete live on stage in Cologne, Germany. The official tournament website has opened for business: ns2wc.com. Head over to read the rules and sign up a team when ready. There are spaces for twenty-eight teams: That's over 168 players! There is also now a twitter feed devoted to the NS2WC. Follow it for info on matches, player interviews, vods, livestreams, and other updates. More good news: Last time NS2 went to Cologne, it was the NSL Invitational Cup. While the event was an overall outstanding success, drawing over one hundred and fifty thousand unique viewers and producing a huge sales boost for UWE, you guys said you wanted some things changed. You wanted more killer, less filler. More play, less downtime. More focus on the teams and less on crazy antics. The NS2WC will deliver. A new venue has been secured: ESLTV calls it the 'Arena.' Far bigger than the studio we have visited in the past, the Arena features stadium seating for over one hundred spectators. It focuses much more on the teams, placing them on a central stage right in front of the cameras. It gives the casters a dedicated casting booth. Pictures to come once it has been dressed in NS2 colours! The fact that the studio can hold over one hundred spectators means we are throwing open the doors for live attendees. Multiple Unknown Worlds developers will be in attendance, along with many notable members of the NS2 community. The date is set in stone: Saturday, February 22, and a free-ticket-registration system will open soon. If you will be watching on Twitch, you are in for a real treat. This event will be cast exclusively by the best voices in the business: BlindNS, Reddog & WasabiOne. Live and in person, they will bring you match analysis and play-by-play from the casting desk in the Arena. To make the time zone conversions easy, here are events in three places: Steam Google+ Facebook At Unknown Worlds, we are beyond excited for this. This is not just a competitive gaming event. It is a celebration of the entire NS2 community. To hear it in the words of the NS2WC organisers, head on over to the NS2WC About Page.