A Big Week of Changes for Esports
LoL Esports, BLAST Premier, the IOC, Esports World Cup, and more news for the week ending June 15, 2024.
Happy Father’s Day! It was a very big week in esports: the International Olympic Committee talked about esports, Call of Duty Modern Warfare III and Warzone were the final titles announced for the Esports World Cup, and Riot Games laid out some major changes to League of Legends Esports in 2025. Let’s drill down into it! - James Fudge
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IOC Pushes Forward on Olympic Esports Games
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced this week that its board is set to vote on an official Olympic Esports Games, and that it is already in advanced discussions with a potential host country, with an announcement "soon."
"With the creation of Olympic Esports Games, the IOC is taking a major step forward and is keeping up with the pace of the digital revolution," said IOC President Thomas Bach in an announcement.
But fans who actually want video games to have representation as an officially sanctioned discipline had their doubts about the sincerity of the entire effort, as Bach noted that there is still a "redline" when it comes to games that have violent themes:
The IOC has been engaging with esports since 2018 in a holistic way. It has chosen an approach that allows the organization to be successful in the esports space while staying true to the values that have guided the IOC for over a century. 'With respect to esports, our values are and remain the red line that we will never cross,' the IOC President said.
There were also concerns that financial entanglements with international federations and the companies they have ties to who have managed to get mediocre games such as Tic Tac Bow will likely have a leg up on games that fans actually want included:
"Nevertheless, the IOC EB emphasized that IFs already engaged in an e-version of their sport that is considered for inclusion in the 'Olympic Esports Games' would be the IOC's first go-to partners. The same will be true for National Olympic Committees that include esports in their activities."
In case you missed it, The Esports Advocate did extensive coverage on how such games made it into last year's Esports Olympics Week.
Interestingly, Saudi Esports Federation CEO Turki Alfawzan praised the IOC for its plans to take on esports. He noted in a social media post:
I'm thrilled to see the IOC Executive Board propose the "Olympic Esports Games" for the 142nd IOC Session during the Paris 2024 Olympics.
This monumental step recognizes the talent and passion in esports, bridging traditional sports and the digital age. It highlights the IOC's commitment to inclusivity and diversity.
As we await the vote, we are optimistic and excited for the future of esports, which will inspire a new generation of athletes and enthusiasts globally.
There’s not much doubt that the Saudi government is one of the parties the IOC is talking to, as HRH Crown Prince is going all-in on gaming and esports, and one of his most important goals is to bring the Olympic Games to the country.
BLAST Premier Changes for 2025
Tournament organizer BLAST announced details Friday on the BLAST Premier 2025 circuit including some locations, financial plans, and more. The Counter-Strike 2 tournament series BLAST Premier will make some U.S. fans happy: the BLAST.tv Major 2025 will be held at the Moody Center in Austin, Texa, sometime in June 2025—it has been more than seven years since BLAST hosted a major in the United States.
BLAST also announced that BLAST Premier will use a new format starting in 2025; this new format will consist of six tournaments, split across two seasons of three tournaments each. MEO Arena in Lisbon, Portugal, and Wembley Arena in London will also host BLAST Premier arena events in 2025, with more locations to be revealed at a later date.
BLAST also noted that a new payment structure will see it invest $6M USD directly into teams:
“As part of these changes, we have created stronger financial incentives for teams and a framework that will mean the world’s best and in-form teams will be rewarded and encouraged to compete in BLAST Premier events. We have an ambition to support a sustainable ecosystem, which means BLAST will be investing $6 millions into competing Counter-Strike teams and their long-term future as part of our payment framework,” said Andrew Haworth, VP of ecosystems for BLAST.
More details on these and other changes coming in 2025 can be found here.
More From The Esports Advocate
🚌 People on the Move 🚌
Ishaan Arya joins NODWIN Gaming as VP of sales & partnerships.
Sujoy Roy joins OG Esports as the new head of partnerships.
Scott Bednarski tackles competitive gaming and esports at PlayStation.
Blizzard SVP & Warcraft GM John Hight leaves the company.
DRX CEO Sang-in Choi exits the company.
Zach Hahn named EVP of partnerships at Super League.
Roushan Keshri named COO of Gametosa eSports.
Marina Mello joins BBC Studios as its new global director for gaming.
James Dodd appointed to director of product marketing - NBA 2K at 2K Games.
Sarah Thompson appointed director of BD + AM for Epic Games Store Mobile.
Oscar Dobbins joins GameTime Digital as social media executive.
Tom O'Connor joins CI Games as SVP of development.
Dan Adair named the new VP & GM of Homa.
Pauline Reinacher joins Nodnin Studios as a 2D artist.
Radha Madhuri Chakka named VP of investment banking at J.P. Morgan Mumbai.
📰 News of the World 📰
🤝🏻Blizzard teams up with the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
💰 NDUS Interactive raises $7.5M to make third-person shooter game Xociety.
🤑 Esports News UK partners with GG.bet for BLAST Premier Spring Final 2024.
🏎 Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. Latin America sponsors KRÜ Esports.
🤩 GKids acquires global video rights to Riot’s Arcane.
✍🏻 Gaimin Gladiators sign Free Fire & MLBB Women teams for Esports World Cup.
✍🏻 NIP Flash heads to Riyadh after MPL SG Season 7 win.
✍🏻 Cloud9 signs a Rainbow 6 Siege team for the Esports World Cup.
✍🏻 Team Vitality signs a TeamFight Tactics team.
✍🏻 Natus Vincere acquires Pinoy TEKKEN 8 prodigy AK for the Esports World Cup.
✅ Team Falcons and Twisted Minds secure spots at MLBB Mid Season Cup.
💶 Italy-based NOVO Esports finds some new funding.
💴 F9HETIC reveals F9Wonders women's esports team sponsored by JAPANNEXT.
🎮 The GameSquare Gamer Zone invades the 2024 SEICon event in Las Vegas in July.
📀 University of Surrey (UK) opens a Games Innovation Zone.
🌎 Pure Esports reveals expansion into new markets.