The Counter-Strike Professional Players’ Association (CSPPA) has entered an agreement with two major tournament organizers, ESL and DreamHack, to change the current format and schedule of their CS:GO tournaments, the CSPPA announced today.
The most important tournaments in the world have been played online since the coronavirus pandemic started and CS:GO players are struggling with substantial workloads and a lack of time to recover between tournaments and games, according to CSPPA’s statement.
CSPPA recently formed a group with ESL and DreamHack to monitor the working conditions for players and to propose relevant changes to the schedule and format of tournaments based on feedback received from players.
As a first step of this collaboration, there will be four changes to the schedule and format of events that will be implemented as soon as possible:
- ESL and DreamHack will limit the number of games played during group stages. The tournament organizers won’t use the format of large groups of teams playing round robin, with the exception of ESL Pro League, which will reduce the number of teams in each group from eight to six.
- ESL and DreamHack will change the starting time of matches so that no match ends after midnight.
- ESL and DreamHack will implement technical measures to avoid delays as much as possible.
- Teams who participate in semifinals and finals will be given a minimum of three rest days before they compete in the following tournament.
The CSPPA is thrilled to have established this line with ESL and DreamHack. “The collaboration has proven to work very well and I think that is because we are pursuing the same goal—to make the CS:GO schedule more balanced and sustainable for all parties involved,” said CSPPA CEO Mads Øland.
CS:GO fans will likely notice these changes at DreamHack Open Fall Europe, which will kick off on Oct. 15.
