Monday November 9 2009
Team Fortress 2
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CGS officially shut down

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i know it was in the last post of that good leagues topic

"AN IDEA WHOSE TIME CAME TOO EARLY


Today BSkyB, STAR and DIRECTV ended their Championship Gaming Series® (CGS) joint venture.

While the concept was ahead of its time and we are extremely proud of what we’ve accomplished, it became increasingly clear as this ambitious project evolved, that profitability was too far in the future for us to sustain operations in the interim.

Our goal was to be ahead of the curve in the e-sports space, and conceived of CGS as a true sports league. We invested wholeheartedly in the venture and presented viewers with a top-notch production, but the economics just didn’t add up for us at this time.

Our only regret is that we will lose a team of creative and talented individuals who invested their hearts and souls into Championship Gaming Series. We recognize their achievements and thank them for their hard work and passion.

BSkyB, STAR and DIRECTV continue to be committed to the video games sector, which is an important part of many of our customers’ lives and a great source of entertainment."


http://www.thecgs.com/

That blows, I wonder what's next.
marv
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bad days for tf2
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Does that mean pro-am isn't paying out ? LOL
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:(
c0m3 seE m3
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#3 thats a good question, i wonder that also.
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Unless all 3 parent companies are filing for bankruptcy as well I'd expect the pro-am to still pay out.
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i like the comments on the main GF page thread... pretty funny how 1.6 players hated CGS and everything it stood for hard because they were bitter cs:s was chosen instead...pretty dumb to celebrate the death of a big time sponsor driven league which provided competition from multiple continents.

as far as the NA tf2 scene goes, hopefully ESL will continue to expand their NA branch and add tf2...but esl in europe wasn't even a big prize pot...with back to back hardware prizes by cevo it looks as if future money tournaments/leagues will be extremely rare...add that to the death of several top tier tf2 teams....doesn't look good for tf2.
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Damn, that's quite a blow.

By all accounts the initial season of tf2 pro-am had been successful and for some teams even took precedence over cevo-p. After the (assumed) 15k prize payout and the regular cgs live broadcasts including good coverage of the final, it did leave cevo feeling a little bland in comparison.
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Oh noes. That sucks.
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#8,

For all teams it took precedence over CEVOp, just look at the prize pots...
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The coverage that CGS gave the finals was fantastic, despite not knowing the game.

It's a shame it is gone.

Maybe CPL will start back up since the UAE investment firm bought them.
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Pretty much. You lose a little motivation to play for ram when 5k is on the line.
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#10 I agree, $5000 > FATAL1TY RAM

RIP, CGS
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#11

The shoutcasting on the other hand, not so fantastic. It was fun listening to the Gravel Pit match though, having them explain the use of the "three turrets".

Hahahahahahahaa
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The shoutcasting was fine, if not great.
c0m3 seE m3

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Hey guys, this is LANDodger from the CGS. I just wanted to say how sorry I am about this news. I truly enjoyed watching TF2 this season, and the Finals match was some of the best action I've seen since I started following eSports five or six years ago. Truly an epic, fun match, and I almost can't believe I had the privilege to broadcast and commentate on it live.

I also wanted to STRESS that Pro-Am participants WILL get paid. I know people are wondering, but they're ABSOLUTELY going to get the money that they've already won.

Thanks for the good games and the good times... I just wish there had been more of both. :(

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LD I enjoyed reading your blogs and seeing how you developed a real interest in tf2 throughout the season. Your knowledge and enthusiasm for the game showed in your broadcast of the finals match.
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LANDodger, how hard was it to hold back on correcting DJwheat approximately 90% of the time he was talking? :)
This sucks, I was looking forward to CGS Pro-Am season 2... Guess this means the College Gaming League is gone too, that was looking interesting.

TBH, I'd be willing to pay 20 bucks for cevo again to have a solid prize pot.

It would be so easy to save CGS or have just a really solid 'e-sports' league. Microsoft/Dell/Nvidia/AMD all these big companies that make billions upon billions of dollars can seriously allot maybe .005% of their money and it would still be a couple million. Would keep a league going for many many many seasons. Don't understand how hard it could be for these people, considering how much attention and stuff it would garner for these companies.

This comment was edited at 11/18/2008 4:50 PM
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sighrax, they cevo wouldnt do that, i think they will stay sponsored, if so that does happen, tf2 is dead
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nick leon will not be happy about this ~
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22 - Who's to say that if you're sponsored, you can't still do a pay to play system with added rewards?

Wow that's bullshit. The only good tf2 league gets shut down. Competitive tf2 sure doesnt have it easy.

I really hope some other league can step up and offer the same quality and incentives that cgs did.

This comment was edited at 11/18/2008 5:03 PM
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si
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LANDodger your casting was great, you should try it again sometime :)
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oh my GOD I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY DIDN'T DEFEND A!
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Haha, yeah.. that was an oops...
GotFrag TF2 Head
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rofl destro


off to play left 4 dead
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what the hell
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*IF YOU LIVE IN AN ASIAN COUNTRY PLEASE DISREGARD THIS PART OF THE MESSAGE AND SKIP TO THE NEXT ASTERISK

Oh god. Videogames will never be widely spectated. Big money LANs and other things are possible by a simple process:
-The best players/teams play competitively and get recognized
-Other players/teams want to be like the best
-Players/teams get sponsored with equipment like mice, headphones, etc which in reality is cheap advertisement compared to commercials or ads
-Other players buy the equipment that the pros use
-Companies that make PC hardware make a profit
-Repeat

The CGS went against this for some reason.

*That sucks. The CGS really had potential and I always looked forward into ordering a smirnoff keg and inviting my boys over to watch the CS:S finals.

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You're so much funnier when the Rangers win Zam :O
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i love video games

This comment was edited at 11/18/2008 9:07 PM

war's over, we can all go home
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damn you Obama, this is not the change I had in mind

Mccain would have sustained the CGS

This comment was edited at 11/18/2008 10:56 PM
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#20, #21, #27

Thanks guys, I appreciate it. I have to admit that TF2 caught me by surprise... I went into the season having played a little TF2 but not fallen in love with it. But after watching the game played a high level, I'm sold. The flow and pace of the game is just amazing, to say nothing of the strategies, required skill, etc. It'd be an absolute shame if it doesn't continue in at least an online capacity.

Good luck to all of you guys in the future. I'll be following the action, and probably write about it as well, wherever I end up.
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landodger,
you should use your e-famous self and try to promote tf2

lol # 39
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Bad times. =(
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