Intel Excessive Grasp Cologne drew a file 39,000 individuals to look at six of the world’s finest Counter-Strike 2 gamers sq. off over a $1 million prize pool.
That file was set because the weekend occasion hit an exhilarating conclusion as Workforce Vitality emerged as Champions within the Grand Remaining, narrowly beating Navi in additional time with a rating of 16 to 14. It was the primary time I used to be capable of watch the occasion in particular person, and I interviewed Michal Blicharz, one of many unique creators of the occasion, which is named the Cathedral of Counter-Strike.
Set towards the backdrop of the enduring 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, Workforce Vitality, FaZe Clan, SAW, and Natus Vincere—as they vied for the coveted trophy and a share of the $1 million prize pool.
The event 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 Workforce 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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Workforce Vitality’s journey to the Championship was paved with hard-fought victories towards the world’s finest squads. The staff confronted fierce competitors, together with MOUZ and G2 Esports, and their Grand Remaining best-of-five collection towards Natus Vincere led to an intense 3-1 victory.
The win marks Workforce Vitality’s first IEM Cologne title, and a long-awaited victory lap for staff captain Dan “apEX” Madesclaire, who appeared on the LANXESS area’s first-ever IEM occasion in 2015. With the victory, Workforce 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 individuals reacting to each nice play with shock or glee.
“I’m excited to win right here with this bunch of boys – that is the very best [win] I can ask for and top-of-the-line days of my life,” stated Shahar “flameZ” Shushan, in an announcement. “It means masses to us. In fact we didn’t have the very best 12 months, however this trophy means every little thing. I’m so grateful to win [it] in entrance of such a terrific crowd and in entrance of top-of-the-line groups on the earth proper now.”
However the story of IEM Cologne 2024 is not only in regards to the Champions. SAW, the Portuguese staff 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 event’s DHL ESL Professional Tour Most Useful Participant (MVP) for his excellent efficiency all through the occasion. His play was pivotal in securing Workforce Vitality’s Championship run, notably within the Grand Remaining, the place their expertise had been on full show.
IEM Cologne featured three days of fan-centric celebrations, with EFG and an assortment of 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 “Stay 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 diet manufacturers Knorr and Pot Noodle into the fray. Logitech confirmed me the athlete life-style 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 after they weren’t taking part in important matches.
This 12 months’s occasion has raised the bar for what’s to come back within the Intel Excessive Masters collection, together with the upcoming IEM Rio, which involves Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on October 7-13. For extra info 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 world wide. 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 event has gone to many, many various locations.
You may evaluate 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 extremely massive boss for those who win this occasion. And I might say not solely in Counter-Strike, however in all probability throughout all the esports trade. The prize pool is $1 million.
GamesBeat: The place did the nickname come from, the Cathedral of Counter-Strike?
Blicharz: We didn’t give you 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 related. Lots of people collect for a similar function. The gods are completely different, however the function is analogous.
From a enterprise perspective, a sponsorship perspective, it’s been fairly the lengthy highway along with Intel. They’ve taken a variety of leaps of religion throughout our relationship. They believed in esports from the beginning. In 2013, once we modified the mannequin from co-located occasions–we’d go to a giant 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 had been the present.
Esports on the time was fairly small. We had 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 least that’s how we felt. The individuals at Intel who had been accountable took what could possibly be seen, from sure angles, as a really massive threat, going from co-located to renting out a full area. It’s gone very properly as you’ll be able to see. We recognize the truth that our relationship with Intel over time was constructed on this degree of belief. Anyone was prepared 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 passed off in a resort in Cologne with no followers. Each different one has totally offered out forward of time right here. This is without doubt one of the largest recurring esports occasions on the earth.
We had area occasions earlier than that had possibly 1,500 individuals in them. They passed off at an area, however it 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 transferring to main sports activities arenas.
GamesBeat: Do you continue to hear individuals discuss an “esports winter,” or do you assume that’s behind us now?
Blicharz: It’s an attention-grabbing subject for us. We haven’t felt any esports winter. We’ve all the time offered out on the identical 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 increased. We function in an open ecosystem. The esports winter recreation titles are sometimes closed franchise leagues. They have an inclination 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 under, 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 exterior that. How are you going to hope to change into a professional participant for those who don’t have anyone paying you, supporting you? In our ecosystem, which is open, it’s way more like tennis than, say, the NBA. All these franchise league programs 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 accountable for every little thing. Proper now I’m vp of particular tasks. At this occasion my particular venture is to be the chief producer for the printed. With a staff of individuals, I attempt to think about what the expertise needs to be for the opening, the closing. What ought to ceremonies appear like? Which route 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 type of the identical in esports. When the gamers sit down, their faces are coated by the monitor. Their actions are represented by pixels. My job, and the staff’s job, is to introduce extra Peter Parker again into the film.
For instance, because of this we’ve got such an extended catwalk. Only a easy instance. At most esports occasions gamers go one, two, three, wave, and sit down. That’s not quite a lot of physique language, not quite a lot of Peter Parker. The lengthy catwalk right here is without doubt one of the issues we do. They’re bare in entrance of all the 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 way of thinking. Is that participant assured? Would that participant reasonably be elsewhere? Is he cautious? Is he excited? Issues like that.
That’s a part of the present, as a result of we in the end need to place the gamers as people that the viewers can determine with. That’s one factor I’m accountable for. Peter Parker-ing the gamers.
GamesBeat: What’s your response to among the massive occasions which have gone on recently? We simply had the Esports World Cup. That looks as if an try to take issues up one other notch.
Blicharz: The Esports World Cup enhances the remainder of esports in a approach the Olympics enhances the ATP in Tennis. I don’t assume Wimbledon is worried 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 another title for a participant to win. It’s very profitable. It’s constructing its personal status. We now have our personal historical past and custom right here. We now have nothing to be ashamed of in entrance of any event on the earth.
GamesBeat: What kind of future highway map do you see for esports? What do you assume is the following milestone?
Blicharz: I do know your work. You’ve been round many various esports occasions.
GamesBeat: I bear in mind watching Dennis Fong play at a Sega GameWorks in Seattle.
Blicharz: You’ve got my respect. I came upon about Dennis Fong shortly after he was performed taking part in. On the whole, on the subject of esports–the explanation I convey up your previous work, I assume you’ve talked to many individuals about the way forward for esports. I might 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 relies on a few issues. One, the restrictions 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 inconceivable, unimaginable. We’re sitting in a spot in time the place we will’t think about the following era of fantastic 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 may predict what tools we’ll have, I’d be a startup CEO wanting ahead to creating massive 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. After I don’t journey, I take pleasure in Intel Excessive Masters at dwelling with my youngsters. I play video video games with my youngsters. Meaning there’s solely going to be extra of us. All I can inform you is that it’s going to be greater.
GamesBeat: I’m wondering when the standard sports activities guys will have the ability to match their expectations to the enterprise alternative. Like another classes, it’s taking longer to get there than some individuals anticipated in the course of the days of overhype.
Blicharz: Esports on the whole has been fueled by funding cash. It’s pure that many various blueprints for the best way to get it proper had been tried. Frankly, I used to be anticipating the so-called esports winter. I didn’t consider in among the blueprints that had been tried. Esports all through the years has gone via 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 must 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’ll be able to see right here, the magic on this area is plain.
The explanation we do that–this isn’t your first area occasion. You recognize what it’s like. We’d like younger, proficient individuals from world wide – the Thresh from Australia, the Thresh from Malaysia, the Thresh from Chile – to have a dream and have the ability to fulfill it right here. I don’t assume there’s something higher as a gamer–for those who’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’ve got one second within the lights. You are feeling it in your pores and skin. You are feeling it via the headset. You see it together with your eyes. If you happen to occur to do one thing nice, the earth shakes.
That’s usually solely accessible to individuals like Tom Brady or Taylor Swift. We’re making an attempt to make that feeling accessible to any gamer on the earth who has expertise and the desire to strive.