The Starladder CS: GO Major will take place in Berlin in August 2019. However, the entire event also includes multiple regional qualifiers. These regional qualifiers will take place starting from July 2019. The timing of the next Major came under a lot of flak as it will take place immediately following the Player Break. It is a contentious issue as many players feel that the timing of CS: GO Majors needs a change.

What’s wrong with the current schedule?

The current timing of the CS: GO Major places the Major after Player Break. The Player is a self-imposed break time where no tournaments or events take place. It provides professional players with a respite from the hectic esports schedule. Esports events take place all over the world. Players, coaches and support staff need to travel to various continents to participate in LAN events. As such, a top tier player does not often get enough time to spend with his family and loved ones.

This is why the players expressed their desire to have an official player break. The next Player Break is during June-July 2019. Valve’s scheduling of the Major comes after the Player Break for the Starladder IMBA TV CS: GO Major. The timing of the Major is unfortunate for the players. They will have to spend a considerable amount of the ‘Player Break’ practising and preparing for the upcoming Major. It essentially deprives them of having time off from the game and the competitive circuit.

While the Katowice Major marches on, today we’re announcing the second CS:GO Major of 2019 will be hosted by Starladder and take place in Berlin, Germany. The Champions Stage will take place at the Mercedes Benz-Arena from September 5th – September 8th

The Starladder Major Dates

July 17-21 – Europe & Americas Minors

24-28th July – CIS & Asia Minors

July 29 – Minor Play-in

August 20-25 – Challengers Stage

August 27-September 1 – Legends Stage

September 5-8 – Champions Stage

Players were unhappy with the previous format leading to the present situation.

There is no fixed time for the Major, Valve announces the Major around 5-6 months before the actual event. Since the Major is such an integral part of the pro circuit, no team can afford to skip the event. It is a culmination of the season and presents teams with the opportunity to prove their ranking amongst all the top teams.

During PGL Krakow 2017, the players were unhappy with Major scheduling. Valve announced PGL Krakow to take place before the Player Break. With the tournament schedule packed with events before the Major, top teams did not have enough preparation time. In fact, Astralis even skipped ESL One Cologne 2017 in order to prepare for the Major. The Players’ unhappiness was all over social media with many expressing their displeasure at the scheduling of the Major. So when Valve decided to listen to the players and move the Major post the Player Break, they felt it was the right approach. Except that this time, the players seem to feel like the Major post the break is not ideal.

The Players Association

The Counter-Strike Professional Players Association was formed with the intention of being a platform for player concerns and grievances. The CSPPA has several prominent players as board members. They expressed their displeasure about the schedule on social media following the announcement of the Major.

The CSPPA is as disappointed as the CS players are to hear that the dates of the next CS Major fall right after the player break. In our meeting with Valve at the Major in London, we made it clear the players feel the Major should always be held mid season or end of season. 1/2 — Counter-Strike Professional Players' Association (@CSPPAgg) February 18, 2019

Most certainly not at the start. When we heard the finalized Berlin dates, we reached out to Valve about the issue, but have received no reply as of yet. Valve must take control of the yearly calendar, they cannot keep trying to squeeze a Major into an already full year. 2/2 — Counter-Strike Professional Players' Association (@CSPPAgg) February 18, 2019

There seems to be a breakdown of communication between Valve and CSPPA. With Valve’s silence in their communication with CSPPA, there is little option for the players to voice their opinion. The CSPPA communicated their ideal time for a Major to Valve. However, Valve’s silence might come from the lack of availability of dates for the Major. Since Valve waits so late before announcing the major, there are very few time slots available for the Major. Much of the CS: GO calendar year’s schedule is decided beforehand. The Major always seems to be an afterthought and hence suffers from a poor schedule.

The Solution

There is only one viable solution to this entire mess. Valve needs to seize control of the CS: GO Calendar year. Announcing Majors or at least the Major dates a year beforehand would do wonders for the scheduling. Other third-party tournament organisers can adjust their dates accordingly and we will have a perfect schedule for the entire year. This would also provide time for players and the CSPPA to have their opinion taken into account.

Traditionally valve has always deterred itself from being involved in the esports scene too much. Outside of the CS: GO Majors, Valve has little to no involvement in the operations of the CS: GO Scene. However, with time things change, it is necessary for Valve to change their approach to their games. Announcing Major dates earlier is a step forward for the community to adjust the events and the Player break according to the Major dates. It would definitely be a big step forward to having a semblance of structure to the esports schedule. Right now, many players seem unhappy with the Starladder major dates.

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