EPT CS:GO Product Team Update
Hey! Carmac here from the ESL Product Team. Wanted to drop by with another update from our team to let you know what we’ve been working on in 2021 across our product portfolio under the ESL Pro Tour umbrella.
Hey! Carmac here from the ESL Product Team. Wanted to drop by with another update from our team to let you know what we’ve been working on in 2021 across our product portfolio under the ESL Pro Tour umbrella.
The 2021 edition of Intel Extreme Masters Katowice hosting the Championship events for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, StarCraft II and Warcraft III: Reforged will not take place in Spodek due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
After a thorough evaluation we’ve concluded that ESL One Cologne 2020 powered by Intel will transition to an Online Tournament. The decision was made after extensive research and understanding of global travel regulations and individual national guidelines.
We are adapting the qualification system for ESL One Cologne due to competitions leading up to ESL One Cologne ...
‘Louvre Agreement’ creates new framework for CS:GO ecosystem with long-term league slots for teams and revenue and profit sharing ...
DreamHack Masters is the ultimate experience for fans and players alike, creating a great atmosphere together
ESL One brings you closest to the players, the fans and the game you love in stadiums all over the world. #WEAREONE
ESL Pro League is the largest CS:GO league in the world and promises esports at its purest with the best teams competing
The ESL National Championship is held in over 14 countries worldwide and is the backbone of each local community
The ESEA Premier League fuels amateurs to reach the next level by providing a direct connection to the ESL Pro League
The ESL Pro Tour is a circuit combining over twenty ESL and DreamHack Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournaments and leagues which will be connected by a ranking system into one narrative that builds towards two Masters Championships each year: IEM Katowice and ESL One Cologne. With this change to our offering we will have a more complete and simpler path from zero to hero for aspiring players, a more compelling story to follow for existing CS:GO fans and a much more transparent structure for new esports fans. This will be the ultimate expression of our purpose: to create a world where everybody can be somebody.
To provide one cohesive narrative for fans to follow and provide real purpose to all our competitions. We believe one simpler story will make the scene more awesome for current fans and more welcoming for new fans. We also want players around the world to fully understand which events are the most important ones and which roads lead there.
The biggest change will be the connections between events. Challenger tournaments will be a much better doorway into Masters tournaments. The ranking will decide who gets to go to the Masters Championship tournaments at Intel® Extreme Masters Katowice and ESL One Cologne.
Currently, the ESL Pro Tour covers CS:GO, Starcraft II and Warcraft III.
Any team in the world has the ability to qualify for and compete in any of the ESL Pro Tour competitions. We believe in growing CS:GO globally and that is an important component of the ESL Pro Tour’s design.
The ESL Pro Tour ranking will have a different mechanic compared to the ESL World Ranking and will take into account ESL Pro Tour competitions as well as Valve CS:GO Majors. Get further information.
Masters level tournaments count towards Intel Grand Slam victories. Being first to win six Masters tournaments or four Masters tournaments including a Masters Championship (incl. an ESL or DreamHack-run Valve Major) guarantees you the Intel Grand Slam victory.
Get more details at the Road to Katowice or at the Road to Cologne
Due to the current regional separation of the world’s top teams into regional divisions, results from regionally split events with multiple champions do not count towards the Intel Grand Slam.
The update applies until further notice to both new events being counted as well as older results expiring, and it covers events starting with the concluded ESL Pro League finals. (The organizations in the playoffs were informed ahead of its conclusion.)
The vision behind the Intel Grand Slam is to reward the world’s most dominant team. Tournaments with multiple winners in multiple divisions do not point to the world’s best team with enough clarity.
Masters tournaments are over $250,000 in prize money and generally take place in larger venues (e.g. arenas). They are designed for the world’s best teams to compete in, whereas Challenger tournaments are designed for highly competitive teams aspiring to play on the Masters level regularly.
The official press release can be found here.