FACEIT and Twitch partner up for eSports Championship Series

Yesterday we reported on Hitbox partnering with ESL, Dreamhack and Wargaming, wondering how Twitch would respond. In fact, we need not worry as Twitch have now partnered with tournament host FACEIT to bring a $3.5 million Championship Series which will usher in a new twist on competitive eSports.

The new partnership will introduce a system which has played a crucial role in financial growth among most conventional sports – co-owenership. What this means is players and teams will share in the revenue from the Championship Series. FACEIT puts it clearly in their press release.

“FACEIT, in partnership with Twitch, will announce its all new esports initiative, the Esports Championship Series, along with the initiative’s first league, the Esports Championship Series – Counter-Strike. Unlike any esports league before it, ECS Counter-Strike will offer teams and players co-ownership in the league, granting them access to revenue sharing, profits, and representation on the league’s governing body.”

FACEIT has long existed as one of the premier gaming platform for competitive eSports. Their Pro League has partnered with companies such as ESL and Twitch in the past to bring it’s premier eSports program to the forefront of competitive gaming. The new Championship Series will invite 20 top CS:GO battling it out for $3.5 million in prizes and financial support.

“Players and teams are the heart of the esports community and deserve the opportunity to reap the rewards of their hard work and dedication to grow esports into a mainstream phenomenon. We make the community our first priority and as such, we’re excited to support the first esports league that positions teams as co-owners,” said Michele Attisani, co-founder of FACEIT.

Stuart Saw, Director of eSport Strategy at Twitch, said the following on the new partnership:

“A major part of Twitch’s success is built around our relationship with the esports community, from the players and organizations who have made it a leading form of entertainment, to our own staff with deep roots in the scene. We’ve listened to what the teams and players are looking for, which is to have a bigger voice in the movement, and it inspired us to partner with FACEIT to launch the ECS. This will mark a significant and welcome change to the sport, and will lead to a wider impact across the industry.”

The League will commence today at 15:00 (That’s now!) with a pre-show kicking off the Championship Series. As mentioned above the top 20 teams in CS:GO will  play exclusively in the Championship which will be broadcasted live to the FACEIT Twitch channel.

FACEIT broadcasters James and DDK.

FACEIT are also placing major focus on a development league which aims to place up and coming teams in the hot seat of competitive gaming. More information will be released in the upcoming weeks with regard to the development league, and will kick off alongside the season 2 launch of the ECS.

For more information check out the FACEIT CS:GO League website.

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Last Updated: April 6, 2016