No Starcraft 2 at MLG Columbus (so far)

Sundance DiGiovanni ‏@MLGSundance 10m
Just so folks know - we are currently not planning to run SC2 at Cbus. Should that change we'll let you know via official channels.

Despite my degree I am actually horrible when it comes to just about all things literary but I do read good (huehue) so pardon my wall of text.

Right now it is uniquely more in fashion this week to do your best chicken little impression in regards to SC2. This is because the mammoth of a tourney in TI3 is going on and it is one of if not the single most watched eSport event we have to offer. It's awesome! Amazing production, the biggest prizepool and the best players.. what is there not to get excited about?

During this week (in particular) SC2 gets picked on. SC2 WAS the gaming stud in 2010. All other games envied us. Since then things have changed and we are now no longer the top dog and that is ok. That being said, due to our success, at times like these we get reminded of this and that too is ok.. competition and being proud of your game/community is good.

When MLG "announced" that they probably won't have SC2 at their last big MLG event of the season they were doing a couple things as far as I can tell:

A. they were announcing bad news (as far as the SC2 community is concerned) months in advance so the story runs it's course and dies down before MLG rolls around.

B. They were announcing it amidst TI3 because this news cannot steal the headlines and will be to a certain extent muffled by this weeks events.

C. It is MOST ok to "abandon" or "quit" on SC2 this week because people are at a mindset where they are more likely to accept it as a natural course of action with SC2 "dying"

This is disappointing but also expected. MLG pays Blizzard to run SC2 at their events. They are PAID BY Riot, CoD, Infinite Crisis etc.. to have their games at MLG. Much like WCG in the past. When your company is spending more than it is making and massive investments from years past are starting to have questions raised about some form of a return the fat gets trimmed.

I for one am thankful for what MLG has done for SC2 in the past. They ran amazing events and they were a hell of a lot of fun to attend, watch and be a part of. I am sad that at this point it would seem to be over. I am disappointed with how it was handled (tweet unofficially from sundance amidst TI3) and I wish it was different.

Is SC2 dying? Is the NA scene dead? Is the game.. declining?

Real talk? No. Do we have problems? Yes. I am going to take a risk and voice an honest opinion that can get me in a lot of trouble:

WCS was initiated sloppy. It was a great idea execute horrifically and it cost us time, money and an image that needs a lot of work. WCS has a strangle hold on SC2 content which means the non Blizz affiliated companies have almost no room to grow. Partners (MLG) if not executed properly will damn near die trying to manage WCS. Right now WCS is heading in the right direction. ESL has done a fantastic job, NASL is promising and from what we've seen can be a NA version of the ESL in terms of managing WCS. Korea always puts on a good show so we are heading in the direction of a solid WCS presentation. That said I believe it needs to humble itself. WCS not allowing other events to broadcast against it in theory maximizes viewership on our best content.. but it also strangles and kills innovative ideas, the job market in SC2 and really any kind of natural growth. By empowering 3 different partners (4 if you count Kespa/Gom) to the extent you do with WCS you are making it illogical to get involved with SC2. WCS needs to have confidence in it's product but also allow for other people to come in and try their hand. Maybe shorter/fewer WCS seasons would be nice. More down time between seasons. Openly and actively work with the community to encourage non WCS content. We are not Riot, you do not have full control over this scene and that is your STRENGTH blizzard. Trying to seize control now is hurting the ecosystem.

So yes, WCS could use some work and improvement and in it's current form it's a great idea executed poorly becoming a solid broadcast we can all count on.

Moving forward the SC2 scene will be ok! We will never be #1 again but that too is ok. I am happy with being top 5, 3 or what have you. MLG made many mistakes and is now bowing out of the SC2 scene. Fine! That vacuum can be filled. DH has very intensely been working on bringing over their show to the USA. NASL has been doing fantastic and with MLG gone maybe they fill that void because they KNOW they can put on a great show and now they have no competitor to do it? I can't say specifics but EG has been kicking some ideas around as well. The NA scene is rough.. it's dire and it's the wild fucking west here but it WILL go on and we WILL have NA centric events you guys can be proud of.

This game, this community and everything that makes it up has given me so much. My life is based around this. Think I am biased? You are god damn right I am biased.. biased as shit. But I am also a fairly intelligent logical human being (mostly!) and I can tell you I am not filling out applications for other places or creating a plan B. I feel secure and I know that while right now things aren't as sparkly as they were in 2010 I know we will be fine. Avoid super fatalistic talk and engage in the conversation. There is work to be done and we don't have time for self-loathing tears and acting like a coward. It's time to pick ourselves up by the bootstraps, support those that contribute, innovate and generate!

SO SAY WE ALL

Scott Smith ‏@SirScoots 5m

BREAKING: Sources close to SSNN report that Red Bull has been granted a SC2 license for the same dates @MLG requested. They asked first