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!
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
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.