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ESL sold for $1B to Saudi-backed Savvy Gaming Group - Page 3

Forum Index > SC2 General
83 CommentsPost a Reply
Prev 1 2 3 4 5 Next All
deacon.frost
Profile Joined February 2013
Czech Republic12129 Posts
January 25 2022 13:27 GMT
#41
On January 25 2022 22:19 Acrofales wrote:
Show nested quote +
On January 25 2022 21:28 deacon.frost wrote:
On January 25 2022 18:22 AmericanUmlaut wrote:
I'm hardly an expert on Saudi law, but my understanding of the state of gay and trans rights there is that a number of prominent members of this community would be at risk of being jailed and beaten if they were to set foot in Saudi Arabia. Having that government owning our premier tournament series is seriously troubling.

I wanted to reply with a sarcastic comment about US but then I realized I don't know any gay or trans SC2 progamer(I'm not saying they don't exist, just that I don't know who they are ). I've always considered this to be a personal information I shouldn't care about... anyway, I hope there won't be any issues.

There's one in the Oceania scene (I want to say Probe, but am not sure), but Scarlett is the one that immediately comes to mind...

Ontopic: just as I deplore the oil states buying up football clubs, I deplore this as well. But I can't really blame the ESL owners/investors for selling the org for 1billion dollars. It's an absurd amount. I want to think about how that meeting went:

"Saudi investors said they are interested in buying ESL"
"Errr... no. KSA are awful, and sportswashing their nation with eSports is not something we should support"
"Agreed. Lets tell them we'll sell for 1billion dollars. No way they go for that, and we don't look like haters"
"Good idea"
...
"Guys, they said yes"
"Well shit. But at least we'll be rolling in cash"

Ah, it seems we have a different view on this. For me if the person finished the transition, then they are no longer transgender, but they are "labeled" by their new gender. So for me Scarlett is just a girl playing SC2.
I imagine France should be able to take this unless Lilbow is busy practicing for Starcraft III. | KadaverBB is my fairy ban mother.
Nakajin
Profile Blog Joined September 2014
Canada8989 Posts
Last Edited: 2022-01-25 13:58:19
January 25 2022 13:56 GMT
#42
On January 25 2022 22:27 deacon.frost wrote:
Show nested quote +
On January 25 2022 22:19 Acrofales wrote:
On January 25 2022 21:28 deacon.frost wrote:
On January 25 2022 18:22 AmericanUmlaut wrote:
I'm hardly an expert on Saudi law, but my understanding of the state of gay and trans rights there is that a number of prominent members of this community would be at risk of being jailed and beaten if they were to set foot in Saudi Arabia. Having that government owning our premier tournament series is seriously troubling.

I wanted to reply with a sarcastic comment about US but then I realized I don't know any gay or trans SC2 progamer(I'm not saying they don't exist, just that I don't know who they are ). I've always considered this to be a personal information I shouldn't care about... anyway, I hope there won't be any issues.

There's one in the Oceania scene (I want to say Probe, but am not sure), but Scarlett is the one that immediately comes to mind...

Ontopic: just as I deplore the oil states buying up football clubs, I deplore this as well. But I can't really blame the ESL owners/investors for selling the org for 1billion dollars. It's an absurd amount. I want to think about how that meeting went:

"Saudi investors said they are interested in buying ESL"
"Errr... no. KSA are awful, and sportswashing their nation with eSports is not something we should support"
"Agreed. Lets tell them we'll sell for 1billion dollars. No way they go for that, and we don't look like haters"
"Good idea"
...
"Guys, they said yes"
"Well shit. But at least we'll be rolling in cash"

Ah, it seems we have a different view on this. For me if the person finished the transition, then they are no longer transgender, but they are "labeled" by their new gender. So for me Scarlett is just a girl playing SC2.


Somehow I doubt Saudi Arabian law share your view.

With that said, I doubt they will care at all. They own/sponsor plenty of things considered reprehensible according to their national legislation/moral discourse.
Writerhttp://i.imgur.com/9p6ufcB.jpg
deacon.frost
Profile Joined February 2013
Czech Republic12129 Posts
January 25 2022 14:14 GMT
#43
On January 25 2022 22:56 Nakajin wrote:
Show nested quote +
On January 25 2022 22:27 deacon.frost wrote:
On January 25 2022 22:19 Acrofales wrote:
On January 25 2022 21:28 deacon.frost wrote:
On January 25 2022 18:22 AmericanUmlaut wrote:
I'm hardly an expert on Saudi law, but my understanding of the state of gay and trans rights there is that a number of prominent members of this community would be at risk of being jailed and beaten if they were to set foot in Saudi Arabia. Having that government owning our premier tournament series is seriously troubling.

I wanted to reply with a sarcastic comment about US but then I realized I don't know any gay or trans SC2 progamer(I'm not saying they don't exist, just that I don't know who they are ). I've always considered this to be a personal information I shouldn't care about... anyway, I hope there won't be any issues.

There's one in the Oceania scene (I want to say Probe, but am not sure), but Scarlett is the one that immediately comes to mind...

Ontopic: just as I deplore the oil states buying up football clubs, I deplore this as well. But I can't really blame the ESL owners/investors for selling the org for 1billion dollars. It's an absurd amount. I want to think about how that meeting went:

"Saudi investors said they are interested in buying ESL"
"Errr... no. KSA are awful, and sportswashing their nation with eSports is not something we should support"
"Agreed. Lets tell them we'll sell for 1billion dollars. No way they go for that, and we don't look like haters"
"Good idea"
...
"Guys, they said yes"
"Well shit. But at least we'll be rolling in cash"

Ah, it seems we have a different view on this. For me if the person finished the transition, then they are no longer transgender, but they are "labeled" by their new gender. So for me Scarlett is just a girl playing SC2.


Somehow I doubt Saudi Arabian law share your view.

With that said, I doubt they will care at all. They own/sponsor plenty of things considered reprehensible according to their national legislation/moral discourse.

Unless they move the finals from Poland to Saudi Arabia Then it may matter.
I imagine France should be able to take this unless Lilbow is busy practicing for Starcraft III. | KadaverBB is my fairy ban mother.
Lorch
Profile Joined June 2011
Germany3675 Posts
January 25 2022 14:50 GMT
#44
Lol gg no re. Rather see tencent buy them out than saudis. Fs in the chat for ESL.
trinity_law
Profile Joined January 2022
5 Posts
January 25 2022 15:16 GMT
#45
--- Nuked ---
deacon.frost
Profile Joined February 2013
Czech Republic12129 Posts
Last Edited: 2022-01-25 17:10:39
January 25 2022 17:10 GMT
#46
On January 26 2022 00:16 trinity_law wrote:
ESL is dead, may you never find peace in your human rights violating new country

Out of 4 posts 3 are here shitting on ESL. Maybe, just maybe, you want to browse different threads or scream out of a window? Seems like this thread isn't exactly good for you
I imagine France should be able to take this unless Lilbow is busy practicing for Starcraft III. | KadaverBB is my fairy ban mother.
tedster
Profile Joined May 2009
984 Posts
Last Edited: 2022-01-25 17:18:56
January 25 2022 17:18 GMT
#47
well this is pretty uncomfortable
the last wcs commissioner
Shathe
Profile Joined July 2017
Hungary422 Posts
January 25 2022 17:19 GMT
#48
Damn starcraft esports linked to such backwards religious country is really hard to swallow.
Haku
Profile Joined August 2013
Germany550 Posts
January 25 2022 17:22 GMT
#49
On January 25 2022 22:27 deacon.frost wrote:
So for me Scarlett is just a girl playing SC2.


Calling a woman in her late 20s a girl is a bit off a stretch and not right.
Jaedong | Life | MKP | PartinG | LosirA | ByuN | TaeJa | TY | TLO | Bomber | HerO | Rotti | Dark | Stephano | Maru | Ragnarok | MC | IdrA | Serral | Creator | Bunny | INnoVation | Liquid | Prime | JinAir
deacon.frost
Profile Joined February 2013
Czech Republic12129 Posts
Last Edited: 2022-01-25 18:51:08
January 25 2022 17:40 GMT
#50
On January 26 2022 02:22 Haku wrote:
Show nested quote +
On January 25 2022 22:27 deacon.frost wrote:
So for me Scarlett is just a girl playing SC2.


Calling a woman in her late 20s a girl is a bit off a stretch and not right.

You can blame my English teachers if you like

Edit> OK, I searched thru google and yea, while inhere it would be fine to call Scarlett girl what I meant was miss/young woman.
I imagine France should be able to take this unless Lilbow is busy practicing for Starcraft III. | KadaverBB is my fairy ban mother.
Riner1212
Profile Joined November 2012
United States337 Posts
January 25 2022 17:53 GMT
#51
does this mean more prize pool money for starcraft 2 tournmanets since arabs have taken over yallah habibi
Sjow "pretty ez life as protoss"
HeroSandro
Profile Joined July 2019
523 Posts
January 25 2022 17:58 GMT
#52
Shame.
Goma
Profile Joined May 2020
Germany15 Posts
January 25 2022 18:52 GMT
#53
wow, just wow.
Vision_
Profile Joined September 2018
861 Posts
Last Edited: 2022-01-25 19:24:47
January 25 2022 19:17 GMT
#54
I checked how many different games are promoted by ESL and if i don t make mistakes,that s pretty old games.
I don t know why Microsoft buy Activision while they just released AoE4, maybe they will entomb SC2 definitively.

Or not. But it s sure that SC2 has the best internet platform, engine and editor than any others Esport games could have.
Blizzard will be forever the best Team of videos games to me
Xamo
Profile Joined April 2012
Spain877 Posts
January 25 2022 22:29 GMT
#55
This is not so nice. Best case scenario is that it is mostly a personal move from the prince that supposedly owns that company who is an e-sports fan and wants to burn some cash on it. Worst case...
My life for Aiur. You got a piece of me, baby. IIIIIIiiiiiii.
PPN
Profile Joined August 2011
France248 Posts
January 26 2022 03:52 GMT
#56
This is very uncomfortable. There are countless reasons I don’t want to support that, the most recent one being Jamal Khashoggi. We are talking about a country that is approving sending a bunch of hitmen to murder a journalist in another country‘s embassy and to cut their corpse down into small pieces to deliver them from the back door. This is beyond barbaric and I don’t want to have that in the back of my mind when I watch Clems, Serral or Reynor doing awesome things. It is not worth it.
BLinD-RawR
Profile Blog Joined April 2010
ALLEYCAT BLUES50107 Posts
January 26 2022 05:03 GMT
#57
On January 25 2022 05:46 Waxangel wrote:
IEM Katowice? It's IEM Jeddah now


expecting a michael cole voice over now.
Brood War EICWoo Jung Ho, never forget.| Twitter: @BLinDRawR
TL+ Member
tankgirl
Profile Blog Joined May 2016
383 Posts
Last Edited: 2022-01-26 06:08:56
January 26 2022 06:06 GMT
#58
A billion dollars for some pointless video game for man-children?

There are people starving in the streets and dying from treatable diseases.

Wherefore art we as a species?

Humanity is going to get everything it deserves. I'm quitting this stupid "entertainment". See you all in hell.

Larva appears to have gone for a 3 hatch spire into lurker into hive before muta, into defiler guardian...off 2 base...
TL+ Member
trinity_law
Profile Joined January 2022
5 Posts
January 26 2022 07:55 GMT
#59
--- Nuked ---
HolydaKing
Profile Joined February 2010
21254 Posts
January 26 2022 09:09 GMT
#60
On January 25 2022 09:20 Waxangel wrote:
Show nested quote +
On January 25 2022 08:44 Chris_Havoc wrote:
Considering this group is not only buying ESL but also FaceIT for an additional $500 million, means this deal is primarily about acquiring CS:GO assets and not so much about StarCraft 2.

Now how this deal affects SC2 obviously remains to be seen.


Well, the 2022/23 EPT plan is already laid out, and SC2 is so minor for ESL I imagine it doesn't affect the operations of the league much at all. I think the way fans will notice it most is if random Saudi ventures (NEOM, etc) become the main sponsors of EPT and are prominently displayed/ads played every break. Mind you, this is just talking about how it might affect ESL SC2 in practical terms, not the underlying issue of principle.


Yeah, I think for the most part we will notice nothing different - apart from sponsor mentions maybe. I could imagine that prize pools will spike in some games that the Saudi company cares about.

While I don't approve a lot of things concerning the Saudi government, I don't really mind this. I don't mind Russian gamers and companies either, while I don't particularly like their government.
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