The new global esports tournament, BLAST Pro Series, is coming to Istanbul this summer.

BLAST Pro Series was launched in Copenhagen in 2017 and will take place in major cities around the world starting from 2018. Istanbul is the first international host city to be announced. This will be the first time Istanbul will host a major international esports tournament and the first time the world’s best Counter-Strike teams will come to Istanbul.

The first event in Copenhagen broke all broadcasting records for Danish national TV, DR3, and surpassed the Olympics, the X Games and the Eurovision in the channel’s viewership. With more than 2.5 million unique viewers on Twitch, another 2.5 million online viewers reported in China alone, TV broadcast to more than 180 million households worldwide and a social media reach of more than 60 million, the BLAST Pro Series broke new grounds in mainstream viewership, and much more is to come.

Over the last couple of years, investments from the government and industry, has made Turkey one of the top countries in esports.

Bettina Kuperman, CEO Impact34, BLAST Pro Series Istanbul Event Director

- We are thrilled to welcome BLAST Pro Series to Istanbul. The format and set-up is without comparison the most exciting new edition to the esports scene. It's an electrifying experience with 6 of the best Counter-Strike teams in the world competing live on stage in front of more than 10.000 spectators and live audiences all over the world, and the fans in Istanbul are in for an amazing experience!

- Esports is the trend to follow within the sports and entertainment industry. No other sports product is reaching audiences like this, and it is time for Turkey to show the world, what we are capable of both in terms of sports performance and event organization.

- We aim for BLAST Pro Series Istanbul to be the leading event in the series and set a new standard for hosting major esports events. We look forward to inviting everyone to a weekend full of excitement and fun.

BLAST Pro Series not only brings World Class Counter-Strike to Istanbul; it will also be the Turkish fans' first chance to cheer on their local heroes, who will battle it out against some of the best teams in the world. Turkish based Space Soldiers, who participated in the latest ELEAGUE Major tournament, and actually beat the new champions from Cloud9 in the group stage, is the first team announced. Much to the team's enjoyment:

Engin "MAJ3R" Kupeli, Space Soldiers:

- We all watched BLAST Pro Series in Copenhagen and the event and tournament looked really awesome. The concept of all teams playing in the arena is really cool from both a fan and a player perspective, and the atmosphere was so intense.

- When we received the invitation to BLAST Pro Series, Istanbul, we all got so motivated. To step up on that stage with the best teams in the World in front of our home crowd. It will be so intense, and we can’t wait to present world class Counter-Strike to the Turkish audience. And to present the Turkish audience to the World!

The event is created with the sole purpose of making the best possible live experience in the arena and behind the screen. No boring long breaks, complex gaming language and days of unclear scheduling. BLAST Pro Series is a compact, fast and well-organized tournament.

Jordi Roig, Executive Producer of BLAST Pro Series comments:

- We created BLAST Pro Series to cater for the live fans and the viewers. The format leaves nothing to chance, and as a fan, broadcaster and partner, you know which teams you will see live on stage as the full program is announced well in advance.

- We are very excited to welcome Istanbul to BLAST Pro Series. Turkey is one of the fastest growing esports countries with more than 30 million esports enthusiasts and Turkish teams are steadily climbing to the top of the world. Istanbul was a natural choice for us and we have no doubt that it will be another record-breaking event.



- The atmosphere at the premiere of BLAST Pro Series in Copenhagen was electrifying and the feedback we received was amazing, but already now we can say for sure, that we will bring even more world class Counter-Strike and entertainment to Istanbul. We are thrilled about the event already and look much forward to presenting the line-up and full program for the first of many international stops in BLAST Pro Series.

The date, venue, ticket sales and full line-up will be announced soon, but the tournament guarantees to bring World Class Counter-Strike and top international teams to Istanbul!