Valve Selects Tournament Host for the First Major of 2019
Valve has reportedly chosen the host for the first Major tournament of 2019. According to a report from DBLTAP, ESL may be organizing the 14th Major in CS:GO history. The timing of the ESL Major would be similar to the IEM Katowice, which took place in March this year, suggesting that the first Major of 2019 could be held in Poland.
ESL as the Ideal Choice for IEM Katowice
It would make sense for IEM Katowice to be an ESL-hosted Major since it is one of the few events in the ESL circuit that is streamed on Twitch. Interestingly, ESL has signed exclusive deals with YouTube and Facebook in the past two years, preventing English streams from being broadcasted on Twitch. However, these deals have led to a decrease in viewership, contradicting Valve’s philosophy of making Majors freely available on platforms preferred by the CS:GO audience.
Potential Return of Valve as the Major Organizer
If Valve were to officially host the Major in 2019, it would mark their first own Major since 2016. In the last two years, other tournament organizers like ELEAGUE, PGL, and FACEIT have been awarded the opportunity to organize Majors instead.
Valve’s New Approach for Major Selection Process
In the past, tournament organizers used to pitch their ideas for the Major to Valve during the ongoing Major tournament. However, it seems that Valve has now decided to plan the Majors in advance, allowing for more preparation time for the next organizer.