Professional Gamers League (PGL) will be bringing back Majors in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) this October. They are set to host the first CS:GO Major since 2019 in Stockholm this October 2021.
Getting the big boys back together
We had our last CS:GO Major last September 2019. Then, the COVID-19 pandemic prevented tournament organizers from organizing a CS:GO Major in 2020. ESL canceled their ESL One Rio Major, scheduled for Spring 2020. Canceling this event left a huge gap in the competitive circuit. Many organizations ended up disbanding their CS:GO teams due to COVID-19 complications, including 100 Thieves last October.
You fought hard. You put your all into everything you did. Today marks the end of an era for this incredible group.
A final thank you to the one and only Boys. We wish nothing but the best for all of you in the future. #YTB pic.twitter.com/r6WYUIr9eZ
— 100 Thieves (@100Thieves) October 18, 2020
Without any tournaments to play in, it became hard for organizations to justify keeping their teams, which is a very expensive venture by itself. That's why we always welcome news about a brand-new CS:GO Major. With a Major to look forward to, organizations will focus on getting their teams back into shape. This also creates new jobs for people, given that on-site LAN events require a lot of manpower to pull off.
Apart from this, Valve confirmed that there will be a series of Regional Major Rankings (RMR) tournaments leading up to the Stockholm Major. They further confirmed that there will at least be one offline RMR event before the Stockholm Major. The RMR tournaments serve as a sort of qualifier for Majors, determining which teams deserve to compete in the biggest tournament in CS:GO for the year. More tournaments are always great for the industry, so this is welcome news.
PGL Major Stockholm will revolutionize CS:GO Majors
📢 PGL TO HOST THE FIRST CS:GO MAJOR AFTER A TWO-YEAR BREAK
📰 Read more -> https://t.co/V7nBgesXnf#PGLMAJOR pic.twitter.com/qexpQgeTRo
— PGL (@pglesports) January 14, 2021
Along with the announcement that they will be organizing the next Major, PGL announced that they will be revolutionizing CS:GO Majors with this event. For one, this will be the first CS:GO tournament to ever be broadcasted in 4K quality. This enhances the viewing experience for those watching at home. PGL also vowed to bring cutting-edge Augmented Reality (AR) technology to the event.
Fans know Valve for their AR work in their other esports title, Dota. This will be the first time that PGL will be doing this for CS:GO. It's worth noting that Valve also chose Ericsson Globe as the venue for the canceled Dota 2 tournament, The International 10. Perhaps Valve will use the same tools they were planning to use in The International 10 in the Stockholm Major.
In other news, Valve confirmed that The International for the Dota Pro Circuit 2021 will still be held in the Ericsson Globe arena.
While we are all excited about the prospect of having another huge-scale CS:GO tournament this October, PGL says that they will still not push through with the tournament if the COVID-19 situation won't permit it. Safety first, as always.
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