2016’s Biggest eSports Events
With 2015 behind us, attention has now started to turn to 2016 and what this will mean for the world of eSports. With competitive gaming increasing in popularity over the last 12 months, it’s fair to say that next year will be bigger and better, so let’s take a look at the key events which will take place.
CS:GO fans will have a range of major tournaments to enjoy next year including MLG Columbus, DreamHack Leipzig, ESL One Cologne and the IEM Katowice World Championship, not to mention a brand new eLeague. This will consist of two 10 week seasons with top teams fighting for the glistening mountain of gold that is a $1.2million prize pool. Unlike the other tournaments, this will be broadcast on TBS in the US and will receive similar treatment to the major professional sports leagues such as the NFL and NBA. This is a huge step up for CS:GO but also eSports in general. Meanwhile, many of the aforementioned tournaments will be held in Europe and will contain top teams with huge fanbases such as Ninjas in Pyjamas, Team EnVyUs and Fnatic. It’ll be interesting to see who comes out on top, especially with the prize money being greater than $100,000 for many of these competitions.
League of Legends had a strong year in 2015 with greater participation and audiences. The massive League of Legends Championships will be going through format changes next year and this is sure to shake things up. The LCS in North America will be changing to a double best-of-three format, while in the EU it will become a double best-of-two affair. Riot Games are yet again organising the fourth season of the Championship series of North America’s LoL league and this promises to be another unmissable spectacle.
Blizzcon 2016 will be even better next year as it is hosting tournaments for more than one eSports title. This will include Heroes of the Storm, Hearthstone, StarCraft II and the new shooter, Overwatch. Heroes of the Storm is a baby – less than one year old – but there may be up to three championships in 2016. Hearthstone is one of Blizzard’s biggest titles and there will be nine regional events each with prize money of $100,000. The teams that come top in the regional group stages will move on to the World Championships with the buttock-clenchingly large prize pool of $1million. Meanwhile, Overwatch is the title that the majority of people seem to be looking forward to as it’s a game which is based more on character than class, allowing you to learn how to play the individual character at its best. Consequently, this is the development to keep your eye on.
Looking at Dota 2, the most lucrative gaming tournament, The International, promises to be even more glamorous in its sixth edition, with a prize pool that according to many will easily surpass the $20million mark. But that is not all. In an attempt to stabilize the Dota 2 scene and reduce player migration from team to team, Valve will further the “team lock” concept which was introduced for the first Major in Frankfurt. The new format was lauded both by the community and the gamers, and judging by the organization and the atmosphere in Germany, Valve are making the right steps. The next Major tournament is set for Shanghai in March, with details of subsequent tournaments yet to be revealed.
Clearly, therefore, eSports is going to grow and develop considerably over the next 12 months and is likely to move further into the mainstream. And with the sheer number of tournaments and increased interest, the gaming action promises to be intense in 2016.
