Fnatic chief gaming officer, co-owner and former pro Counter-Strike player Patrik Sättermon looks back on how the game has changed over the years.
Speaking to Esports News UK at the Vainglory Spring Unified Championship at London’s O2 this weekend, cArn said: “The game was definitely oversaturated for a while. Keeping track of the fixtures and schedules became really tough.
“I also think we blocked out a lot of newcomers. There was a harvesting, if you may, by the top teams – just going to all the tournaments, placing top three and making money from it.
“We need to think more about inclusion rather than exclusion. We need to separate a bit and create a better ecosystem for all segments of the player cycle.
“The amateur players need to have a comprehensive way to climb and go forwards with their careers. And equally, if a top team drops down, is there a second league they should play in to create that storyline?”
“The amateur players need to have a comprehensive way to climb and go forwards with their careers. And equally, if a top team drops down, is there a second league they should play in to create that storyline?
“CSGO is still by far the most popular and competitive 5v5 shooter on PC, I think it still has a very solid future.
“What we’re seeing now – it probably started late 2016 – there are so many great teams now. Hopefully Fnatic is one of them, but there are so many more now.
“There was a time where you could see someone like Fnatic winning six back to back tournaments. That is basically unseen at this point in time. You cannot predict who’s going to win a tournament as easily.
“We don’t need a player or team to win all the tournaments. We should celebrate when that happens, but knowing there are so many who are capable of winning, it shows it’s a good ecosystem. But further development is needed.”
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
