It's a common sight for technology companies to attack each other publicly, but rarely does it spill over from the courtrooms and press into another realm. A new battleground has emerged for Amazon, Dropbox, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Twitter, Yelp, and Zynga, however: StarCraft II.

The companies - many of which are in direct competition with each other - are due to meet in-game as part of a gaming showdown dubbed the 'After Hours Gaming League,' organised by gamer and founder of Internet TV station Day9, Sean Plott.

The League will see the technology giants settle their differences in the digital battleground of popular real-time strategy title StarCraft II, in the name of encouraging adoption of so-called 'eSports' in the West. "ESports is in its infancy in North America," explained Plott," compared to Asia, where eSports has had a fanatical following for years.

"In South Korea, StarCraft is a national obsession like baseball or football - gamers are celebrities, and professional matches are shown on television," Plott explained. "We are talking about one of the hardest computer games in the world being played by some of the smartest people in the world. I can’t think of a more exciting combination to watch."

Facebook's Robyn Reiss won't be participating personally, but is keen to see how the event will unfold. "We are excited to participate," Reiss burbled. "This is a fun alternative to traditional company sports, and I expect that a lot of our engineers are already training for the tournament."

"StarCraft II requires dedication, critical thinking, and split-second decision making," claimed Dropbox's Steven Bartel. "That's why it's become so popular in the tech community. We can't wait to see some of the best competition the community has to offer."

The contest is due to start on the 30th of June, with the matches broadcast on AfterHoursGaming.tv every Thursday.