EPTIf I pasted it here, all my sexy formatting on EG.net would go away. I'll copy paste the main body of the article in a quote here, but over at the mainsite there's quite a bit more - an overview of what KeSPA actually IS (because I feel like most SC2 fans aren't exactly clear on that) and what they mean for SC2, what their presence on the scene means for us, and then go onto what the MLG deal means. And it has formatting and pictures!
http://evilgeniuses.net/kespa-mlg-and-you-what-this-means-for-fans/
KeSPA, MLG, and You
After parting ways with GSL, Major League Gaming partnered with KeSPA as soon as they announced their transition. Though details are vague at the moment, it’s an “exclusive” partnership that aims to facilitate cooperation and player exchange between the two organizations. To kick it off, eight KeSPA players (including the legendary Bisu, Stork, Flash, and Jaedong) will participate in a single elimination showmatch tournament at MLG Anaheim next week. Going forward, however, this deal’s effects could largely shape the direction the global scene takes during the next year.
As the community has duly pointed out ad nauseum, the key word is “exclusive.” KeSPA has chosen MLG as its global partner – with both sides negotiating the deal as one of exclusivity. In short, as of now, KeSPA has sanctioned MLG and the tournaments MLG chooses to negotiate with. Sundance has stated explicitly that he has already begun negotiations with DreamHack and Intel Extreme Masters – so we will likely see KeSPA players in Europe. There is no way KeSPA players would commit to a long-running league on a foreign server, so the NASL is not a part of this discussion. This effectively means that the exclusivity clause is specifically targeted at, and only really affects, IPL.
It’s no secret that MLG and GSL had a falling out, and that IPL wasted no time in partnering with them instead. With the GSTL Finals at IPL4 cementing their relationship, and with MLG and IPL as the most direct competitors in Western eSports, this partnership certainly escalates the inevitable arms race. Both MLG and IPL want to establish themselves as the premiere North American tournament. MLG’s deal with KeSPA draws the lines in the sand…for now. With access to KeSPA’s considerable resources and star power, OGN’s broadcasting, and the already-established relationship with the GSL teams, MLG has certainly positioned itself to retake the crown from IPL and put on the best Western eSports show on the planet. Furthermore, their relationship will allow both IEM and Dreamhack to take advantage of these resources, and will bring foreign players to play in KeSPA tournaments. All a part of this “exclusive” deal.
So I ask you: where’s the wrong in this?
IPL and MLG are competitors. And if there’s one thing that has been proven time and again, it’s that when the largest tournaments compete – you win. If IPL puts on a GSTL finals, MLG gets the KeSPA players to play an exhibition tournament. In response, maybe IPL brings the GSL individual league finals to America for IPL5. And then maybe MLG brings an OSL or Proleague finals to the Autumn Championship. Both tournaments are consistently improving their streaming technology, bringing us the split-screen multi-stream action we’ve come to enjoy. Competition is only a good thing. And really, KeSPA or not, I think an event that pulls a crowd like they had in Las Vegas on Easter Sunday will be just fine.
In Korea, there were two leagues that ran concurrently. Though they had the same players, both were operated by different companies, broadcast on different channels, and had different rules. The MBC Game Starleague and the Ongamenet Starleague existed simultaneously for near a decade, and their competition only made the Korean scene more exciting. Eventually, if through competition and bar-raising, IPL became a tournament the KeSPA players demanded to attend, odds are KeSPA would renegotiate and sanction it. And even if they didn’t, what’s wrong with a little diversity in the player pool? Both GSL players and KeSPA players will be allowed in the Korean tournaments, and foreigners are welcome too thanks to MLG’s deal. If IPL has only GSL players for a while, is that necessarily a bad thing? It just means we’ll see some different faces. It’s not like the KeSPA pros will be significantly better than the GSL pros for years, if ever. This deal isn’t necessarily a long term one. Should MLG and IPL both survive into 2013 or 2014, who knows what could change. After all, MLG’s deal with GSL was hardly permanent. If IPL and MLG developed an OSL/MSL relationship, that could only be awesome.
All in all, I just don’t see the downside to this deal with KeSPA. Some have cried that this trend will encourage tournaments to sign “exclusive” contracts with western teams, but I just don’t see it. What western team would be willing to limit its sponsor exposure so dramatically? These KeSPA sponsors don’t need exposure. KT, SK Telecom, Woongjin, CJ – none of these companies would benefit from Western exposure. A deal like the one with MLG, therefore, doesn’t hurt them. They’re not the same as an Intel, a Steelseries, or a Kingstom HyperX. These companies sponsor Western teams BECAUSE they’ll be at every tournament. Because their logos will be shoved in your face every time you watch any eSports event. If Monster Energy suddenly only got to advertise at MLG’s four Championship events, would Monster be as inclined to sponsor EG? Probably not. And furthermore, most of these teams are multigaming organizations. That kind of deal simply doesn’t make sense.
We’re a long way away from the creation of an NBA, an NFL, or a similar organization. The infrastructure isn’t there. The money isn’t there. This deal with MLG is not the first step towards homogenization. It’s just a continuation of the arms race that began the moment MLG Columbus shattered every record in the book. So I implore you all. Put down your torches and pitchforks. Support all the tournaments. And understand that this deal is AWESOME for you, a viewer. The only ones who should be sweating are the guys at IPL. But as someone who attended IPL4, I can assure you. They’ll be fine.
After parting ways with GSL, Major League Gaming partnered with KeSPA as soon as they announced their transition. Though details are vague at the moment, it’s an “exclusive” partnership that aims to facilitate cooperation and player exchange between the two organizations. To kick it off, eight KeSPA players (including the legendary Bisu, Stork, Flash, and Jaedong) will participate in a single elimination showmatch tournament at MLG Anaheim next week. Going forward, however, this deal’s effects could largely shape the direction the global scene takes during the next year.
As the community has duly pointed out ad nauseum, the key word is “exclusive.” KeSPA has chosen MLG as its global partner – with both sides negotiating the deal as one of exclusivity. In short, as of now, KeSPA has sanctioned MLG and the tournaments MLG chooses to negotiate with. Sundance has stated explicitly that he has already begun negotiations with DreamHack and Intel Extreme Masters – so we will likely see KeSPA players in Europe. There is no way KeSPA players would commit to a long-running league on a foreign server, so the NASL is not a part of this discussion. This effectively means that the exclusivity clause is specifically targeted at, and only really affects, IPL.
It’s no secret that MLG and GSL had a falling out, and that IPL wasted no time in partnering with them instead. With the GSTL Finals at IPL4 cementing their relationship, and with MLG and IPL as the most direct competitors in Western eSports, this partnership certainly escalates the inevitable arms race. Both MLG and IPL want to establish themselves as the premiere North American tournament. MLG’s deal with KeSPA draws the lines in the sand…for now. With access to KeSPA’s considerable resources and star power, OGN’s broadcasting, and the already-established relationship with the GSL teams, MLG has certainly positioned itself to retake the crown from IPL and put on the best Western eSports show on the planet. Furthermore, their relationship will allow both IEM and Dreamhack to take advantage of these resources, and will bring foreign players to play in KeSPA tournaments. All a part of this “exclusive” deal.
So I ask you: where’s the wrong in this?
IPL and MLG are competitors. And if there’s one thing that has been proven time and again, it’s that when the largest tournaments compete – you win. If IPL puts on a GSTL finals, MLG gets the KeSPA players to play an exhibition tournament. In response, maybe IPL brings the GSL individual league finals to America for IPL5. And then maybe MLG brings an OSL or Proleague finals to the Autumn Championship. Both tournaments are consistently improving their streaming technology, bringing us the split-screen multi-stream action we’ve come to enjoy. Competition is only a good thing. And really, KeSPA or not, I think an event that pulls a crowd like they had in Las Vegas on Easter Sunday will be just fine.
In Korea, there were two leagues that ran concurrently. Though they had the same players, both were operated by different companies, broadcast on different channels, and had different rules. The MBC Game Starleague and the Ongamenet Starleague existed simultaneously for near a decade, and their competition only made the Korean scene more exciting. Eventually, if through competition and bar-raising, IPL became a tournament the KeSPA players demanded to attend, odds are KeSPA would renegotiate and sanction it. And even if they didn’t, what’s wrong with a little diversity in the player pool? Both GSL players and KeSPA players will be allowed in the Korean tournaments, and foreigners are welcome too thanks to MLG’s deal. If IPL has only GSL players for a while, is that necessarily a bad thing? It just means we’ll see some different faces. It’s not like the KeSPA pros will be significantly better than the GSL pros for years, if ever. This deal isn’t necessarily a long term one. Should MLG and IPL both survive into 2013 or 2014, who knows what could change. After all, MLG’s deal with GSL was hardly permanent. If IPL and MLG developed an OSL/MSL relationship, that could only be awesome.
All in all, I just don’t see the downside to this deal with KeSPA. Some have cried that this trend will encourage tournaments to sign “exclusive” contracts with western teams, but I just don’t see it. What western team would be willing to limit its sponsor exposure so dramatically? These KeSPA sponsors don’t need exposure. KT, SK Telecom, Woongjin, CJ – none of these companies would benefit from Western exposure. A deal like the one with MLG, therefore, doesn’t hurt them. They’re not the same as an Intel, a Steelseries, or a Kingstom HyperX. These companies sponsor Western teams BECAUSE they’ll be at every tournament. Because their logos will be shoved in your face every time you watch any eSports event. If Monster Energy suddenly only got to advertise at MLG’s four Championship events, would Monster be as inclined to sponsor EG? Probably not. And furthermore, most of these teams are multigaming organizations. That kind of deal simply doesn’t make sense.
We’re a long way away from the creation of an NBA, an NFL, or a similar organization. The infrastructure isn’t there. The money isn’t there. This deal with MLG is not the first step towards homogenization. It’s just a continuation of the arms race that began the moment MLG Columbus shattered every record in the book. So I implore you all. Put down your torches and pitchforks. Support all the tournaments. And understand that this deal is AWESOME for you, a viewer. The only ones who should be sweating are the guys at IPL. But as someone who attended IPL4, I can assure you. They’ll be fine.
Agree? Disagree? Think I'm a moron? Tell me!
