Nicolas Estrup details BLAST’s unpredictable 2020 on ESI Insight #3

On the third episode of ESI Insight, Nicolas Estrup, Director of Product & Experience at BLAST, joins host Adam Fitch.

BLAST has had an unpredictable but fruitful 2020 thus far, being heavily affected by COVID-19 and thus needing to pivot. As one of the main event organisers in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, the company wasted no time in expanding into Dota 2, creating online programming, and bringing in new (and impressive) commercial partners.

As well as discussing the much-needed repositioning, Estrup explains why BLAST is in the experience business instead of the tournament business, what commercial success looks like and how it’s to be achieved, and the development of media rights in esports.

As well as being housed on YouTube, ESI Insight is available on all major podcast platforms. We’ll see you again in two weeks for the next episode!


ESI Insight is part of ESI Network, a collection of podcasts encompassing the esports industry. For deep dives into the major areas of esports with subject matter experts, check out ESI Focus. For a weekly breakdown of the key developments and why they matter, ESI Digest is the series for you.