South Asian esports tournament organiser Skyesports has unveiled its Counter-Strike 2 roadmap for the 2024 season.
Skyesports’ competitive year will be composed of six global IPs, featuring a mix of international and Indian teams. This includes LAN events in the country and internationally with a total combined prize pool of $1m (~£790,000).
The Skyesports Grand Slam kicks off the esports season from March 14th-18th, with its franchised esports league, Skyesports Masters, taking place in May 2024. After that, Skyesports will host its homegrown esports IP, the Skyesports Championship, in July alongside a $150,000 (~£118,000) prize pool. The venues will be revealed at a later date.
Following these events, the tournament organiser will host the $150,000 Skyesports Souvenir in Colombo, Sri Lanka featuring teams from India, Europe, and North America, on September 13th-15th.
The most prominent change, however, is the introduction of the new global esports IP, the Skyesports Global Tour. Taking place in Bangkok, Thailand with a $250,000 (~£196,800) prize pool at the end of October. Participating teams will be decided by qualifiers across India, Europe, North America and Southeast Asia.
“Our 2024 roadmap has been planned with a focus on fostering talent, global expansion, and ensuring sustainability for participating teams,” commented Shiva Nandy, Founder and CEO of Skyesports.
“We have five global IPs planned, offering a total prize pool of $1m, all happening in person. Notably, three of these tournaments will take place in India, showcasing global esports talent and introducing the electrifying world of Counter-Strike esports to a broader audience.”
The season will round off with the Skyesports India vs Pakistan Series in December 2024 in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The two countries will be splitting its $50,000 prize pool. In addition, Skyesports will also be supporting grassroots-level collegiate and cafe events for Counter-Strike 2 in India with monetary and infrastructural support.
With this roadmap, Skyesports plans to establish itself as the leading esports tournament organizer. Earlier this year, the company hosted India’s first-ever franchised esports league, the Skyesports Masters. Among their partners, Skyesports counts Indian streaming platform Loco and hardware brand AMD to support the tournaments and live events.
Additionally, it also partnered up with collegiate esports tournament platform MOGO to host a tournament that aims to bridge the gap between traditional sports and esports in the country and it also hosted a free LAN event on the fifth edition of its Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) series, the Skyesports Championship.
