Counter-Strike is about to be on American television for the first time since 2007—and now we know six of the teams that will be taking part in the landmark competition.
Astralis, Cloud9, Ninjas in Pyjamas, Counter Logic Gaming, Renegades and Mousesports are the first teams to be officially announced for the first ELEAGUE season set to air on TBS this May.
Turner has committed to two $1.2 million seasons in 2016 to be broadcast across Twitch and TBS television, with 21 hours a week on Twitch and three broadcast simultaneously on Twitch and TBS on Friday evenings. That’s a far cry from a previous failed attempt at broadcasting Counter-Strike on TV, the Championship Gaming Series, which attempted to condense the game into more traditional TV time slots.
The $2.4 million up for grabs makes each season individually is the most lucrative Counter-Strike competition ever, $200,000 more than Valve’s own majors.Â
Astralis, the former Team SoloMid lineup, are the most decorated team announced today. With six event titles to their name under the TSM banner and coming off an impressive performance at IEM Katowice, the team will likely be one of the early favorites to take the title.
Once a dominant force in the game, Ninjas in Pyjamas have struggled in recent tournaments finishing near the bottom of their group in Katowice last week.Â
The other four teams were seen in the initial ELEAGUE teaser video released in December, but their participation wasn’t officially announced.Â
Among those seen but still to be officially unveiled are Dignitas, CompLexity, TSM, and IEM Katowice finalists Luminosity Gaming.
According to Turner Sports, 16Â teams are currently signed to appear in the opening season with two spots still open. Fans will be hoping that one of the remaining 12 spots goes to teams like Fnatic and Natus Vincere.
ELEGUE debuts May 24, with a 10-week season culminating with the finals on July 30.
Photo via DreamHack/Flickr (used with permission, all rights reserved)
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