Sources tell Breitbart Tech that Major League Gaming will soon be living up to its name. The long-standing North American organisation will host the next Valve-endorsed and crowd-funded Counter-Strike: Global Offensive “major” tournament.
As is standard, the prize fund will be $250,000, distributed among the competing teams. It will be the first time a major has been held on American soil.
The sources requested anonymity but were able to confirm a few key details about the event. It will take place at the end of March and will be held in a sizeable arena. They also confirmed that the broadcast will not be limited to MLG TV, with the competition’s stream also being shown on other broadcasting platforms as well.
The dates are significant as it means that IEM Katowice, also due to be held in March 2016, will not be retaining their “major” status. They have held two majors in the Polish city, but this tradition will be coming to a halt. While it is unlikely to affect the prize money available for the tournament, as ESL have already stated they are independently capable of hosting $250,000 competitions without Valve funding, it will be perceived as something of a slight.
The reasoning behind IEM Katowice not being selected will generate a lot of speculation, especially after two memorable events. Rumours have been circulating and were echoed by prominent CS:GO personalities such as Scott “SirScoots” Smith, that having multiple games present at one event might preclude a tournament from selection at a major.
Most likely though it comes down to two things; Valve wanting to diversify geographically and MLG submitting a superior pitch to Valve in terms of what they can bring to the table. This latter point will most likely be highlighted by the job they did at the start of the year with the CS:GO tournament at X-Games in Aspen, widely regarded to have raised the bar in terms of production and spectacle.
Breitbart reached out to MLG, who have declined to comment on the story.
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