How Intel Excessive Grasp Cologne grew to become the Cathedral of Counter-Strike

Intel Excessive Grasp Cologne drew a document 39,000 individuals to observe six of the world’s finest Counter-Strike 2 gamers sq. off over a $1 million prize pool.

That document was set because the weekend occasion hit an exciting conclusion as Group Vitality emerged as Champions within the Grand Closing, narrowly beating Navi in additional time with a rating of 16 to 14. It was the primary time I used to be in a position to watch the occasion in particular person, and I interviewed Michal Blicharz, one of many authentic creators of the occasion, which is named the Cathedral of Counter-Strike.

Set towards the backdrop of the enduring LANXESS enviornment, this yr’s IEM Cologne introduced collectively six of the world’s finest Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) groups within the playoffs—MOUZ, G2 Esports, Group Vitality, FaZe Clan, SAW, and Natus Vincere—as they vied for the coveted trophy and a share of the $1 million prize pool.

The match drew 39,000 attendees to the Cathedral of Counter-Strike throughout three days, whereas over 1,050,000 viewers tuned in on-line globally to witness Group Vitality declare their first ever IEM Cologne trophy, marking IEM Cologne 2024 because the most-watched non-Main Counter-Strike competitors of the yr.

Group Vitality’s journey to the Championship was paved with hard-fought victories towards the world’s finest squads. The staff confronted fierce competitors, together with MOUZ and G2 Esports, and their Grand Closing best-of-five sequence towards Natus Vincere resulted in an intense 3-1 victory.

The win marks Group Vitality’s first IEM Cologne title, and a long-awaited victory lap for staff captain Dan “apEX” Madesclaire, who appeared on the LANXESS enviornment’s first-ever IEM occasion in 2015. With the victory, Group Vitality earned a Championship-level win, bringing them one step nearer to claiming an Intel Grand Slam and its $1 million prize. Inside, it was loud with screams, chants and roars. The manufacturing cameras for the massive display zeroed in on individuals reacting to each nice play with shock or glee.

“I’m excited to win here with this bunch of boys – this is the best [win] I can ask for and one of the best days of my life,” mentioned Shahar “flameZ” Shushan, in an announcement. “It means loads to us. Of course we didn’t have the best year, but this trophy means everything. I’m so grateful to win [it] in front of such a great crowd and in front of one of the best teams in the world right now.”

However the story of IEM Cologne 2024 is not only in regards to the Champions. SAW, the Portuguese staff that competed at IEM Cologne for the primary time this yr made historical past by representing their nation on the Cathedral of Counter-Strike. The underdog squad took dominant video games off of The MongolZ, BIG, and FaZe Clan.

In the meantime, Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut stole the present, being named the match’s DHL ESL Professional Tour Most Priceless Participant (MVP) for his excellent efficiency all through the occasion. His play was pivotal in securing Group Vitality’s Championship run, notably within the Grand Closing, the place their expertise have been on full show.

IEM Cologne featured three days of fan-centric celebrations, with EFG and an assortment of name companions enjoying main roles. EFG’s all-new ESL model marketing campaign, debuting in Cologne, ushered in a brand new search for the storied esports organizer and highlighted the gamers, groups, and followers which have chosen to “Live Legendary” over its almost 25-year tenure. The model additionally introduced a partnership renewal with long-time companion DHL, in addition to welcoming Logitech and Unilever vitamin manufacturers Knorr and Pot Noodle into the fray. Logitech confirmed me the athlete life-style participant’s lounge that it arrange within the close by Radisson Resort, which got here with therapeutic massage tables, ping pong and different methods for the gamers to unwind once they weren’t enjoying essential matches.

This yr’s occasion has raised the bar for what’s to come back within the Intel Excessive Masters sequence, together with the upcoming IEM Rio, which involves Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on October 7-13. For extra info or to buy tickets, go to www.professional.eslgaming.com/tour/cs/rio.

The IEM Cologne 2024 occasion is run by ESL FACEIT Group (EFG), the place Blicherz works. Right here’s my edited transcript of our dialog.

GamesBeat: Is it true that you simply’ve been to 100 of those IEM occasions now?

Michal Blicharz: That is quantity 101, sure. Intel Excessive Masters began in 2006. The primary finals occurred in 2007. It’s been ongoing ever since with a number of occasions all world wide. We’ve gone throughout Europe. We’ve gone to Canada. We’ve gone to a number of locations in the USA. We’ve gone to Brazil, Australia, Korea, China, Singapore, Taiwan, Dubai. This match has gone to many, many alternative locations.

You’ll be able to evaluate it to the Roland-Garros in tennis. It’s one of many Grand Slam occasions for Counter-Strike, one of the crucial prestigious. You’re a very large boss in the event you win this occasion. And I might say not solely in Counter-Strike, however in all probability throughout all the esports trade. The prize pool is $1 million.

GamesBeat: The place did the nickname come from, the Cathedral of Counter-Strike?

Blicharz: We didn’t give you that. It was given to the occasion by the followers, for a number of causes. Throughout the river there’s a really well-known cathedral. And the expertise is just a little bit related. Lots of people collect for a similar objective. The gods are completely different, however the objective is analogous.

From a enterprise perspective, a sponsorship perspective, it’s been fairly the lengthy highway along with Intel. They’ve taken quite a lot of leaps of religion throughout our relationship. They believed in esports from the beginning. In 2013, after we modified the mannequin from co-located occasions–we’d go to an enormous comedian present or a sport commerce present like E3. We’d simply hire out just a little piece of E3 and construct a stage there. However in 2013 we had the chance to go to our personal enviornment, host hundreds of individuals, and never be co-located. We have been the present.

Esports on the time was fairly small. We have been a bit like a sapper. The place I come from we are saying {that a} sapper’s job is tough, as a result of one mistake and that’s it. You get to play till the primary mistake. That was esports again then, or not less than that’s how we felt. The individuals at Intel who have been accountable took what may very well be seen, from sure angles, as a really large threat, going from co-located to renting out a full enviornment. It’s gone very nicely as you’ll be able to see. We recognize the truth that our relationship with Intel over time was constructed on this stage of belief. Any individual was prepared to threat their job as a result of we believed they usually believed.

GamesBeat: How many individuals are right here this yr?

Blicharz: It’s about 13,000. We began within the enviornment in 2015. The occasion itself began in 2014, and the primary one was co-located with Gamescom. In 2020 it didn’t happen as a consequence of COVID. In 2021 it occurred in a resort in Cologne with no followers. Each different one has totally bought out forward of time right here. This is likely one of the largest recurring esports occasions on the earth.

We had enviornment occasions earlier than that had perhaps 1,500 individuals in them. They occurred at an enviornment, but it surely wasn’t full. The primary large-scale mega-arena occasion in Europe was in 2013 for positive. The League of Legends finals at Galen Heart in 2012 was a number of months forward of that. That was the transition interval when esports began transferring to main sports activities arenas.

GamesBeat: Do you continue to hear individuals discuss an “esports winter,” or do you suppose that’s behind us now?

Blicharz: It’s an fascinating matter for us. We haven’t felt any esports winter. We’ve all the time bought out on the identical tempo. We’ve all the time had persevering with success with our ongoing sponsorships, as a result of we proceed to ship the identical viewership numbers because the earlier yr, or greater. We function in an open ecosystem. The esports winter sport titles are usually closed franchise leagues. They have a tendency to have issue changing their expertise.

In the event you create a closed league and all the worth is poured into the groups in that particular league, with out one thing just like the NCAA fueling it from beneath, you’re not going to have expertise are available. You’re making a membership of 10 groups with millionaires enjoying for them and no full-time jobs outdoors that. How will you hope to grow to be a professional participant in the event you don’t have anyone paying you, supporting you? In our ecosystem, which is open, it’s way more like tennis than, say, the NBA. All these franchise league techniques appear to be having hassle with an esports winter. Something that works extra like tennis or golf in its annual construction was largely unaffected.

GamesBeat: In your particular function, what’s your day after day like?

Blicharz: My function was initially operating Intel Excessive Masters. I used to be accountable for the whole lot. Proper now I’m vp of particular tasks. At this occasion my particular challenge is to be the manager producer for the published. With a staff of individuals, I attempt to think about what the expertise ought to be for the opening, the closing. What ought to ceremonies seem like? Which route ought to our broadcast go? Issues like that.

To be extra particular, my pet peeve is physique language among the many gamers. Watching an esports occasion, a default esports occasion, it’s a bit like watching Spider-Man with all of the Peter Parker scenes lower out. We see the masks. We see the avatar. However we don’t actually get to see the human. It’s sort of the identical in esports. When the gamers sit down, their faces are lined by the monitor. Their actions are represented by pixels. My job, and the staff’s job, is to introduce extra Peter Parker again into the film.

For instance, for this reason we now have such a protracted catwalk. Only a easy instance. At most esports occasions gamers go one, two, three, wave, and sit down. That’s not numerous physique language, not numerous Peter Parker. The lengthy catwalk right here is likely one of the issues we do. They’re bare in entrance of all the stadium, within the very heart of it, they usually’re strolling in order that our eyes are ready to absorb that physique language. Consciously or unconsciously, we choose up and perceive the participant’s mind set. Is that participant assured? Would that participant slightly be someplace else? Is he cautious? Is he excited? Issues like that.

That’s a part of the present, as a result of we in the end need to place the gamers as people that the viewers can determine with. That’s one factor I’m accountable for. Peter Parker-ing the gamers.

GamesBeat: What’s your response to a number of the large occasions which have gone on these days? We simply had the Esports World Cup. That looks as if an try and take issues up one other notch.

Blicharz: The Esports World Cup enhances the remainder of esports in a method the Olympics enhances the ATP in Tennis. I don’t suppose Wimbledon is worried in regards to the Olympics, nor the U.S. Open or the Australian Open. By the identical token, we’re not involved by the Esports World Cup taking place. The experiences are complementary. It’s yet one more title for a participant to win. It’s very profitable. It’s constructing its personal status. We’ve got our personal historical past and custom right here. We’ve got nothing to be ashamed of in entrance of any match on the earth.

GamesBeat: What kind of future highway map do you see for esports? What do you suppose is the subsequent milestone?

Blicharz: I do know your work. You’ve been round many alternative esports occasions.

GamesBeat: I keep in mind watching Dennis Fong play at a Sega GameWorks in Seattle.

Blicharz: You may have my respect. I discovered about Dennis Fong shortly after he was completed enjoying. Typically, relating to esports–the rationale I carry up your previous work, I assume you’ve talked to many individuals about the way forward for esports. I might say that if anybody has a really particular prediction for the way forward for esports, then pardon my French, they’re stuffed with shit.

The rationale for that’s, esports is inherently tied to video video games. The way forward for video video games is predicated on a few issues. One, the constraints of {hardware}, whether or not it’s networking or computer systems or consoles. What can the {hardware} do? That limits the creativeness of online game creators. Again when Thresh performed, we couldn’t think about PUBG. That was fully not possible, unimaginable. We’re sitting in a spot in time the place we will’t think about the subsequent era of fantastic video video games. So the way forward for esports is tied to video video games, and the way forward for video video games is unpredictable. If I might predict what tools we’ll have, I’d be a startup CEO wanting ahead to creating large cash.

We all know that that is generational, although. My daughter was born a number of months after Intel Excessive Masters Katowice. She was born right into a world the place enviornment occasions for esports are a standard factor. Anyone born in 2013 and later are esports natives. It’s regular to them. Once I don’t journey, I get pleasure from Intel Excessive Masters at dwelling with my children. I play video video games with my children. Which means there’s solely going to be extra of us. All I can let you know is that it’s going to be greater.

GamesBeat: I’m wondering when the standard sports activities guys will have the ability to match their expectations to the enterprise alternative. Like another classes, it’s taking longer to get there than some individuals anticipated in the course of the days of overhype.

Blicharz: Esports basically has been fueled by funding cash. It’s pure that many alternative blueprints for get it proper have been tried. Frankly, I used to be anticipating the so-called esports winter. I didn’t consider in a number of the blueprints that have been tried. Esports all through the years has gone by means of rise and correction, rise and correction, rise and correction. With each one in all these cycles, we’re getting nearer to a wholesome enterprise. We simply have to attempt one million blueprints earlier than we discover the blueprint. We all know the viewers is there. We all know the followers are there. We have to proceed perfecting the recipe. As you’ll be able to see right here, the magic on this enviornment is simple.

The rationale we do that–this isn’t your first enviornment occasion. You understand what it’s like. We’d like younger, proficient individuals from world wide – the Thresh from Australia, the Thresh from Malaysia, the Thresh from Chile – to have a dream and have the ability to fulfill it right here. I don’t suppose there’s something higher as a gamer–in the event you’re on this stage, you search for on the display, and all you see is faces staring again at you. All of the lights pointing at you. You may have one second within the lights. You are feeling it in your pores and skin. You are feeling it by means of the headset. You see it along with your eyes. In the event you occur to do one thing nice, the earth shakes.

That’s usually solely obtainable to individuals like Tom Brady or Taylor Swift. We’re making an attempt to make that feeling obtainable to any gamer on the earth who has expertise and the need to attempt.