Counter-Strike’s Major Event Heading to North America
The upcoming spring 2016 major event in the history of Counter-Strike will be making its way to North America. Valve has teamed up with Major League Gaming (MLG) to bring this event to the United States. The event will have a prize pool of $250,000 and will take place from March 29 to April 3.
Competition Details
The competition will commence at MLG’s venue in Columbus, Ohio. Spectators will have the opportunity to watch the event at a nearby viewing party. The final two days of the event will be held at the 18,500 capacity Nationwide Arena.
First Major in North America
This event not only marks the first major in North America, but also the first major event not hosted by MTG-owned properties. In 2015, the majors were hosted by ESL and DreamHack, both of which have been fully or partially acquired by the MTG group this year.
Potential Impact on ESL’s IEM Katowice Event
The timing of this major event may result in ESL’s IEM Katowice event losing its major status. While ESL claims they can still host a $250,000 Counter-Strike event without Valve support, it remains to be seen how this change will impact the tournament.
The event will be streamed on MLG’s proprietary platform MLG.tv, as well as other streaming platforms.
Image via Valve | Remix by Jacob Wolf