Today, we’re writing to share an important update regarding the future of the ESL Pro Tour (EPT). After an incredible journey since its inception in 2020, the ESL Pro Tour for StarCraft II will not continue in 2025 and beyond.
Reaching this decision has been exceptionally difficult for us. Over the years, we’ve had the privilege of hosting iconic events like the IEM Katowice World Championships, DreamHack Masters, ESL Masters, and ESL Opens, collaborating closely with players, fans, and community members to celebrate this iconic game. However, as the industry evolves, maintaining the full-scale circuit envisioned for the EPT has become increasingly challenging.
Nevertheless, there are still great StarCraft II esports moments to look forward to in 2025. As you might have already seen, StarCraft II is making its return to the Esports World Cup 2025, where a new World Champion will be crowned this summer in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Find out more on the official social media channels of the Esports World Cup.
Thank you to our players, talent, partners, and most importantly, the fans: you’ve made the EPT an unforgettable journey. The energy you bring to every match and every event is what makes StarCraft II truly special.
Thank you for being a part of this incredible journey.
With gratitude, The ESL Team
A Word from Michal “Carmac” Blicharz, VP of Product Development, ESL "I have spent over half a decade working actively on StarCraft II, and years more on following it from the sidelines. Back in 2010 it was this game that ushered in a new golden age for esports, and none of the big events we know today would be there if it wasn’t for StarCraft.
We ran the first ever international SC2 tournament, and operated the last EPT event, with nearly 15 years in between. We broke viewership records, filled venues we previously thought unfillable and we innovated more than ever before.
The opportunity to work on this game has given me tremendous learning possibilities, opened up interactions with a number of amazing people that I cannot count, and allowed me to be part of and interact with this wonderful community and its creators and curators at Blizzard.
I am not an RTS-native, but I fell in love with the game and its community. A massive thank you for all the moments that we have shared together. I am glad we were part of this ride."
A Word from Shaun “Apollo” Clark, VP of Game Ecosystems, ESL "Over the last 15 years, StarCraft has been more than a game for me. It has provided me with a career, close friends, and many memories that I'll cherish forever. There is no amount of giving back I could do in return for what I've received.
There are many who care deeply about SC2 at EFG, and it has not been an easy journey to arrive at the decision taken today. Thank you all for the years of continued passion and dedication to the game and all that you've given to us."
A Word from Oleksii “Alex007” Trushliakov, Senior Product Manager, ESL "This announcement is very difficult and very personal to me. I have been with StarCraft II esports since day 1, serving in roles such as tournament admin, journalist, commentator, project manager, content creator, and probably a few others - and I had the incredible honor of shaping the pinnacle of esports StarCraft over the past few years, working with the most passionate and talented team I have ever met.
During the darkest days for my compatriots, I had the chance to witness incredibly passionate crowds in Atlanta and Dallas, the warmest welcome from the old-school fans in Jönköping and Katowice, the largest prize ever in the history of StarCraft won by Clem, who I still remember as a little child attending his first major event - and Oliveira with Smix on the IEM stage, both in tears, creating what feels to me like the most magical moment in the history of esports.
None of this would be possible without you - every StarCraft fan who is reading this. Your love for the game is what brought these moments to life, and I am incredibly grateful to have been able to share these experiences with you. Thank you for being with us - and let's carry on with our passion for the game we all love."
The farewell video on youtube was posted by esl on 19th of Dec and was hidden till today’s publication. So the decision was made earlier than that.
One may wonder why it took extra 3 month to announce it. Is there a chance another company would pick SC2 circuit going forward? If not then what was the reason of such a late announcement…
With esl being gone, what crank said is seemingly coming true, with scene only extending for few months and no future in sight and risk of repeating the past 6months of limbo once again as soon as Saudi ewc ends.
On April 05 2025 01:52 jinjin5000 wrote: With esl being gone, what crank said is seemingly coming true, with scene only extending for few months and no future in sight and risk of repeating the past 6months of limbo once again as soon as Saudi ewc ends.
Not really a "limbo", we now know that there will be no ESL/EWC tournament for atleast a year. So either the scene fills the void (then we have something) or it doesn't then we have nothing (and most certainly not an EWC next year). It was the unclarity that was so unsettling the past couple of months
On April 05 2025 01:52 jinjin5000 wrote: With esl being gone, what crank said is seemingly coming true, with scene only extending for few months and no future in sight and risk of repeating the past 6months of limbo once again as soon as Saudi ewc ends.
Not really a "limbo", we now know that there will be no ESL/EWC tournament for atleast a year. So either the scene fills the void (then we have something) or it doesn't then we have nothing (and most certainly not an EWC next year). It was the unclarity that was so unsettling the past couple of months
Time to see what kind of legs SC2 has as a 'normal' competitive esport, like War3, fighting games, and all the other scenes that aren't heavily bankrolled by a big company (well, some fighting games have become esports-ified, but I digress...).
Not that surprising. But sad nontheless. Still the best game I have ever played. And I will still play it as long as I can. Hopefully there will still be community efforts that brings on smaller events somewhat regularly.
RIP. Was there from the start. Some great times we've had. Where did the time ever go? Felt like yesterday and like a different lifetime at the same time. Thanks for the memories.
On April 05 2025 03:17 SharkStarcraft wrote: RIP. Was there from the start. Some great times we've had. Where did the time ever go? Felt like yesterday and like a different lifetime at the same time. Thanks for the memories.
Yeah, I still recall watching Idra live at IEM Hannover in 2010, shortly after the release of SC2. Everything about SC2 felt so fresh and vibrant. Incredible it's been 15 years.
On April 05 2025 01:52 jinjin5000 wrote: With esl being gone, what crank said is seemingly coming true, with scene only extending for few months and no future in sight and risk of repeating the past 6months of limbo once again as soon as Saudi ewc ends.
Not really a "limbo", we now know that there will be no ESL/EWC tournament for atleast a year. So either the scene fills the void (then we have something) or it doesn't then we have nothing (and most certainly not an EWC next year). It was the unclarity that was so unsettling the past couple of months
Time to see what kind of legs SC2 has as a 'normal' competitive esport, like War3, fighting games, and all the other scenes that aren't heavily bankrolled by a big company (well, some fighting games have become esports-ified, but I digress...).
Obviously ESL/Blizzard can never be replaced, but I think if we get 3-4 more offline tournaments like BGE/HSC a year we can still have a nice little scene. Not the same as the glory days, but still fun to follow.
Even that might be too much to hope for though, the next few weeks will be telling in that regard - if orgs exist that are willing to put on smaller LANS(big if) they would probably be in a holding pattern up until now.
On April 05 2025 01:52 jinjin5000 wrote: With esl being gone, what crank said is seemingly coming true, with scene only extending for few months and no future in sight and risk of repeating the past 6months of limbo once again as soon as Saudi ewc ends.
Not really a "limbo", we now know that there will be no ESL/EWC tournament for atleast a year. So either the scene fills the void (then we have something) or it doesn't then we have nothing (and most certainly not an EWC next year). It was the unclarity that was so unsettling the past couple of months
Time to see what kind of legs SC2 has as a 'normal' competitive esport, like War3, fighting games, and all the other scenes that aren't heavily bankrolled by a big company (well, some fighting games have become esports-ified, but I digress...).
Obviously ESL/Blizzard can never be replaced, but I think if we get 3-4 more offline tournaments like BGE/HSC a year we can still have a nice little scene. Not the same as the glory days, but still fun to follow.
Even that might be too much to hope for though, the next few weeks will be telling in that regard - if orgs exist that are willing to put on smaller LANS(big if) they would probably be in a holding pattern up until now.
It would be great if we found a way to centralize crowd funding. A place that says, "are you a fan of SC2 esports and want them to continue? Donate to THIS patreon." rather than having 15 different places you have to donate to.
On April 05 2025 01:52 jinjin5000 wrote: With esl being gone, what crank said is seemingly coming true, with scene only extending for few months and no future in sight and risk of repeating the past 6months of limbo once again as soon as Saudi ewc ends.
Not really a "limbo", we now know that there will be no ESL/EWC tournament for atleast a year. So either the scene fills the void (then we have something) or it doesn't then we have nothing (and most certainly not an EWC next year). It was the unclarity that was so unsettling the past couple of months
Time to see what kind of legs SC2 has as a 'normal' competitive esport, like War3, fighting games, and all the other scenes that aren't heavily bankrolled by a big company (well, some fighting games have become esports-ified, but I digress...).
Obviously ESL/Blizzard can never be replaced, but I think if we get 3-4 more offline tournaments like BGE/HSC a year we can still have a nice little scene. Not the same as the glory days, but still fun to follow.
Even that might be too much to hope for though, the next few weeks will be telling in that regard - if orgs exist that are willing to put on smaller LANS(big if) they would probably be in a holding pattern up until now.
It would be great if we found a way to centralize crowd funding. A place that says, "are you a fan of SC2 esports and want them to continue? Donate to THIS patreon." rather than having 15 different places you have to donate to.
Yes, absolutely. I had the same thought the other day.
Actually, too many places to donate to are one of the reasons why I haven't donated much yet. I want to support HSC, but also PigSty, and also Wardi, and so on. A central SC2 crowdsourcing platform would be great.
On April 05 2025 01:52 jinjin5000 wrote: With esl being gone, what crank said is seemingly coming true, with scene only extending for few months and no future in sight and risk of repeating the past 6months of limbo once again as soon as Saudi ewc ends.
Not really a "limbo", we now know that there will be no ESL/EWC tournament for atleast a year. So either the scene fills the void (then we have something) or it doesn't then we have nothing (and most certainly not an EWC next year). It was the unclarity that was so unsettling the past couple of months
Time to see what kind of legs SC2 has as a 'normal' competitive esport, like War3, fighting games, and all the other scenes that aren't heavily bankrolled by a big company (well, some fighting games have become esports-ified, but I digress...).
Obviously ESL/Blizzard can never be replaced, but I think if we get 3-4 more offline tournaments like BGE/HSC a year we can still have a nice little scene. Not the same as the glory days, but still fun to follow.
Even that might be too much to hope for though, the next few weeks will be telling in that regard - if orgs exist that are willing to put on smaller LANS(big if) they would probably be in a holding pattern up until now.
It would be great if we found a way to centralize crowd funding. A place that says, "are you a fan of SC2 esports and want them to continue? Donate to THIS patreon." rather than having 15 different places you have to donate to.
Yes, absolutely. I had the same thought the other day.
Actually, too many places to donate to are one of the reasons why I haven't donated much yet. I want to support HSC, but also PigSty, and also Wardi, and so on. A central SC2 crowdsourcing platform would be great.
Well, the main problem with this issue is "who decides how the money is spent?" It's just unrealistic for a bunch of independent streamers/organizers to work out some theoretically ideal way to split a joint crowdfunding pot. And it's not just because of (understandable self-interest)—it's just too damned complicated.
I think it's much more realistic for 2-4 streamers to temporarily collaborate and organize $20-30k size online events (or whatever sum it takes to get Serral to play), and crowdfund on a per-tournament basis.
On April 05 2025 01:52 jinjin5000 wrote: With esl being gone, what crank said is seemingly coming true, with scene only extending for few months and no future in sight and risk of repeating the past 6months of limbo once again as soon as Saudi ewc ends.
Not really a "limbo", we now know that there will be no ESL/EWC tournament for atleast a year. So either the scene fills the void (then we have something) or it doesn't then we have nothing (and most certainly not an EWC next year). It was the unclarity that was so unsettling the past couple of months
Time to see what kind of legs SC2 has as a 'normal' competitive esport, like War3, fighting games, and all the other scenes that aren't heavily bankrolled by a big company (well, some fighting games have become esports-ified, but I digress...).
Obviously ESL/Blizzard can never be replaced, but I think if we get 3-4 more offline tournaments like BGE/HSC a year we can still have a nice little scene. Not the same as the glory days, but still fun to follow.
Even that might be too much to hope for though, the next few weeks will be telling in that regard - if orgs exist that are willing to put on smaller LANS(big if) they would probably be in a holding pattern up until now.
It would be great if we found a way to centralize crowd funding. A place that says, "are you a fan of SC2 esports and want them to continue? Donate to THIS patreon." rather than having 15 different places you have to donate to.
Yes, absolutely. I had the same thought the other day.
Actually, too many places to donate to are one of the reasons why I haven't donated much yet. I want to support HSC, but also PigSty, and also Wardi, and so on. A central SC2 crowdsourcing platform would be great.
Well, the main problem with this issue is "who decides how the money is spent?" It's just unrealistic for a bunch of independent streamers/organizers to work out some theoretically ideal way to split a joint crowdfunding pot. And it's not just because of (understandable self-interest)—it's just too damned complicated.
I think it's much more realistic for 2-4 streamers to temporarily collaborate and organize $20-30k size online events (or whatever sum it takes to get Serral to play), and crowdfund on a per-tournament basis.
It's also what just worked for other games. AoE 2 and WC3 run under the same principle, though Microsoft is augmenting the prizepools for AoE. Either you have major players involved (like Riot, ESL, BLAST etc.) or you do it community-based...but then you need to run it like it is community-based aswell.
It sucks that they waited so long. It’s just like beating a dead horse. Everyone knew this was going to happen, but the fact that they waited so long is just painful.
Now, let’s see what the community can do and whether we can manage to maybe even organize some small offline events.
On April 05 2025 01:52 jinjin5000 wrote: With esl being gone, what crank said is seemingly coming true, with scene only extending for few months and no future in sight and risk of repeating the past 6months of limbo once again as soon as Saudi ewc ends.
Not really a "limbo", we now know that there will be no ESL/EWC tournament for atleast a year. So either the scene fills the void (then we have something) or it doesn't then we have nothing (and most certainly not an EWC next year). It was the unclarity that was so unsettling the past couple of months
Time to see what kind of legs SC2 has as a 'normal' competitive esport, like War3, fighting games, and all the other scenes that aren't heavily bankrolled by a big company (well, some fighting games have become esports-ified, but I digress...).
Obviously ESL/Blizzard can never be replaced, but I think if we get 3-4 more offline tournaments like BGE/HSC a year we can still have a nice little scene. Not the same as the glory days, but still fun to follow.
Even that might be too much to hope for though, the next few weeks will be telling in that regard - if orgs exist that are willing to put on smaller LANS(big if) they would probably be in a holding pattern up until now.
It would be great if we found a way to centralize crowd funding. A place that says, "are you a fan of SC2 esports and want them to continue? Donate to THIS patreon." rather than having 15 different places you have to donate to.
Let the dark ages begin! No one supported BW other than bunch of die hard members when KeSPA dropped it. Now the same is happening for SC2. Thanks Blizzard for killing your RTS IP. Thank god they never touched BW scene.
Glad that I was able to make it to Dreamhack Dallas last year. Wish I would have gone to more events. Thankfully, the real premier tournament (GSL) is not confirmed dead.
I'm personally quite enraged they didn't let us crowdfund it. I'm not sure how much money these tournaments costed though, but i'm sure something reasonable could have been worked out.
On April 05 2025 06:20 Telephone wrote: Glad that I was able to make it to Dreamhack Dallas last year. Wish I would have gone to more events. Thankfully, the real premier tournament (GSL) is not confirmed dead.
Compared to other events now (outside EWC ofc) GSL now offers one of, if not THE largest prize pool in SC2. I wonder if we will see more pros traveling out there to compete in future seasons.
On April 05 2025 04:41 Waxangel wrote: I think it's much more realistic for 2-4 streamers to temporarily collaborate and organize $20-30k size online events (or whatever sum it takes to get Serral to play), and crowdfund on a per-tournament basis.
Someone willing to try organize semi-PayPerView tournament, even $2 per user can generate some revenue. And put open stream with 1-2 hour delay.
On April 05 2025 06:34 kajtarp wrote: I'm personally quite enraged they didn't let us crowdfund it. I'm not sure how much money these tournaments costed though, but i'm sure something reasonable could have been worked out.
While the community of Starcraft is incredibly supportive - shown over and over again - no amount of love of the community could raise the capital needed to run offline major events, support the prizemoney, work behind the scenes, venues and more.
We are talking 7 figures at least and since businesses cannot take charity it would be seen as income which is taxed. There really is no crowdfunding such a big circuit.
Yes, absolutely. I had the same thought the other day.
Actually, too many places to donate to are one of the reasons why I haven't donated much yet. I want to support HSC, but also PigSty, and also Wardi, and so on. A central SC2 crowdsourcing platform would be great.
You absolutely have the power to donate a small amount to each one instead of doing next to nothing.
And they have a reputation, they cannot put up a crappy product just because the community money didn't pour in.
esl -starcraft was awesome, I rly hope we see a return someday in a game that is not too dissimilar, or who knows sc2 could get a resurrection, just see wc3.
On April 05 2025 08:01 ejozl wrote: And they have a reputation, they cannot put up a crappy product just because the community money didn't pour in.
esl -starcraft was awesome, I rly hope we see a return someday in a game that is not too dissimilar, or who knows sc2 could get a resurrection, just see wc3.
Tbf crowdfunding worked out really really well with Dota2 that was valve handling it who arent also known for taking charity but they it for their official tournament anyways.
They had stupidly hyped and big events because of it although they stopped doing it recently cause the game wasnt their focus iirc.
On April 05 2025 01:52 Devangel wrote: The farewell video on youtube was posted by esl on 19th of Dec and was hidden till today’s publication. So the decision was made earlier than that.
One may wonder why it took extra 3 month to announce it. Is there a chance another company would pick SC2 circuit going forward? If not then what was the reason of such a late announcement…
How do you see that? It says a few hours ago on Youtube for me. I can't see anything in metadatas either.
This was sad, but not unexpected. Good games everyone. Also, I think if BW and WC3 can have resurgences, it's easy to imagine SC2 living to see more days in the sunshine.
Thanks for supporting the game for as long as you did. Sad day, but as others have already pointed out at this point not really unexpected. All good things come to an end, after all.
Big Thank you to ESL and everyone who participated to this incredible journey. I'm not sure I can see a business running so long just with the power of passionate people like I've seen with this game. I'm sad but grateful at the same time that we could enjoy such quality content on this amazing game despite the small size (but very devoted) of its community.
On April 05 2025 16:36 MvpRaiden wrote: Big Thank you to ESL and everyone who participated to this incredible journey. I'm not sure I can see a business running so long just with the power of passionate people like I've seen with this game. I'm sad but grateful at the same time that we could enjoy such quality content on this amazing game despite the small size (but very devoted) of its community.
On April 05 2025 08:01 ejozl wrote: And they have a reputation, they cannot put up a crappy product just because the community money didn't pour in.
esl -starcraft was awesome, I rly hope we see a return someday in a game that is not too dissimilar, or who knows sc2 could get a resurrection, just see wc3.
Tbf crowdfunding worked out really really well with Dota2 that was valve handling it who arent also known for taking charity but they it for their official tournament anyways.
They had stupidly hyped and big events because of it although they stopped doing it recently cause the game wasnt their focus iirc.
Crowdfunding worked for Valve because people like hats for their heroes and Valve took 75% of the cut themselves while the tournament got 25%. Once the model changed away from cosmetics the crowd support for the actual tournament was something like 3% of what it was before.
Whatever happens for SC will be much more limited with no access to the game and a lack of centralisation
On April 05 2025 23:40 Cricketer12 wrote: So the last GSL was is fact Dark defeating Maru.
gsl is not over. we have multiple small leaks suggesting there will be another season, just like we had multiple EWC leaks. ESL we didnt have any leaks so not surprising that shut down.
To clarify, some were still thinking this was about 2025 but it's about the end of EPT SC2.
ESL Pro Tour for StarCraft II will not continue in 2025 and beyond.
Thanks ESL for producing some of the best SC2 events ever, and stepping in when (it seemed) Blizzard did not want anything to do with SC2 esports.
I know grassroots SC2 will continue to exists but this is about professional SC2 which is in dire straits now. In the end, the level of play will not continue to climb without professionals, but the entertainment could still be there. SC2 is very well respected and loved still, do not forget. If the current (and why not past) greats find the time to occasionally particiapate in (mostly online) events, I bet the interest will be there for the organizers to stay net zero.
The biggest concern for me is the maintenance of the map pool and multilpayer balance. This has to be at least as big of a deal for Blizzard as WC3, so some form of support is expected. Let's hope Blizzard has the humility to gather pro/community feedback for balance, and pick the maps from future TL Map Contests.
All in all, this announcement was waaaaay overdue. It is no coincidence the news came out right after the EWC annoucement, but something could have been said earlier in my opinion. Still, I am glad SC2 is free to play, the servers are online (except rip China), and with balance mods and maps we the community still have the power to shape this esports as we see fit.
Thank you so much for the tons and tons of great SC2 content - thrilling storylines, heroic rivalry and unbelievably great games. I really hope we can crowdfund (obviously much smaller) community events with passionate organizers like TakeTV, Wardi, Pig and the likes. And maybe there will be some competitive SC because of the EWC with some qualifiers, too.
We knew this was coming as the scene was in limbo for the past seven or so months. The end of an era.
I started rewatching SC2 during early COVID times, so I'm sad to see this chapter come to a close. After this year's EWC who knows if there will be more premier SC2 tournaments?
At least GSL will still continue based on leaks, but things are not going well on the SC2 front.
Also what does this mean for the balance council? IIRC those guys are working alongside ESL to do balance patches for SC2. What's gonna happen to them now?
1. The Brood War scene will flourish and grow even bigger 2. They have SC3 in the works
Haven't watched much SC2 past WoL, only really the world championships and EWC, there's just been too many balance changes for me to keep up with and also I think most of the casters are really bad, but it's been exciting regardless.
On April 06 2025 12:09 Freezard wrote: I can only imagine this means either:
1. The Brood War scene will flourish and grow even bigger 2. They have SC3 in the works
Haven't watched much SC2 past WoL, only really the world championships and EWC, there's just been too many balance changes for me to keep up with and also I think most of the casters are really bad, but it's been exciting regardless.
Blizzard making sc3 would be the biggest error ever from a company that has been making nothing but massive errors for well over a decade.
Really doubt blizzard is currently working on sc3, and I highly doubt that's in the plans going forward. At best we will get spinoffs using the IP.
Even if blizzard was to make a sc3 I just don't have a lot of confidence in them at the moment.
I mean honestly all good things must come to an end. Those early days feel like so so long ago. I think about the things I was doing at those times and where I was at in life. Crazy how much the internet culture and my own life has changed over those 15 years or so
Pulling all nighters to catch proleague or code s live, inevitably fall asleep at some point. Going to a kbbq restaurant for the first time with some friends and one of them wearing a TL shirt just in case anyone knew about sc lmao... Streaming taking off, esports actually being a real thing.
Feel like I'm just rambling but it's just a little bit of a strange feeling for sc2 esports to be "basically done". Glad I was here to witness and participate in the community in whatever small ways over the years.
Farewell...I was with sc2 since day one. It feels only proper to be here when it ends...So much emotions, good and bad, so much excitement over balance changes and endless forum and twitch chat fights over it...That was a proof that u cared so much.
Thanks sc2. Will always remember. I still play sometimes, but it's not the same as it was...But still, this game will be always in my heart in the special place.
Not hard to see coming--so long and thanks for all the fish! Still remember watching Tassadar nuke the Overmind in elementary school and falling in love with SC for the first time. Fast-forward to downloading Idra replays during beta and then watching qualifiers for the first GSL. What a wild ride it's been. Starcraft has been such a source of joy for so long, can't be anything but thankful for that.
Will still watch and support the scene no doubt, but playing Z on this patch as a mortal is supremely irritating. If SC2 ends in this game state, that'll be the real tragedy for me lol.
I haven't played or watched SC2 in years but this news brings back so many memories. Everything has its end and this new is long overdue. It is amazing that SC2 pro-scene survived as long as it did. So long SC2.
It's a shame a lot of the developments happened the way they did, but I'm sure the scene will have a new era of people touching the game, even if it ain't publisher-funded anymore.
Funding is always a mess in this situation, but hopefully we get more SC2.
RIP i wish i wasn't so busy / had another thing conflicting with one of the last ESL tournies in the US. I never got to attend a SC2 event live, not a GSL or an ESL, so sad. I wish i had gotten to see Slayers Boxer or Slayers compete back then, especially in WoL days, especially MLG Anaheim with all the TvT and blue flame hellions it was really crazy, but as a poor college student i didn't have the means to really go...
Yeah I only attended DH winter 2011, it was an amazingly stacked event and got to see all of the guys, there were a lot of new wc3 players as well and I was hooked on it and Artosis asked for a prediction for the tournament winner, and I went with le ToD. Sadly MC and moon canceled their tickets.
I wish I'd been to hsc XX, imo this was the greatest event for sc2 yet as a viewer, it was a great community effort as well and the feeling around sc2 was amazing, it wasn't even that long ago..
On April 07 2025 15:52 radracer wrote: SC2 has been on life support for a while... that plug has now been pulled.
The only silver lining would be if GSL continues, and we get foreigners interested in GSL now. Let's see if Serral can win it!
Has it? SC2 had what, two million dollars in prize money even just last year? Multiple circuits and huge crowds and events.
Something went wrong this past year. My hunch, as much as I hate to say it, is that Microsoft meddled in and changed something to push ESL away completely. There's no way they just go from 2 million dollars to zero just like that.
I don't play SC2 anymore as I have switched to AoE4, but I tune into the big SC2 tournaments such as Katowice (which did not happen this year) and EWC. First and foremost, right when the SC2 e-sports scene is struggling, I hear from some pros that there are problems with Protoss again, with SortOf posting this video:
This is the worst time for there to be issues with Protoss, and for the pros like SortOf to comment as he did in the video. I hope the balance council fixes the issues fast, for the sake of SC2.
Meanwhile, since some of the SC2 pros like SortOf, Elazer, Nina, etc, are playing AoE4 now, I have a lot of fun watching them stream AoE4. But I will tune into the EWC this year, because SC2 is always exciting to watch, when it's balanced. Going forward though, SC2 can't afford any more mistakes, especially with ESL stopping their pro tour. This means the issue of balance must be addressed ASAP.
Now it would be sad if Elazer, SortOf, Nina, etc, returned to SC2 from AoE4, because I would have fewer AoE4 streamers to watch. But if they return, it probably means the balance of SC2 is much better and they are finding it fun again, which is good for SC2.
I followed the game from the HDH Invitational in 2010 until the Saudi takeover of ESL. I stayed up all night to watch Blizzcon, traveled to South Korea to see GSL, traveled to Germany to see HSC, attended a BarCraft to see IEM live with a crowd, and watched countless hours of matches. StarCraft II was a big part of my life. I am thankful for all players, commentators, hosts, production crews, designers, and other people who contributed to the product, events, or the community. Blizzard created a phenomenal RTS.
EPT
