ESL Pro Tour of Starcraft 2 Canceled

ESL Pro Tour of Starcraft 2 Canceled

Business

08 April 2025 10:52

ESL FACEIT Group Gaming has officially announced the end of its support for StarCraft 2 esports, bringing a close to the long-running ESL Pro Tour (EPT). In a recent blog post, the company confirmed that it will no longer host major events such as DreamHack tournaments, IEM Katowice, and other key fixtures in the StarCraft 2 competitive calendar.

The news marks a significant shift for the RTS title, which has been a staple of the esports scene for over a decade. While the announcement spells the end of EPT’s structured competitive ecosystem, it does not mark a complete stop for StarCraft 2 esports. ESL confirmed that the Esports World Cup will still host a new SC2 champion later this year, though no replacement circuit has been announced.

Launched in 2020, the ESL Pro Tour was created to provide a "long-term sustainable competitive ecosystem" for StarCraft 2. The tour featured both online and offline events, regional qualifiers, and culminated in an annual world championship. Throughout its five-year run, the EPT hosted over 48,000 matches and awarded more than $6 million in prize money.

More:ESL FACEIT Group Layyoffs

Notable moments in the tour’s history include the IEM Katowice tournaments in 2020 and 2021, which drew peak viewership numbers of 71,794 and 87,479, respectively, according to Esports Charts.

However, ESL made it clear that financial sustainability has become increasingly difficult. The organization cited the inability to secure continued funding and waning commercial interest as key reasons behind the shutdown. The situation has likely been exacerbated by what many see as Blizzard's lack of investment in keeping StarCraft 2 relevant in today’s evolving esports landscape.

With the entire EPT structure being dissolved, the future of high-level StarCraft 2 competition remains uncertain. Without significant changes or renewed publisher support, industry analysts say it's unlikely another organization will step in to operate events at the same scale.

Tags: ESL Starcraft

Share:

Sources:

Report mistake   

Submit news   

Related news

View All

ESL Criticized for AI Art

A tweet from ESL's Counter-Strike account on March 26th, 2025, has sparked significant controversy among fans after the esports tournament...

Business

Mar 27, 2025

ESL Reveals New Partnerships

ESL FACEIT Group has entered into partnerships with hardware manufacturer Acer and esports data company Bayes Esports to...

Business

Feb 07, 2025

ESL Bans "Krad"

Vladislav "Krad" Kravchenko, pro player for 9Pandas, has been handed a two-week ban from ESL Challenger League (ECL) Season 49:...

Drama

Jan 22, 2025

ESL Reveals 2026 Calendar

ESL FACEIT Group has unveiled the first details of its 2026 competitive calendar, which will feature six LAN...

Business

Dec 24, 2024

ESL Pro Tour Details Revealed

ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) has announced key details regarding the ESL Pro Tour (EPT) for Counter-Strike 2, set...

More

Oct 19, 2024

ESL Pro Tour of Starcraft 2 Canceled

Business

08 April 2025 10:52

Tags: ESL Starcraft

ESL FACEIT Group Gaming has officially announced the end of its support for StarCraft 2 esports, bringing a close to the long-running ESL Pro Tour (EPT). In a recent blog post, the company confirmed that it will no longer host major events such as DreamHack tournaments, IEM Katowice, and other key fixtures in the StarCraft 2 competitive calendar.

The news marks a significant shift for the RTS title, which has been a staple of the esports scene for over a decade. While the announcement spells the end of EPT’s structured competitive ecosystem, it does not mark a complete stop for StarCraft 2 esports. ESL confirmed that the Esports World Cup will still host a new SC2 champion later this year, though no replacement circuit has been announced.

Launched in 2020, the ESL Pro Tour was created to provide a "long-term sustainable competitive ecosystem" for StarCraft 2. The tour featured both online and offline events, regional qualifiers, and culminated in an annual world championship. Throughout its five-year run, the EPT hosted over 48,000 matches and awarded more than $6 million in prize money.

More:ESL FACEIT Group Layyoffs

Notable moments in the tour’s history include the IEM Katowice tournaments in 2020 and 2021, which drew peak viewership numbers of 71,794 and 87,479, respectively, according to Esports Charts.

However, ESL made it clear that financial sustainability has become increasingly difficult. The organization cited the inability to secure continued funding and waning commercial interest as key reasons behind the shutdown. The situation has likely been exacerbated by what many see as Blizzard's lack of investment in keeping StarCraft 2 relevant in today’s evolving esports landscape.

With the entire EPT structure being dissolved, the future of high-level StarCraft 2 competition remains uncertain. Without significant changes or renewed publisher support, industry analysts say it's unlikely another organization will step in to operate events at the same scale.

Share:

Sources:

Report mistake   

Submit news   

Related news

View All

ESL Criticized for AI Art

A tweet from ESL's Counter-Strike account on March 26th, 2025, has sparked significant controversy among fans after the esports tournament...

Business

Mar 27, 2025

ESL Reveals New Partnerships

ESL FACEIT Group has entered into partnerships with hardware manufacturer Acer and esports data company Bayes Esports to...

Business

Feb 07, 2025

ESL Bans "Krad"

Vladislav "Krad" Kravchenko, pro player for 9Pandas, has been handed a two-week ban from ESL Challenger League (ECL) Season 49:...

Drama

Jan 22, 2025

ESL Reveals 2026 Calendar

ESL FACEIT Group has unveiled the first details of its 2026 competitive calendar, which will feature six LAN...

Business

Dec 24, 2024

ESL Pro Tour Details Revealed

ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) has announced key details regarding the ESL Pro Tour (EPT) for Counter-Strike 2, set...

More

Oct 19, 2024