In this special series of articles, Esports News UK’s coverage of the Blast Spring Final 2024 is in collaboration with the betting partner GGBET UK
Esports industry conference ESI London 2024 returned to Boxpark Wembley this week, alongside the Blast Premier Spring Final, with panels on the latest trends and challenges in esports, plus a discussion with former CS pro player GeT_RiGhT. Jack Freeman reports from the annual event.
1. Average age of Counter-Strike fans revealed in panel on CS demographics
‘Understanding the Counter-Strike audience’ presented by Dan Offen, Insights and Data Lead at Unlocked, looked into data surrounding Counter-Strike players, and how companies can reach them.
One stat was the average age of a Counter-Strike esports fan (31 years old).
66% of Counter-Strike viewers are ‘very interested in football’, as evident from footballer Neal Maupay’s presence at the Counter-Strike Blast Premier Spring Final in London this weekend.
Other stats included:
- 56% of Counter-Strike esports fans watch as many tournaments from grassroots events to the major
- 91% are likely to buy team merchandise
- 80% have a positive image of brands that sponsor Counter-Strike teams and events
2. The UK could get an annual Rainbow Six Siege event – Ubisoft
The panel, ‘It’s coming home: Why events flocked to the UK’, discussed the trend of major esports events coming to the UK and how this could be sustainable for the coming years.
Nelson Garcia, Associate Director of Esports Live Events and Broadcast at Ubisoft, said there’s a chance for the publisher to host a Rainbow Six Siege esports event in the UK each year going forwards.
That comes a few weeks after Beastcoast won the Rainbow Six Siege Manchester Major.
Ailsa Buck, Head of Major Events & City Experience at London & Partners (which held an esports summit earlier this year) discussed the logistics and challenges of hosting esports events in the UK.
Johanna Bryane, Head Of Business Development at Twickenham Stadium, also shared insights on their venue’s commitment to supporting esports with the goal of hosting an event in the main stadium bowl.
This comes off the back of a successful Halo London Major, won by Faze Clan at Twickenham Stadium, and held in collaboration with UK esports organisation Quadrant. Speaking of which, Cam Royal, Head of Esports & Gaming with Veloce Group and Quadrant, was also on the panel, which was led by Kirsty Endfield, Founder and Director of Swipe Right PR.
Cam Royal emphasised the importance of having consistent venues and community support to host successful events.
The panel agreed on the need for collaboration with local government, venues to advertise their willingness to host esports events, and a show of support from the UK esports community to make London and the UK a central hub for esports. Garcia noted that a strong community interest is crucial to keep bringing events back to the UK in the future.
3. Vitality, EFG and more on the future of Counter-Strike esports
In one of the longest but most interesting panels of the day. ‘Where to go after GO?’ brought together figures from tournament organisers ESL Faceit Group, Blast, and Liga Ace Esports, alongside representatives from Team Vitality and OG Esports to discuss the future of Counter-Strike esports.
After initial discussions of the transition from CSGO to CS2, the question was asked, ‘where could Counter-Strike esports improve?’, to which Anne Banschbach, Director of Esports at Team Vitality, quipped, “everything”.
This kicked off a lengthy discussion around the security of the scene, after Valve’s announcement for 2025, which introduced a new ranking system determined by prize winnings and forced Blast and ESL to scrap their partner team programs. The panel agreed that there was a desire for Valve to be more involved with its esports scene akin to Riot Games and its esports titles.
The discussion went further into points and concerns about the esports calendar for 2025, with Blast and ESL hosting many events. With new competing tournament organisers adding to the esports calendar for next year, Anne Banschbach of Vitality emphasised how unsustainable this model will become, as teams are limited to a certain amount of tournaments due to concerns about budget and player wellbeing.
The panel underscored a new need for communication between teams and tournament organisers to create a clear roadmap for teams to help with commercial planning around their events.
This then evolved into a debate around the lack of sustainability in academy teams, after the suggestion of bringing back the seven-man rosters made popular by Astralis and Team Vitality. Both Anne Banschbach and Vladyslava Zakhliebina, Team Manager for OG Esports Counter-Strike team, agreed that academy teams aren’t commercially viable at the moment.
Andrew Haworth, Vice President of Ecosystems – Valve & Riot for Blat, chimed in with support suggesting that more could be done to support academy teams such as Valorant’s semi-partner team model.
4. GeT_RiGhT talks about his career, 1v1s against guests at Epic.LAN gaming zone
The day came to a close with Esports Insider’s new ‘An evening with’ series, featuring legendary Counter-Strike player Christopher ‘GeT_RiGhT’ Alesund.
Ticketholders had the opportunity to hear GeT_RiGhT reflect on his illustrious career, sharing anecdotes and pivotal moments.
Following the discussion, fans enjoyed the chance to challenge the former pro in 1v1 matches, casted by Josh ‘Dweg’ Nathan and Ryan ‘ReTr00’ Bernard.
This took place in the gaming zone at ESI London 2024, run by Epic.LAN.
5. Streaming and broadcast tech shown off at ESI London x CVP esports showcase
Ahead of the main event, ESI London 2024 partner CVP hosted an esports showcase at their Fitzrovia showroom on Wednesday, collaborating with ESI, High-Viz, Confetti Studios, and UNEVN (winners of ESI’s The Clutch in 2023).
CVP’s flagship showroom was transformed into an esports hub, highlighting the latest in streaming and broadcast technology. Attendees enjoyed a live demonstration featuring competitive matches between players from Viperio, Queen Mary University of London, and Royal Holloway.
The showcase also included workshops led by High-Viz Founder & Managing Director Nick Collier, Project Director James Williams, and Esports Manager of Confetti Studios Gin Rai, culminating in a Q&A panel and networking to close the event.
