Last week, the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive community was shocked to learn that ESL, Vulcun, broadcasters and a cabal of team managers were looking to work together to create an exclusive „super league“ for the game.
Those of us who’ve been in the industry long enough rolled our eyes. „Here we go again.“ The greedy and the powerful look to leverage what they have in a bid to secure more for themselves. I can’t get shocked by this anymore. Every day is a reminder that esports is a business now.
Much of the community’s negative reaction focused on ESL. Not Vulcun, the company with venture capital wanting to bankroll the league (nearly a week after the report, Vulcun denied it had „plans for exclusive CS:GO tournaments“). Not Twitch, the broadcasters who want to secure the rights. And not the managers and team owners that have collectively bargained for their profits. Of course, this plan had been in the pipeline for weeks. The idea that any party is more invested than any other is bunkum.
Be under no illusion: This is isn’t as simple as one party leveraging all others. I know, because I’ve seen this before.
The Championship Gaming Series (CGS) came together in much the same way. For those that don’t remember our Counter-Strike past, let me give you the broad strokes: A suit called David Hill, who had been the President of Fox Sports since 1993, left that role to join satellite TV company DirecTV in 2005. As president, he soon discovered competitive gaming, supposedly thanks to his gamer grandchildren. He was certain esports was destined to be so popular that he needed to get in on the ground floor.
Quelle: http://www.dailydot.com/esports/cgs-vulcun-twitch-esl-counter-strike-league/