• Log InLog In
  • Register
Liquid`
Team Liquid Liquipedia
EST 05:42
CET 11:42
KST 19:42
  • Home
  • Forum
  • Calendar
  • Streams
  • Liquipedia
  • Features
  • Store
  • EPT
  • TL+
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Smash
  • Heroes
  • Counter-Strike
  • Overwatch
  • Liquibet
  • Fantasy StarCraft
  • TLPD
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Blogs
Forum Sidebar
Events/Features
News
Featured News
RSL Revival - 2025 Season Finals Preview8RSL Season 3 - Playoffs Preview0RSL Season 3 - RO16 Groups C & D Preview0RSL Season 3 - RO16 Groups A & B Preview2TL.net Map Contest #21: Winners12
Community News
ComeBackTV's documentary on Byun's Career !9Weekly Cups (Dec 8-14): MaxPax, Clem, Cure win4Weekly Cups (Dec 1-7): Clem doubles, Solar gets over the hump1Weekly Cups (Nov 24-30): MaxPax, Clem, herO win2BGE Stara Zagora 2026 announced15
StarCraft 2
General
Micro Lags When Playing SC2? ComeBackTV's documentary on Byun's Career ! When will we find out if there are more tournament Weekly Cups (Dec 8-14): MaxPax, Clem, Cure win RSL Revival - 2025 Season Finals Preview
Tourneys
Sparkling Tuna Cup - Weekly Open Tournament $100 Prize Pool - Winter Warp Gate Masters Showdow $5,000+ WardiTV 2025 Championship Winter Warp Gate Amateur Showdown #1 RSL Offline Finals Info - Dec 13 and 14!
Strategy
Custom Maps
Map Editor closed ?
External Content
Mutation # 504 Retribution Mutation # 503 Fowl Play Mutation # 502 Negative Reinforcement Mutation # 501 Price of Progress
Brood War
General
Klaucher discontinued / in-game color settings Anyone remember me from 2000s Bnet EAST server? BGH Auto Balance -> http://bghmmr.eu/ How Rain Became ProGamer in Just 3 Months FlaSh on: Biggest Problem With SnOw's Playstyle
Tourneys
[BSL21] LB QuarterFinals - Sunday 21:00 CET Small VOD Thread 2.0 [Megathread] Daily Proleagues [BSL21] WB SEMIFINALS - Saturday 21:00 CET
Strategy
Simple Questions, Simple Answers Game Theory for Starcraft Current Meta Fighting Spirit mining rates
Other Games
General Games
Stormgate/Frost Giant Megathread General RTS Discussion Thread Nintendo Switch Thread Mechabellum PC Games Sales Thread
Dota 2
Official 'what is Dota anymore' discussion
League of Legends
Heroes of the Storm
Simple Questions, Simple Answers Heroes of the Storm 2.0
Hearthstone
Deck construction bug Heroes of StarCraft mini-set
TL Mafia
Mafia Game Mode Feedback/Ideas Survivor II: The Amazon Sengoku Mafia TL Mafia Community Thread
Community
General
Russo-Ukrainian War Thread The Games Industry And ATVI US Politics Mega-thread Things Aren’t Peaceful in Palestine YouTube Thread
Fan Clubs
White-Ra Fan Club
Media & Entertainment
Anime Discussion Thread [Manga] One Piece Movie Discussion!
Sports
2024 - 2026 Football Thread Formula 1 Discussion
World Cup 2022
Tech Support
Computer Build, Upgrade & Buying Resource Thread
TL Community
TL+ Announced Where to ask questions and add stream?
Blogs
The (Hidden) Drug Problem in…
TrAiDoS
I decided to write a webnov…
DjKniteX
James Bond movies ranking - pa…
Topin
Thanks for the RSL
Hildegard
Customize Sidebar...

Website Feedback

Closed Threads



Active: 2101 users

What's Going on With StarCraft?

Forum Index > SC2 General
Post a Reply
1 2 Next All
StarcraftHistorian
Profile Joined November 2022
United States154 Posts
December 17 2024 16:05 GMT
#1
It's been a while my friends, how've you all been?

With all the angst around the lack of a 2025 Circuit Announcement from ESL, I wanted to put together a piece that talks about what's going on in the world of StarCraft. This is a totally new style of content for me, would love some feedback!



My Full Catalog of Content: https://starcrafthistorian.com/
My Twitter: https://x.com/SC2Historian
Harris1st
Profile Blog Joined May 2010
Germany7021 Posts
Last Edited: 2024-12-20 08:32:38
December 20 2024 08:31 GMT
#2
Some cool memory lane moments you got there Mr. Historian :D


Didn't wanna open a new thread for basically no info.

EWC has announced most of their games including pricepool. Starcraft 2 is not yet mentioned. But we do have Chess https://esportsworldcup.com/en/chess-joins-ewc with Magnus Carlsen es E-Sport Chess Ambassador...

There are still 8 games unannounced, so not all is over
Go Serral! GG EZ for Ence. Flashbang dance FTW
StarcraftHistorian
Profile Joined November 2022
United States154 Posts
December 20 2024 16:25 GMT
#3
On December 20 2024 17:31 Harris1st wrote:
Some cool memory lane moments you got there Mr. Historian :D


Didn't wanna open a new thread for basically no info.

EWC has announced most of their games including pricepool. Starcraft 2 is not yet mentioned. But we do have Chess https://esportsworldcup.com/en/chess-joins-ewc with Magnus Carlsen es E-Sport Chess Ambassador...

There are still 8 games unannounced, so not all is over


I'm holding on to hope as well buddy, haha. Glad you enjoyed walking memory lane with me =D
Waxangel
Profile Blog Joined September 2002
United States33502 Posts
Last Edited: 2024-12-20 22:58:44
December 20 2024 22:56 GMT
#4
On December 20 2024 17:31 Harris1st wrote:
Some cool memory lane moments you got there Mr. Historian :D


Didn't wanna open a new thread for basically no info.

EWC has announced most of their games including pricepool. Starcraft 2 is not yet mentioned. But we do have Chess https://esportsworldcup.com/en/chess-joins-ewc with Magnus Carlsen es E-Sport Chess Ambassador...

There are still 8 games unannounced, so not all is over


The vibes I'm getting are that even ESL doesn't 100% know what's going on with SC2 yet. Otherwise why were they leading the balance/community council on a patch in November (three months after they last did any kind of SC2 esports), but still haven't been able to announce any information regarding the 2025 circuit?

Hopefully, the uncertainty is about the size and scale of the circuit, not its actual existence.
AdministratorHey HP can you redo everything youve ever done because i have a small complaint?
PurE)Rabbit-SF
Profile Blog Joined December 2006
United States679 Posts
Last Edited: 2024-12-21 13:34:36
December 21 2024 03:27 GMT
#5
-Average monkey take erased-

Fair enough, as zombiegrub pointed out. :D

Well, my only main concern would just be in what scale would a company support the Esport scene, also the financial market just really not there for investment to happen.
Mostly a troll, bi-polar by design, occasionally brain malfunction. Please forgive me. xD
ZombieGrub
Profile Blog Joined May 2011
United States712 Posts
Last Edited: 2024-12-21 03:43:20
December 21 2024 03:42 GMT
#6
On December 21 2024 12:27 PurE)Rabbit-SF wrote:
Show nested quote +
On December 21 2024 07:56 Waxangel wrote:
On December 20 2024 17:31 Harris1st wrote:
Some cool memory lane moments you got there Mr. Historian :D


Didn't wanna open a new thread for basically no info.

EWC has announced most of their games including pricepool. Starcraft 2 is not yet mentioned. But we do have Chess https://esportsworldcup.com/en/chess-joins-ewc with Magnus Carlsen es E-Sport Chess Ambassador...

There are still 8 games unannounced, so not all is over


The vibes I'm getting are that even ESL doesn't 100% know what's going on with SC2 yet. Otherwise why were they leading the balance/community council on a patch in November (three months after they last did any kind of SC2 esports), but still haven't been able to announce any information regarding the 2025 circuit?

Hopefully, the uncertainty is about the size and scale of the circuit, not its actual existence.




I highly doubt Microsoft would have any strategy investment or interest to support Esport, that's not something Microsoft does on its own I feel like. And given the current financial climate. We can safely assume esport winter, no one is actually going to make the money from Esport besides the betting companies to be honest. No one pays for anything in Esport, I highly doubt in the current climate where layoffs are often and failed OWL, there's basically no one is actually thinking about E-Sports, as much as shit we gave Mr.Kotik and how "DEMONIC" the guy is, at least he was the one who came up with OWL and tried it out. Well, if anything, he tried more than most of us for Esports. F in the chat plz :D

Okay, my take might be a bit hot take and edgy, but I think there's certain merit to it I suppose.

I don't mean I know it all, the above is basically my best guess as "What would be reason they wouldn't invest in it".



Not to mention they have way more fire to fight than "Esport" within MSFT gaming division, I can tell you for sure Xbox and the Gaming division is on fire. My cousin has worked on Xbox for over 20 years since the first model of xbox 360. Esports is probably the last thing they would think about.


Kotick didn't come up with it. Nanzer did. Kotick was the reason they asked for the absurd $20mil buy-in for teams rather than a modest (although many still believed this to be unrealistic) $250k. Saying Kotick "tried more than most of us for esports" is so absurd and backwards I would erase that sentence from your post if I had the power. Go read "Play Nice" for some information, or any deep-dives from many journalists on the Blizzard/OWL/Activision/etc situation.

Microsoft supports the AoE esports scene and continues the development of those games with expansions. They also just did the AoM Remaster which was successful.
Commentator"Defeat is the acceptance of my own laziness." - SlayerS_'Boxer'
afreecaTV.Char
Profile Joined December 2014
United States337 Posts
December 21 2024 13:58 GMT
#7
On December 21 2024 12:42 ZombieGrub wrote:
Show nested quote +
On December 21 2024 12:27 PurE)Rabbit-SF wrote:
On December 21 2024 07:56 Waxangel wrote:
On December 20 2024 17:31 Harris1st wrote:
Some cool memory lane moments you got there Mr. Historian :D


Didn't wanna open a new thread for basically no info.

EWC has announced most of their games including pricepool. Starcraft 2 is not yet mentioned. But we do have Chess https://esportsworldcup.com/en/chess-joins-ewc with Magnus Carlsen es E-Sport Chess Ambassador...

There are still 8 games unannounced, so not all is over


The vibes I'm getting are that even ESL doesn't 100% know what's going on with SC2 yet. Otherwise why were they leading the balance/community council on a patch in November (three months after they last did any kind of SC2 esports), but still haven't been able to announce any information regarding the 2025 circuit?

Hopefully, the uncertainty is about the size and scale of the circuit, not its actual existence.




I highly doubt Microsoft would have any strategy investment or interest to support Esport, that's not something Microsoft does on its own I feel like. And given the current financial climate. We can safely assume esport winter, no one is actually going to make the money from Esport besides the betting companies to be honest. No one pays for anything in Esport, I highly doubt in the current climate where layoffs are often and failed OWL, there's basically no one is actually thinking about E-Sports, as much as shit we gave Mr.Kotik and how "DEMONIC" the guy is, at least he was the one who came up with OWL and tried it out. Well, if anything, he tried more than most of us for Esports. F in the chat plz :D

Okay, my take might be a bit hot take and edgy, but I think there's certain merit to it I suppose.

I don't mean I know it all, the above is basically my best guess as "What would be reason they wouldn't invest in it".



Not to mention they have way more fire to fight than "Esport" within MSFT gaming division, I can tell you for sure Xbox and the Gaming division is on fire. My cousin has worked on Xbox for over 20 years since the first model of xbox 360. Esports is probably the last thing they would think about.


Kotick didn't come up with it. Nanzer did. Kotick was the reason they asked for the absurd $20mil buy-in for teams rather than a modest (although many still believed this to be unrealistic) $250k. Saying Kotick "tried more than most of us for esports" is so absurd and backwards I would erase that sentence from your post if I had the power. Go read "Play Nice" for some information, or any deep-dives from many journalists on the Blizzard/OWL/Activision/etc situation.

Microsoft supports the AoE esports scene and continues the development of those games with expansions. They also just did the AoM Remaster which was successful.


The OWL was a very ambitious project with extremely high risks. I think asking for $20M buy-in with a three-year commitment was understandable from Blizzard's perspective. You also need to consider the environment at the time and the amount of VC money being thrown around with all of the promises of high-growth opportunities in esports.
Former AfreecaTV Esports Manager (2014-2024)
PurE)Rabbit-SF
Profile Blog Joined December 2006
United States679 Posts
December 21 2024 14:51 GMT
#8
On December 21 2024 12:42 ZombieGrub wrote:
Show nested quote +
On December 21 2024 12:27 PurE)Rabbit-SF wrote:
On December 21 2024 07:56 Waxangel wrote:
On December 20 2024 17:31 Harris1st wrote:
Some cool memory lane moments you got there Mr. Historian :D


Didn't wanna open a new thread for basically no info.

EWC has announced most of their games including pricepool. Starcraft 2 is not yet mentioned. But we do have Chess https://esportsworldcup.com/en/chess-joins-ewc with Magnus Carlsen es E-Sport Chess Ambassador...

There are still 8 games unannounced, so not all is over


The vibes I'm getting are that even ESL doesn't 100% know what's going on with SC2 yet. Otherwise why were they leading the balance/community council on a patch in November (three months after they last did any kind of SC2 esports), but still haven't been able to announce any information regarding the 2025 circuit?

Hopefully, the uncertainty is about the size and scale of the circuit, not its actual existence.




I highly doubt Microsoft would have any strategy investment or interest to support Esport, that's not something Microsoft does on its own I feel like. And given the current financial climate. We can safely assume esport winter, no one is actually going to make the money from Esport besides the betting companies to be honest. No one pays for anything in Esport, I highly doubt in the current climate where layoffs are often and failed OWL, there's basically no one is actually thinking about E-Sports, as much as shit we gave Mr.Kotik and how "DEMONIC" the guy is, at least he was the one who came up with OWL and tried it out. Well, if anything, he tried more than most of us for Esports. F in the chat plz :D

Okay, my take might be a bit hot take and edgy, but I think there's certain merit to it I suppose.

I don't mean I know it all, the above is basically my best guess as "What would be reason they wouldn't invest in it".



Not to mention they have way more fire to fight than "Esport" within MSFT gaming division, I can tell you for sure Xbox and the Gaming division is on fire. My cousin has worked on Xbox for over 20 years since the first model of xbox 360. Esports is probably the last thing they would think about.


Kotick didn't come up with it. Nanzer did. Kotick was the reason they asked for the absurd $20mil buy-in for teams rather than a modest (although many still believed this to be unrealistic) $250k. Saying Kotick "tried more than most of us for esports" is so absurd and backwards I would erase that sentence from your post if I had the power. Go read "Play Nice" for some information, or any deep-dives from many journalists on the Blizzard/OWL/Activision/etc situation.

Microsoft supports the AoE esports scene and continues the development of those games with expansions. They also just did the AoM Remaster which was successful.



I can get where you are coming from, and I don't doubt you and many others have tried a lot.

But my point is not about you or anyone actively working in the industry. My point is the fans don't want to pay for anything.
Mostly a troll, bi-polar by design, occasionally brain malfunction. Please forgive me. xD
lechatnoir
Profile Joined November 2016
391 Posts
December 21 2024 15:52 GMT
#9
On December 21 2024 23:51 PurE)Rabbit-SF wrote:
But my point is not about you or anyone actively working in the industry. My point is the fans don't want to pay for anything.


I mean when stuff has been free to watch for more than a decade years it's not strange that people are averse to paying. People are creatures of habit and inertia.
PurE)Rabbit-SF
Profile Blog Joined December 2006
United States679 Posts
Last Edited: 2024-12-22 02:34:11
December 22 2024 00:58 GMT
#10
Edited: nuked, I don't think I should rant again for any good reason
Mostly a troll, bi-polar by design, occasionally brain malfunction. Please forgive me. xD
PurE)Rabbit-SF
Profile Blog Joined December 2006
United States679 Posts
Last Edited: 2024-12-28 23:31:20
December 23 2024 04:17 GMT
#11
Edit: nuked , don't feel like it fits the discussion here
Mostly a troll, bi-polar by design, occasionally brain malfunction. Please forgive me. xD
afreecaTV.Char
Profile Joined December 2014
United States337 Posts
December 23 2024 21:23 GMT
#12
On December 23 2024 13:17 PurE)Rabbit-SF wrote:
Show nested quote +
On December 22 2024 00:52 lechatnoir wrote:
On December 21 2024 23:51 PurE)Rabbit-SF wrote:
But my point is not about you or anyone actively working in the industry. My point is the fans don't want to pay for anything.


I mean when stuff has been free to watch for more than a decade years it's not strange that people are averse to paying. People are creatures of habit and inertia.


Honestly if I didn't remember wrong, I used to have subscription for GSL from GomTV with high res streaming, that must've been somewhat profitable at the time for them.


I don't think the GSL was ever profitable under GOMTV, not even close.
Former AfreecaTV Esports Manager (2014-2024)
LaughNgamezSOOP
Profile Joined June 2024
65 Posts
December 23 2024 21:49 GMT
#13
Next EWC announcements aren't for 2 weeks then 4 weeks so we'll have an answer within a month.
Literally the greatest caster ever: https://www.youtube.com/@LaughNgamed
Antithesis
Profile Joined August 2010
Germany1215 Posts
December 24 2024 01:54 GMT
#14
Cool video!

But yeah, I also really hope professional SC2 doesn't just quietly die by not being included in EWC in the next weeks. Of course, it has to end at some point, but it would be so much more worthy to have another premier tournament plus a clear concluding statement when and that it will not be featured anymore next time.
Mutation complete.
PurE)Rabbit-SF
Profile Blog Joined December 2006
United States679 Posts
Last Edited: 2024-12-28 23:31:12
December 24 2024 02:59 GMT
#15
Edit: nuked , don't feel like it fits the discussion here
Mostly a troll, bi-polar by design, occasionally brain malfunction. Please forgive me. xD
PurE)Rabbit-SF
Profile Blog Joined December 2006
United States679 Posts
Last Edited: 2024-12-28 23:31:07
December 27 2024 22:08 GMT
#16
Edit: nuked , don't feel like it fits the discussion here
Mostly a troll, bi-polar by design, occasionally brain malfunction. Please forgive me. xD
shikadisoda
Profile Joined March 2024
19 Posts
December 27 2024 22:38 GMT
#17
i dont understand the constant turning over stones to try to explain why pop culture isnt obsessed with starcraft. its an incredibly rare anomaly for any game to achieve mainstream awareness as a competitive sport and huge prize pools for full time players. the fact that it has happened even one time is incredible let alone expecting it to keep happening. sc2 is an awesome thrilling game to play for a specific type of person, most people just dont care for this shit. its not about companies and "community" and strategies lol its not that deep
johnnyh123
Profile Joined February 2023
124 Posts
December 31 2024 06:37 GMT
#18
On December 24 2024 06:49 LaughNgamezSOOP wrote:
Next EWC announcements aren't for 2 weeks then 4 weeks so we'll have an answer within a month.


Just checked the Esports World Cup website, I believe the last game will announce Jan 31st local time, with a total of 6 more unannounced games.

Fingers crossed
Harris1st
Profile Blog Joined May 2010
Germany7021 Posts
January 09 2025 14:15 GMT
#19
On December 24 2024 06:49 LaughNgamezSOOP wrote:
Next EWC announcements aren't for 2 weeks then 4 weeks so we'll have an answer within a month.


EWC just changed all announcement dates.... Seems like even they don't know what is going on
Go Serral! GG EZ for Ence. Flashbang dance FTW
Balnazza
Profile Joined January 2018
Germany1247 Posts
January 09 2025 18:23 GMT
#20
On January 09 2025 23:15 Harris1st wrote:
Show nested quote +
On December 24 2024 06:49 LaughNgamezSOOP wrote:
Next EWC announcements aren't for 2 weeks then 4 weeks so we'll have an answer within a month.


EWC just changed all announcement dates.... Seems like even they don't know what is going on


Considering how pumpy these things went last year, I honestly wonder if the EWC Foundation is constantly underestimating that not everything can be bought. If I recall, last year they had huge problems with LoL, because Riot would not budge until the EWC got reduced to a better showmatch tournament.
"Wenn die Zauberin runter geht, dann macht sie die Beine breit" - Khaldor, trying to cast WC3 German-only
1 2 Next All
Please log in or register to reply.
Live Events Refresh
Sparkling Tuna Cup
10:00
Weekly #116
SKillous vs GgMaChineLIVE!
CranKy Ducklings89
LiquipediaDiscussion
[ Submit Event ]
Live Streams
Refresh
StarCraft 2
RotterdaM 194
DivinesiaTV 4
StarCraft: Brood War
Sea 4032
Calm 2594
Rain 2205
GuemChi 1028
Shuttle 733
Horang2 698
Stork 612
Soma 316
Sharp 306
hero 254
[ Show more ]
Rush 252
Last 148
Dewaltoss 129
Light 77
EffOrt 73
Killer 62
firebathero 59
Mong 56
NaDa 41
Barracks 30
Movie 19
Terrorterran 17
zelot 17
GoRush 13
SilentControl 9
910 9
soO 4
Britney 0
Dota 2
XcaliburYe504
singsing499
NeuroSwarm61
League of Legends
JimRising 416
Counter-Strike
oskar187
Heroes of the Storm
Khaldor275
Other Games
Fuzer 346
Mew2King81
febbydoto13
Organizations
StarCraft 2
Blizzard YouTube
StarCraft: Brood War
BSLTrovo
sctven
[ Show 17 non-featured ]
StarCraft 2
• Berry_CruncH308
• LUISG 31
• intothetv
• IndyKCrew
• sooper7s
• AfreecaTV YouTube
• Migwel
• LaughNgamezSOOP
• Kozan
StarCraft: Brood War
• STPLYoutube
• ZZZeroYoutube
• BSLYoutube
Dota 2
• WagamamaTV897
• lizZardDota297
League of Legends
• Jankos1956
• Stunt836
Other Games
• Carefoot0
Upcoming Events
WardiTV 2025
18m
Reynor vs Solar
Clem vs MaxPax
Classic vs SHIN
Ladder Legends
6h 18m
BSL 21
9h 18m
StRyKeR vs TBD
Bonyth vs TBD
Replay Cast
22h 18m
Wardi Open
1d 1h
Monday Night Weeklies
1d 6h
WardiTV Invitational
3 days
Replay Cast
3 days
WardiTV Invitational
4 days
ByuN vs Solar
Clem vs Classic
Cure vs herO
Reynor vs MaxPax
Replay Cast
5 days
[ Show More ]
Sparkling Tuna Cup
6 days
Liquipedia Results

Completed

Acropolis #4 - TS3
RSL Offline Finals
Kuram Kup

Ongoing

C-Race Season 1
IPSL Winter 2025-26
KCM Race Survival 2025 Season 4
YSL S2
BSL Season 21
Slon Tour Season 2
CSL Season 19: Qualifier 1
WardiTV 2025
META Madness #9
eXTREMESLAND 2025
SL Budapest Major 2025
ESL Impact League Season 8
BLAST Rivals Fall 2025
IEM Chengdu 2025
PGL Masters Bucharest 2025
Thunderpick World Champ.
CS Asia Championships 2025
ESL Pro League S22

Upcoming

CSL Season 19: Qualifier 2
CSL 2025 WINTER (S19)
BSL 21 Non-Korean Championship
Acropolis #4
IPSL Spring 2026
Bellum Gens Elite Stara Zagora 2026
HSC XXVIII
Big Gabe Cup #3
OSC Championship Season 13
Nations Cup 2026
ESL Pro League Season 23
PGL Cluj-Napoca 2026
IEM Kraków 2026
BLAST Bounty Winter 2026
BLAST Bounty Winter Qual
TLPD

1. ByuN
2. TY
3. Dark
4. Solar
5. Stats
6. Nerchio
7. sOs
8. soO
9. INnoVation
10. Elazer
1. Rain
2. Flash
3. EffOrt
4. Last
5. Bisu
6. Soulkey
7. Mini
8. Sharp
Sidebar Settings...

Advertising | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use | Contact Us

Original banner artwork: Jim Warren
The contents of this webpage are copyright © 2025 TLnet. All Rights Reserved.