Evil Geniuses part ways with BLAST Premier slot, making way for Cloud9 in esports transition
Cloud9 Accelerates Esports Exit as They Acquire Evil Geniuses’ CS2 BLAST Premier Slot
In a surprising move, Cloud9 has acquired the prestigious CS2 BLAST Premier slot from Evil Geniuses, further solidifying EG’s apparent exit from the esports scene. According to a statement released by BLAST, the bidding process for this coveted slot was highly competitive.
This acquisition now positions Cloud9 among the elite group of teams partnered with BLAST Premier. The list includes renowned organizations such as Astralis, NIP, G2 Esports, OG, Team Vitality, NAVI, FaZe Clan, Complexity, Team Liquid, Heroic, BIG, and Cloud9.
Selling slots and downsizing operations have become inevitable aspects of the ever-evolving esports industry. With games constantly fluctuating in popularity and uncertainty looming over everything within this space. However,it is quite peculiar for Cloud9 to make this purchase considering that these partnership slots will cease to exist in just one year’s time. Unless they managed to secure a heavily discounted deal,the cost-benefit analysis seems unfavorable.
The other side of this deal reveals Evil Geniuses gradually distancing themselves from esports by selling off their franchised inventory piece by piece.The organization recently withdrew from the League of Legends Championship Series and appears to be parting ways with their world-champion VALORANT squad.The once-revered EG brand has experienced a significant decline in recent years and is reportedly, in essence,”liquidating” its esports ventures. Chris DeAppolonio, Evil Geniuses CEO expressed his thoughts on the matter stating:
“Since our initial season, Evil Geniuses has actively supported and participated in BLAST Premier as an integral part of our commitment to the NA Counter-Strike scene. Although we will no longer be involved with Premier moving forward, we are grateful for the three years we competed and look forward to supporting North American Counter-Strike talent within the league from a distance.”
The highly anticipated BLAST World Finals, serving as the pinnacle tournament for CS2’s 2023 season, concludes today. With its conclusion comes increased attention towards the final year of partnered leagues. It also brings forth questions surrounding future plans for cash-strapped tournament organizers come 2025.