Counter-Strike: Global Offensive launches itself into a new era this week as the first of its newly improved major system begins in Columbus, Ohio. Valve's announcement that its majors would increase prize pools to $1 million generated a wave of hype from longtime fans and piqued the interests of bystanders. Esports has come a long way since Major League Gaming (MLG) was founded in 2002 by Sundance DiGiovanni and Mike Sepso. Since then, MLG has stood at the forefront of esports tournaments in North America.
Starting on Tuesday, MLG Columbus will feature the top 16 teams in the world -- the Americas and Europe will duke it out to claim the biggest crown to date. While the foreign squads are heavy favorites, MLG senior director of events Adam Apicella said he believes the home teams shouldn't be underestimated. ESPN sat down with Apicella to gain some insight on the coming major.
"This is the first major to be held in North America, so that's a huge deal and we're really excited to be working with Valve to make it happen," Adam said. "Coincidentally, this is also the most North American teams who have ever qualified for a major, so I think it'll be interesting to watch and see how they do against the rest of the top competition. [But] I don't have any predictions other than I think there will be an upset. I just feel like this tournament is going to yield some crazy results.
"Europe is a thriving environment for CSGO right now. Similar to Korea for SC2 or North America for console FPS, I think it is a bit of 'iron sharpens iron' with the voracity of the local competition. I do feel that [North American] teams will be competitive at the major. As the ecosystem continues to evolve I think [North American] will get stronger and stronger as the player base grows."
Starting the studio event in 90 minutes, starting the Stadium build out now pic.twitter.com/ejTRVqnW7I
- Adam Apicella (@MrAdamAp) March 29, 2016
A deep run into the bracket stage would be considered a feat for the North American teams at this tournament. It's not entirely farfetched to suggest even breaking out of group stage should be considered a moral victory, but for the home crowd, that will be the narrative to keep an eye on. For the rest of the world, however, the heavy favorite and perennial champions, Europe's Fnatic, remains the king of the hill. Anything short of a victory will be considered an upset and a disappointment for a squad that has dominated the past year of competitive Counter-Strike.
All of major esports parties will have their eyes on this event. Apicella said, "The audience for esports already rivals a lot of traditional sports with 100 million unique viewers, and it's expected to triple to 300 million by 2018. A rising tide lifts all boats, so I'd say there's already a high chance that CS:GO will organically see some of that growth, and when you add in the fact that they are increasing prize pools, bringing the event to North America for the first time, getting ready to debut on television, there is a lot of untapped opportunities to appeal to new fans geographically and through different points of distribution."
He's no stranger to the scene having been with MLG since its infancy. "I was employee No. 1 at MLG, and I've always been heavily into games," he said. "Much to the dismay of my family, I took a gamble and decided to not attend law school and give organizing esports competition a shot. Fourteen years later, I'd say I'm pretty happy with my choice."
"CS:GO stands at the pinnacle of esports at the moment, and the Majors are its biggest event." Adam Apicella
This is and was a common narrative for many people in the esports industry. Families and friends alike had no idea what the players and early investors were getting into, as the very idea of video games becoming anything more than a recreational hobby was a farfetched fantasy. Today, however, rabid fans fill stadiums and the biggest players and teams maintain celebrity status to the tune of hundreds of thousands of social media followers. While the stigma has yet to be erased, it is dissipating at a rate faster than most people could have predicted. CS:GO stands at the pinnacle of esports at the moment, and the majors are its biggest event.
Said Apicella, "I think the big majors are really exciting because you're seeing the top talent from all over the world come together, and it offers us the opportunity to put on a large-scale event for the fans. People get to see all their favorite teams go head-to-head with everything on the line over the course of a few days. It's exciting. I definitely think there's room for both [majors and leagues such as the Eleague], and I think as esports continues to mature we'll find a balance of what's best for the players and the viewers in terms of number of events per year and length of season."
The major system allows for CS:GO to operate in a similar fashion to the likes of tennis and golf, in which capturing all of the majors in a single calendar year results in a Grand Slam. At the moment, Fnatic is enjoying a streak comparable to the height of Roger Federer's career. It's only a matter of time before the rest of the world starts to catch up to this esports tide. But this boom doesn't come without some faults. It's important to maintain the scene's stability as it evolves to avoid a collapse. For example, there have been some rumblings about roster locks going into this event.
Peaked at 754,000 in match 1 on day 1. Insane.
- Adam Apicella (@MrAdamAp) March 29, 2016
"Roster locks are needed for CS:GO," Adam said. "I feel that the next step toward a more stable system for the players would be an official calendar of the major system so everyone can plan around it. This would allow teams to structure contracts around the start and finish of the majors and would create an obvious 'offseason' for players. I don't think that locked in dates and locations are necessary but at least rough date ranges that happen every year would be a great first step."
MLG Columbus promises to be a massive event not just for CS:GO but for esports as a whole. Perhaps the home turf will provide enough of a boost to the North American squads as they head into this tournament. And perhaps they can draw on the underdog narrative, which propelled the esports scene itself to where it is today. Said Apicella, "We're really looking forward to delivering something memorable [this] week."
MLG Columbus is a major, yes, but beyond that is a symbol and testament to the growth of esports.