Intel Excessive Grasp Cologne drew a document 39,000 folks to look at six of the world’s finest Counter-Strike 2 gamers sq. off over a $1 million prize pool.
That document was set because the weekend occasion hit an exciting conclusion as Staff Vitality emerged as Champions within the Grand Last, narrowly beating Navi in additional time with a rating of 16 to 14. It was the primary time I used to be in a position to watch the occasion in individual, and I interviewed Michal Blicharz, one of many authentic creators of the occasion, which is called the Cathedral of Counter-Strike.
Set in opposition to the backdrop of the long-lasting LANXESS area, this 12 months’s IEM Cologne introduced collectively six of the world’s finest Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) groups within the playoffs—MOUZ, G2 Esports, Staff Vitality, FaZe Clan, SAW, and Natus Vincere—as they vied for the coveted trophy and a share of the $1 million prize pool.
The match drew 39,000 attendees to the Cathedral of Counter-Strike throughout three days, whereas over 1,050,000 viewers tuned in on-line globally to witness Staff Vitality declare their first ever IEM Cologne trophy, marking IEM Cologne 2024 because the most-watched non-Main Counter-Strike competitors of the 12 months.
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Staff Vitality’s journey to the Championship was paved with hard-fought victories in opposition to the world’s finest squads. The workforce confronted fierce competitors, together with MOUZ and G2 Esports, and their Grand Last best-of-five sequence in opposition to Natus Vincere led to an intense 3-1 victory.
The win marks Staff Vitality’s first IEM Cologne title, and a long-awaited victory lap for workforce captain Dan “apEX” Madesclaire, who appeared on the LANXESS area’s first-ever IEM occasion in 2015. With the victory, Staff Vitality earned a Championship-level win, bringing them one step nearer to claiming an Intel Grand Slam and its $1 million prize. Inside, it was loud with screams, chants and roars. The manufacturing cameras for the large display zeroed in on folks reacting to each nice play with shock or glee.
“I’m excited to win right here with this bunch of boys – that is the most effective [win] I can ask for and among the finest days of my life,” stated Shahar “flameZ” Shushan, in a press release. “It means hundreds to us. In fact we didn’t have the most effective 12 months, however this trophy means all the things. I’m so grateful to win [it] in entrance of such an incredible crowd and in entrance of among the finest groups on this planet proper now.”
However the story of IEM Cologne 2024 isn’t just in regards to the Champions. SAW, the Portuguese workforce that competed at IEM Cologne for the primary time this 12 months made historical past by representing their nation on the Cathedral of Counter-Strike. The underdog squad took dominant video games off of The MongolZ, BIG, and FaZe Clan.
In the meantime, Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut stole the present, being named the match’s DHL ESL Professional Tour Most Worthwhile Participant (MVP) for his excellent efficiency all through the occasion. His play was pivotal in securing Staff Vitality’s Championship run, notably within the Grand Last, the place their abilities have been on full show.
IEM Cologne featured three days of fan-centric celebrations, with EFG and an assortment of brand name companions taking part in main roles. EFG’s all-new ESL model marketing campaign, debuting in Cologne, ushered in a brand new search for the storied esports organizer and highlighted the gamers, groups, and followers which have chosen to “Dwell Legendary” over its practically 25-year tenure. The model additionally introduced a partnership renewal with long-time accomplice DHL, in addition to welcoming Logitech and Unilever vitamin manufacturers Knorr and Pot Noodle into the fray. Logitech confirmed me the athlete way of life participant’s lounge that it arrange within the close by Radisson Lodge, which got here with therapeutic massage tables, ping pong and different methods for the gamers to unwind once they weren’t taking part in essential matches.
This 12 months’s occasion has raised the bar for what’s to return within the Intel Excessive Masters sequence, together with the upcoming IEM Rio, which involves Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on October 7-13. For extra data or to buy tickets, go to www.professional.eslgaming.com/tour/cs/rio.
The IEM Cologne 2024 occasion is run by ESL FACEIT Group (EFG), the place Blicherz works. Right here’s my edited transcript of our dialog.
GamesBeat: Is it true that you just’ve been to 100 of those IEM occasions now?
Michal Blicharz: That is quantity 101, sure. Intel Excessive Masters began in 2006. The primary finals occurred in 2007. It’s been ongoing ever since with a number of occasions all all over the world. We’ve gone throughout Europe. We’ve gone to Canada. We’ve gone to a number of locations in the USA. We’ve gone to Brazil, Australia, Korea, China, Singapore, Taiwan, Dubai. This match has gone to many, many alternative locations.
You may examine it to the Roland-Garros in tennis. It’s one of many Grand Slam occasions for Counter-Strike, one of the vital prestigious. You’re a very large boss should you win this occasion. And I’d say not solely in Counter-Strike, however most likely throughout the whole esports business. The prize pool is $1 million.
GamesBeat: The place did the nickname come from, the Cathedral of Counter-Strike?
Blicharz: We didn’t provide you with that. It was given to the occasion by the followers, for just a few causes. Throughout the river there’s a really well-known cathedral. And the expertise is somewhat bit comparable. Lots of people collect for a similar objective. The gods are totally different, however the objective is analogous.
From a enterprise perspective, a sponsorship perspective, it’s been fairly the lengthy highway along with Intel. They’ve taken quite a few leaps of religion throughout our relationship. They believed in esports from the beginning. In 2013, after we modified the mannequin from co-located occasions–we’d go to an enormous comedian present or a recreation commerce present like E3. We’d simply hire out somewhat piece of E3 and construct a stage there. However in 2013 we had the chance to go to our personal area, host hundreds of individuals, and never be co-located. We have been the present.
Esports on the time was fairly small. We have been a bit like a sapper. The place I come from we are saying {that a} sapper’s job is difficult, as a result of one mistake and that’s it. You get to play till the primary mistake. That was esports again then, or at the very least that’s how we felt. The folks at Intel who have been accountable took what may very well be seen, from sure angles, as a really large threat, going from co-located to renting out a full area. It’s gone very properly as you possibly can see. We admire the truth that our relationship with Intel through the years was constructed on this degree of belief. Someone was keen to threat their job as a result of we believed they usually believed.
GamesBeat: How many individuals are right here this 12 months?
Blicharz: It’s about 13,000. We began within the area in 2015. The occasion itself began in 2014, and the primary one was co-located with Gamescom. In 2020 it didn’t happen as a result of COVID. In 2021 it befell in a resort in Cologne with no followers. Each different one has absolutely bought out forward of time right here. This is among the largest recurring esports occasions on this planet.
We had area occasions earlier than that had perhaps 1,500 folks in them. They befell at an area, but it surely wasn’t full. The primary large-scale mega-arena occasion in Europe was in 2013 for positive. The League of Legends finals at Galen Middle in 2012 was just a few months forward of that. That was the transition interval when esports began shifting to main sports activities arenas.
GamesBeat: Do you continue to hear folks speak about an “esports winter,” or do you suppose that’s behind us now?
Blicharz: It’s an fascinating subject for us. We haven’t felt any esports winter. We’ve all the time bought out on the similar tempo. We’ve all the time had persevering with success with our ongoing sponsorships, as a result of we proceed to ship the identical viewership numbers because the earlier 12 months, or greater. We function in an open ecosystem. The esports winter recreation titles are sometimes closed franchise leagues. They have a tendency to have issue changing their expertise.
If you happen to create a closed league and all the worth is poured into the groups in that particular league, with out one thing just like the NCAA fueling it from beneath, you’re not going to have expertise are available. You’re making a membership of 10 groups with millionaires taking part in for them and no full-time jobs outdoors that. How are you going to hope to develop into a professional participant should you don’t have anyone paying you, supporting you? In our ecosystem, which is open, it’s far more like tennis than, say, the NBA. All these franchise league methods appear to be having hassle with an esports winter. Something that works extra like tennis or golf in its annual construction was largely unaffected.
GamesBeat: In your particular function, what’s your day after day like?
Blicharz: My function was initially working Intel Excessive Masters. I used to be answerable for all the things. Proper now I’m vice chairman of particular tasks. At this occasion my particular venture is to be the manager producer for the published. With a workforce of individuals, I attempt to think about what the expertise ought to be for the opening, the closing. What ought to ceremonies appear like? Which path ought to our broadcast go? Issues like that.
To be extra particular, my pet peeve is physique language among the many gamers. Watching an esports occasion, a default esports occasion, it’s a bit like watching Spider-Man with all of the Peter Parker scenes minimize out. We see the masks. We see the avatar. However we don’t actually get to see the human. It’s sort of the identical in esports. When the gamers sit down, their faces are lined by the monitor. Their actions are represented by pixels. My job, and the workforce’s job, is to introduce extra Peter Parker again into the film.
For instance, because of this now we have such a protracted catwalk. Only a easy instance. At most esports occasions gamers go one, two, three, wave, and sit down. That’s not plenty of physique language, not plenty of Peter Parker. The lengthy catwalk right here is among the issues we do. They’re bare in entrance of the whole stadium, within the very heart of it, they usually’re strolling in order that our eyes are ready to absorb that physique language. Consciously or unconsciously, we decide up and perceive the participant’s mind set. Is that participant assured? Would that participant reasonably be someplace else? Is he cautious? Is he excited? Issues like that.
That’s a part of the present, as a result of we finally wish to place the gamers as people that the viewers can establish with. That’s one factor I’m answerable for. Peter Parker-ing the gamers.
GamesBeat: What’s your response to a few of the large occasions which have gone on these days? We simply had the Esports World Cup. That looks as if an try and take issues up one other notch.
Blicharz: The Esports World Cup enhances the remainder of esports in a method the Olympics enhances the ATP in Tennis. I don’t suppose Wimbledon is anxious in regards to the Olympics, nor the U.S. Open or the Australian Open. By the identical token, we’re not involved by the Esports World Cup taking place. The experiences are complementary. It’s yet one more title for a participant to win. It’s very profitable. It’s constructing its personal status. We’ve our personal historical past and custom right here. We’ve nothing to be ashamed of in entrance of any match on this planet.
GamesBeat: What kind of future highway map do you see for esports? What do you suppose is the following milestone?
Blicharz: I do know your work. You’ve been round many alternative esports occasions.
GamesBeat: I bear in mind watching Dennis Fong play at a Sega GameWorks in Seattle.
Blicharz: You could have my respect. I discovered about Dennis Fong shortly after he was completed taking part in. Usually, in relation to esports–the explanation I carry up your previous work, I assume you’ve talked to many individuals about the way forward for esports. I’d say that if anybody has a really particular prediction for the way forward for esports, then pardon my French, they’re stuffed with shit.
The explanation for that’s, esports is inherently tied to video video games. The way forward for video video games is predicated on a few issues. One, the constraints of {hardware}, whether or not it’s networking or computer systems or consoles. What can the {hardware} do? That limits the creativeness of online game creators. Again when Thresh performed, we couldn’t think about PUBG. That was fully not possible, unimaginable. We’re sitting in a spot in time the place we will’t think about the following technology of wonderful video video games. So the way forward for esports is tied to video video games, and the way forward for video video games is unpredictable. If I might predict what gear we’ll have, I’d be a startup CEO trying ahead to creating large cash.
We all know that that is generational, although. My daughter was born just a few months after Intel Excessive Masters Katowice. She was born right into a world the place area occasions for esports are a standard factor. Anyone born in 2013 and later are esports natives. It’s regular to them. Once I don’t journey, I take pleasure in Intel Excessive Masters at house with my children. I play video video games with my children. Which means there’s solely going to be extra of us. All I can inform you is that it’s going to be larger.
GamesBeat: I’m wondering when the normal sports activities guys will be capable of match their expectations to the enterprise alternative. Like another classes, it’s taking longer to get there than some folks anticipated throughout the days of overhype.
Blicharz: Esports usually has been fueled by funding cash. It’s pure that many alternative blueprints for methods to get it proper have been tried. Frankly, I used to be anticipating the so-called esports winter. I didn’t consider in a few of the blueprints that have been tried. Esports all through the years has gone by way of rise and correction, rise and correction, rise and correction. With each one among these cycles, we’re getting nearer to a wholesome enterprise. We simply have to strive one million blueprints earlier than we discover the blueprint. We all know the viewers is there. We all know the followers are there. We have to proceed perfecting the recipe. As you possibly can see right here, the magic on this area is plain.
The explanation we do that–this isn’t your first area occasion. You understand what it’s like. We’d like younger, proficient folks from all over the world – the Thresh from Australia, the Thresh from Malaysia, the Thresh from Chile – to have a dream and be capable of fulfill it right here. I don’t suppose there’s something higher as a gamer–should you’re on this stage, you search for on the display, and all you see is faces staring again at you. All of the lights pointing at you. You could have one second within the lights. You are feeling it in your pores and skin. You are feeling it by way of the headset. You see it along with your eyes. If you happen to occur to do one thing nice, the earth shakes.
That’s usually solely obtainable to folks like Tom Brady or Taylor Swift. We’re making an attempt to make that feeling obtainable to any gamer on this planet who has expertise and the need to strive.
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