The IEM Rio Major 2022 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive event , or even an ordinary Major . For the Brazilian e-sports community, the tournament represented the overcoming of a turbulent period for electronic sports in the country.
A Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Major was scheduled to take place in the Marvelous City in 2020, but the COVID-19 broke out just months before the scheduled start. The event was postponed and later canceled after the pandemic had a devastating impact on Brazil. With the conclusion of the tournament, the IEM Rio Major now signals a bright future
for Brazilian e-sports. Even though e-sports do not have the same dimension as beloved sports in the country, such as football and volleyball, the segment continues to grow, attracting more and more fans and investors and consolidating itself as a national passion among the younger population.
A great opportunity for organizers
The upheaval of the esports scene wasn't necessarily inevitable. A low point of optimism was reached when ESL and Valve abruptly canceled the first
Counter-Strike Major in Brazil, which some people already thought was long overdue.
Ironically, though, it was the pandemic-related rise in popularity of video games and esports that ultimately laid the groundwork for what was to come. For ESL and its owners, the excitement surrounding the event's return and expanding esports audience has created an unmissable opportunity.
“In May 2022, we once again announced the Brazilian CS:GO as the Intel Extreme Masters Rio 2022 Major; and that we would be arriving in Rio de Janeiro at the end of October and beginning of November 2022”, explained Shaun Clark, senior director of gaming ecosystems and CS:GO at ESL FACEIT Group. “This was met with one of the most welcome announcements in CS:GO, as one of the most anticipated tournaments was back on the map. So well anticipated that tickets sold out within an hour.”
“This led us to our next challenge, how could we evolve the tournament to accommodate as many fans as possible, and that was creating the expansion plan that we published in early September 2022, including additional tickets to all parts of the tournament , and even a Fan Fest with Gaules (the biggest esports streamer in Brazil)”, concluded Clark.
With the opportunity came new challenges for the event organizers. A huge effort went into creating and expanding the tournament, and over 300 staff, including the same core team that runs IEM mainstays Katowice and Cologne, came to Rio to ensure Brazil's first Major was brought to life.
Brazilian market gains prominence
Brazil has quickly become a central part of the global esports machine, as its fan base consistently launches teams and players to the top of the world
in terms of engagement and popularity. The most notable example is LOUD, which in 2021 was the most talked about esports organization on Twitter, as well as being a constant name
Midnite 's esports markets .
These aspects support ESL's increasingly bold efforts in the Brazilian market. “E-sports and gaming in Brazil have been on a substantial rise and have been for a long time,” Clark added. “The community there is one of the most passionate fan bases for esports, not just CS:GO. We are very excited about the future of the ESL FACEIT Group, esports and gaming in South America.”
Rio Major was a tremendous commercial success for Brazil and ESL. In addition to selling out events and increasing shirt sales, the event helped Brazilian e-sports organizations secure lucrative sponsorships.
According to Eli McCarrel, director of global partnerships at the ESL FACEIT Group, there is business potential in both Rio Major and the South American market. “South America is an exciting and important market for our brand partners, and they look forward to delivering incredible experiences to the passionate CS:GO community in Brazil.”
“This is a big step towards building more opportunities for our fans in South America. We are excited to grow in this market and deliver more incredible experiences for our brand partners and the esports and gaming community. We look forward to partnering with more brands in the future that share the same enthusiasm in Brazil and South America,” concluded McCarrel.
Stakeholders and investors will be paying more attention to the expansion of Brazilian esports as an unstable period comes to an end and the Rio Major concludes with raucous screams, obvious excitement and stories to tell. It's obvious for the ESL FACEIT Group. Clark concluded: “We want to do more in the region, and we will do more.”
