Two fundamental aspects shine in every major esports competition: entertainment and competitiveness. Entertainment encompasses captivating the audience through stage design, hosts’ performance, analysts’ commentary, and seamless advertising integration, creating a complete showbiz experience to engage viewers. Conversely, the competitive element ensures fair play to determine the champion.
Despite the lengthy existence of some esports titles, refining tournament formats remains an ongoing quest rather than a perfected endeavor. This perpetual pursuit of the ideal format leads to continuous experimentation, injecting freshness and intrigue into competitions.
Initially, esports borrowed tournament formats from traditional sports like the Olympic, round-robin, Swiss, and seeding based on rankings. However, esports introduces unique elements such as map selection, hero choices, and in-game variables that significantly influence outcomes.
Single Game vs Multiple Game
Esports series can vary from single-game to multiple-game formats. Longer series provide more objective results, mitigating chance factors present in shorter matches. Nonetheless, finding a balance is crucial as excessively long tournaments risk audience disengagement.
Different esports titles exhibit varying preferences for match formats. For example, Dota 2 hosts the highest number of million-dollar tournaments, primarily featuring best-of-3 series, while League of Legends World Championships prominently showcase best-of-1 series during the group stages.
Best-of-2 series, allowing for draws, are common in large group stages, often seen in Dota 2 tournaments. Conversely, best-of-5 series are prevalent in mobile gaming titles and historically featured in PC gaming tournaments for Call of Duty and Overwatch, prioritizing an engaging spectacle.
Extremely long series like best-of-7 are primarily observed in mobile esports due to shorter match durations. However, best-of-9 series are rare in million-dollar tournaments, with only one instance recorded recently during the Call of Duty League Championship 2023 grand finals.
Selecting the optimal format poses challenges, balancing objectivity, viewer engagement, logistical considerations, and financial factors. Proficient organizers carefully weigh these factors to ensure a successful tournament experience. Subsequent discussions will delve into how different series formats influence viewership across various titles, with a focus on Counter-Strike tournaments.
