Cloud9 has acquired Evil Geniuses’ CS2 BLAST Premier slot, accelerating EG’s apparent esports exit. According to a statement from BLAST, the bidding process for the slot was “competitive.”
With the update in membership, these are the BLAST Premier partnered teams: Astralis, NIP, G2 Esports, OG, Team Vitality, NAVI, FaZe Clan, Complexity, Team Liquid, Heroic, BIG, and Cloud9.
Sales of slots and downscaling operations are inevitable parts of the esports industry. The very foundation, the games themselves, are constantly waxing and waning in popularity, giving everything in the space an aura of uncertainty. However, it’s a bit strange for Cloud9 to buy in now, considering that in a year, these partnership slots will be no more. Unless they got in at a heavy discount, the juice doesn’t look worth the squeeze.
On the other side of the deal, Evil Geniuses is slowly pulling away from esports, selling off their franchised inventory one by one. The org recently backed out of the League of Legends Championship Series and looks like it’s selling off its world-champion VALORANT squad. The once-legendary EG brand has had an incredible fall from grace in recent years and is reportedly “liquidating” its esports ventures.
“Since its inaugural season, Evil Geniuses has supported and participated in BLAST Premier as part of our commitment to the NA Counter-Strike scene,” Chris DeAppolonio, Evil Geniuses CEO, said in a statement. “While we will no longer participate in Premier going forward, we are thankful for the three years we competed and look forward to supporting NA Counter-Strike talent within the league from afar.”
The BLAST World Finals, the capstone CS2 tournament for the 2023 season, concludes today. After its end, all eyes will turn to the final year of partnered leagues, and questions about where cash-strapped tournament organizers go in 2025 will begin to be answered.
