Perhaps, the CS:GO esports scene is one of the most breathtaking. First of all, there is no structured monopoly of the developer who trusts third-party companies called tournament operators to develop the ecosystem. Valve’s reign is limited to two CS:GO Major tournaments per year, which are organized by hired contractors, so-called independent tournament operators.
Secondly, the absence of a monopoly allows small studios to prove themselves, and try to bring something new to the scene. In such a way, the company BLAST was created, which is one of the best in terms of hosting CS:GO tournaments today and provides a unique experience both to players and viewers.
Thirdly, many tournament operators guarantee that a lot of teams, which play not just at the highest level but the TIER-2 scene or even lower, will be involved. In such a way, a regular fan gets a lot of CS:GO matches, from which he/she can choose the preferred ones daily.
Summarizing all the arguments, we have a united competitive scene, which does not depend on a single company and develops actively. Besides, the ecosystem frequently generates surprises from small teams, which make it from the very lows and become one of the strongest.
So it is worth talking about the companies which are directly responsible for organizing the best championships in the discipline and highlighting the best of them.
The best CS:GO tournament operators on the competitive scene
First of all, it is worth noting the company ESL, which united with another iconic organizer DreamHack a few years ago and has recently been purchased by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia and merged with FACEIT in one brand called ESL FACEIT Group. Nevertheless, ESL remains one of the best, hosting the iconic Intel Extreme Masters and ESL Pro League series. Besides, the company develops the TIER-2 scene, organizing the ESL Challenger at DreamHack and ESL Challenger League series.
Secondly, we can’t miss the Danish company BLAST, which became the leader of the industry in a few years. Previously, the tournament operator used to host BLAST Pro Series and now, it develops the BLAST Premier series. The company will soon organize its very first Major in Paris, which will take place in May.
Thirdly, it is worth mentioning the Romanian company PGL, which is mainly famous for organizing the Majors. Previously, the tournament operator tried to host its championship but it was mentioned at the large events in the discipline recently.
If we talk about the companies, which used to be in the vanguard but became inactive in the last months/years, it is worth mentioning StarLadder, MLG, ELEAGUE, Epic Esports Events, WePlay Esports, Beyond The Summit, and B Site.
Besides, there is a whole coalition of small companies, which organize the Champion of Champions Tour series together. Their list includes such tournament operators as FACEIT, Eden Esports, Relog Media, Fantyasyexpo, Black Molly Entertainment, etc.
Thus, the competitive scene is developing rapidly now. Besides popularization and the expansion of the top series, such as Intel Extreme Masters and ESL Pro League, there are new tracks, as happened with the Champion of Champions Tour in 2022.
Besides, Valve has no intentions to put sticks in the wheels of independent companies, which develop the discipline and give the game a tenth or even a hundredth life. As a result, the discipline remains one of the most popular, offering its unique path of development, which is drastically different from other titles in the esports industry.
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