Mumbai: Skyesports, South Asia’s leading esports tournament organiser, has unveiled its highly anticipated 2024 roadmap for Counter-Strike 2, one of the most competitive games worldwide. Next year, the company has revealed six global IPs for the game with a cumulative prize pool of $1 million. These events will feature a mix of international and Indian teams and will happen as LAN events in the country and internationally.
Skyesports’ commitment to Counter-Strike 2 comes after it hosted India’s first-ever franchised esports league with a prize pool of more than $240,000, the Skyesports Masters, earlier this year with an on-ground final in Bangalore, India. After the positive reception and success of the league, Skyesports has announced a deeper roadmap for the year.
Commenting on the newly unveiled roadmap Skyesports founder and CEO Shiva Nandy, said, "Since the release of Counter-Strike 2 earlier this year, the game is getting more popular than ever, presenting us with exciting opportunities to invest in the space. Our 2024 roadmap has been planned with a focus on fostering talent, global expansion, and ensuring sustainability for participating teams. We have five global IPs planned, offering a total prize pool of $1 million, 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."
To kick off the roadmap, the Skyesports Grand Slam will happen from March 14 to 18 with a $50,000 prize pool. Next up, the franchised esports league, the Skyesports Masters is set to make a return with a huge $350,000 prize pool in May 2024. Following the high-stakes action in the franchised league, Skyesports will bring back the longest-running homegrown esports IP in India, the Skyesports Championship, for an electrifying sixth edition in July 2024 with $150,000 on the line.
Besides Indian teams, these tournaments will feature international organisations and will happen as an on-ground live event in India, bringing global talent to the country. Skyesports will be unveiling the exact venues at a later date.
Following these tournaments, Skyesports will host the $150,000 Skyesports Souvenir in Colombo, Sri Lanka with teams from India, Europe, and North America.
In October 2024, Skyesports is set to introduce a new and ambitious global esports IP, the Skyesports Global Tour. For its inaugural edition, the tournament will take place in Bangkok, Thailand with a $250,000 prize pool. Embodying a truly global esports IP, the tournament will feature qualifiers taking place in India, Europe, North America, and Southeast Asia.
To close off the year, the Skyesports India vs Pakistan Series is set to take place in December 2024 in Abu Dhabi, UAE. This epic showdown will pit the best teams from each country in an epic showdown for the bragging rights and a share of the $50,000 prize pool.
Additionally, the roadmap will happen in continuation with top teams from the previous IP getting invited to the next tournament. This has been done to ensure that top teams have more stability to focus on elevating talent instead of playing through the qualifiers each time.
Adding on the 2024 roadmap, Skyesports head of global business partnerships Sashank Bhandaru said, “As we move towards a truly global esports calendar for Counter-Strike 2 with tournaments throughout the year, we are looking forward to partnering with our existing anchor brands and working closely with new ones. Our roadmap has been planned to pave the way for long-term associations, bringing stability and investment to the Counter-Strike scene in India and beyond.”
Besides these five global esports IPs, Skyesports will also support grassroots-level collegiate and cafe events for Counter-Strike 2 in India with monetary and infrastructural support.
The summary of the Skyesports Counter-Strike 2 Roadmap in 2024 is as follows:
1. Skyesports Grand Slam: March 14 to 18 ($50,000) - India
2. Skyesports Masters 2024: May 13 to 19 ($350,000) - India
3. Skyesports Championship 6.0: July 4 to 7 ($150,000) - India
4. Skyesports Souvenir: Sept. 13 to 15 ($150,000) - Colombo, Sri Lanka
5. Skyesports Global Tour: Oct. 25 to 27 ($250,000) - Bangkok, Thailand
6. India vs Pakistan Series: Dec. 20 to 22 ($50,000) - Abu Dhabi, UAE
