Mentioned in this article Games: Dota 2 Teams: Evil Geniuses

ESL One New York is just around the corner, and with the Big Apple starting to heat up, we at eSports Observer wanted to know exactly how such a massive tournament is executed. We sat down with Ulrich Schulze, VP of Pro Gaming at ESL, to find out all about ESL One.

What was the initial goals for ESL One expanding into the Americas? How did New York Super Week play into all this?

Ulrich Schulze: We had always planned to go to the U.S. with an event, and Madison Square Garden just seemed like the perfect venue for it. We partnered with ReedPOP, tied it into New York Comic Con and also made it part of Super Week so that it would be an additional event as part of that—less convention, more esports type of entertainment.

And how did that event go, in general?

US: We had a good first year but we also learned some things, mainly about visitor experience. While the matches were great, we were lacking a bit in additional things to do at the event, so we knew we needed to change that. We also learned what works and what does not when it comes to stage setup there.

Now, a return to New York. What are the goals for this second trip to New York? What has changed?

US: We want to make the event bigger, and we want people to have more of a festival experience with signing sessions, a cosplay contest and more fun things to do around Dota 2. Game wise, we will see which team can challenge the TI5 champion Evil Geniuses.

Is there any concern for “complacency?” 2014 had Frankfurt and New York, 2015 has Frankfurt and New York. Is ESL worried about creating a predictable event series locked into cities that could feel repetitive?

US: We are going for exactly that—we want these events to become annual festivals for esports fans that are a key part of every visitor’s calendar. And we want to make each year better than the previous one. I think with Frankfurt that worked pretty well and we are aiming for the same with New York. That said, we will also be adding new ESL One stops.

Also, earlier this year, we saw Riot Games step into New York as well, into Madison Square Garden proper (a perceived “upgrade” to the Theatre). Is there any concern of that overshadowing ESL One?

US: Riot Games had a very successful event, and we are happy for their success—but it was also one of the few big LoL events NA has had in the past years, so it did not come as a surprise. Dota 2 has TI on the other hand, so we are not worried if ESL One New York is not as big—we just want to make it great for every attendee.

What would be a successful weekend for ESL One New York 2015?

US: Great final, happy fans and lots of memorable moments!

ESL’s drug testing has become much publicized—and criticized. How has this program evolved in the months since implementation? How can it be improved in the future? How will it be executed at ESL One New York?

US: We had a good first example of it at ESL One Cologne—no positive tests, players were very receptive and we did what was necessary for CS:GO at that point. We are planning similar steps for Dota 2 and we want to use ESL One New York to educate the players about substances, tests and overall implications. There will be no testing in New York yet as we want to make sure all parties know what is going on and what the procedure looks like before introducing it.

Any other things in the future for ESL One and ESL in general? What can fans expect in the coming months and years?

US: More events, bigger events, and new regions. And great matches of course.