The Skyesports Masters 2024 is a major A-tier Counter-Strike 2 tournament organized by South East Asian esports tournament organizer, Skyesports.
Originally planned as a 7-day LAN event in Mumbai, India featuring 5 invited teams 2 EUR qualifier teams, and 1 Indian qualifier team, the event will now be held entirely online due to challenges securing approval for a large-scale in-person event.
Why has the LAN Component Been Cancelled?
According to Skyesports, the upcoming Indian general elections scheduled for April made it difficult for the organizer to get the necessary approvals to host a large LAN event in Mumbai during the same timeframe as the tournament.
As a result, the Main Event of the Skyesports Masters will now be played online from April 8-14, 2024.
You can watch the Live action on Skyesports's official Twitch and YouTube channels.
What are the Other Key Changes to the Tournament?
In addition to moving the entire event online, Skyesports has also announced a few other format changes for 2024:
The prize pool has been increased from $245,000 to $350,000.
One of the invited teams, Team Liquid, has withdrawn and been replaced by a Russian organization, BetBoom.
Skyesports will provide the sole Indian team participating - Gods Reign with travel and boot camp opportunities in Serbia.
Teams Participating:
5 Invited: Aurora Gaming, BIG, ENCE, Ninjas in Pyjamas, OG.
2 European Qualifiers: FORZE Esports, BetBoom Team
1 India Qualifiers: God Reign
Format:
Playoffs: All matches will be Bo3 in the Double-Elimination bracket
The Grand Final will be Bo5
Broader Changes Counter-Strike Ecosystem?
This event change comes amidst Valve's announced rule changes that will effectively ban franchised leagues in Counter-Strike starting in 2025.
Skyesports' shift from a franchised league format to an open tournament is likely in line with these forthcoming regulations as many big organizations like BLAST, PGL, and ESL have already announced their changes internationally.
This is not the first time Skyesports has had to adjust its Counter-Strike plans, as the Skyesports Championship 5.0 was indefinitely postponed last year.
However, the organization has remained deeply involved in South Asian esports since 2018, hosting major tournaments across a variety of titles like the Skyesports League, Grand Slam, and Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) championships.
Sources: Skyesports