CS2 is about to become big in the year 2024 as BLAST Premier’s CS2 competitions are set to expand on the backdrop of Evil Geniuses’ decision to sell their slot to Cloud9.
BLAST, a third-party organizer, wants to expand the number of teams in Premier with the new members set to be included in the rotation as soon as possible. The number of interests that were shown when EG’s slot became vacant fueled BLAST’s decision to expand.
It’s an opportunity for BLAST to get some cash in, with the price per slot expected to be at a minimum of $350,000.
Meanwhile, the decision to expand at this time is suspicious, with the partnership league system set to be dropped in 2025. This means that every team that will be added to BLAST Premier will only get partnered for one year.
Furthermore, the reported slot value is looking extremely expensive for a one-year membership. The reports are also saying that they won’t also be part of the revenue-sharing.
ESL FACEIT Group have acquired almost all non-major prestige events in the CS2 yearly cycle but BLAST Premier is the only one that hasn’t been acquired.
However, if BLAST wants to go that line, were to go away, ESL’s Pro League would be the only prestigious league-style competition remaining on the calendar.
The IEM series, particularly IEM Katowice and IEM Cologne, would become dominant events on the calendar aside from the Majors, should the BLAST World Final be lost.
BLAST could fall into a financial crises if the revenue from the business relationships gained from BLAST Premier stops. If the BLAST events crumble, the calendar will be filled and dominated by EFG.
However, Valve would dread that scenario but one thing is certain the business of Counter-Strike will evolve when it enters the new era in 2025.
