WePlay Hosts CS:GO Academy to Help Cultivate Esports Talent

WePlay Esports was in the top 10 most-watched Russian-language esports channels on Twitch in 2021.

In 2021, WePlay Esports, the flagship channel of the WePlay holding company, hosted five competitions, with viewers watching for a total of 41, 143, 259 hours. Also, 226 professional players competed for a total prize pool of $950, 000. According to Streams Charts, WePlay Esports was in the top 10 most-watched Russian-language Twitch esports channels in 2021. The company's CS:GO channel was watched for 19. 9 million hours. Let's dive deeper and take a detailed look back at 2021.

WePlay Holdings' best moments in 2021. Video WePlay Holding

How the year started: WePlay Ultimate Fighting League

In winter 2021, WePlay Esports announced that for the first time, a tournament will be held with three games taking place simultaneously: Mortal Kombat 11, SOULCALIBUR VI and Tekken 7. 48 fighters from around the world, including the USA, Pakistan, Japan, France, Germany, Great Britain and South Korea, will participate, with a prize of $150. 000.

To close the gap between esports and traditional sports, WePlay Esports signed contracts with boxing cruiserweight world champion Alexander Usyk and two-time Olympic champion Vasiliy Lomachenko. The purpose of the collaboration is to develop and scale up fighting game projects.

The WePlay Ultimate Fighting League took place from March 25 to April 11 at the WePlay Esports Arena Kiev. Viewers could compare how the WePlay team transformed the venue, almost identical to the previous tournament "WePlay Dragon Temple" held in the same place.

WePlay Ultimate Fighting League Tekken 7. Credit WePlay Holdings

Another milestone is reached: WePlay AniMajor

When WePlay Esports hosted the Bukovel Minor 2020, it became clear that the next level should be a Major. This year, WePlay had the privilege of hosting the WePlay AniMajor, one of two DPC Majors in the 2021 Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) season. For many teams, the stakes were high as it was their last chance to qualify for The International 10. WePlay AniMajor set a new record for DPC Majors with 37. 351. 630 watch hours. According to Forbes contributor Mike Stubbs, it was one of the biggest events in the Dota 2 scene in 2021.

There are many reasons why this show stood out, but most of them were because it was anime themed. Satisfying Dota 2 and anime fans at the same time was a difficult challenge that WePlay Esports faced. Just under 50 days were allotted for the preparation of the event, which took 4. 500 working hours. Many details closely related to the anime and Dota 2 communities were included, such as the "Valley of the End" made of 600m3 of styrofoam, two 10m statues, and a lotus similar to the stolen lotus featured in the Netflix series "DOTA: Blood of the Dragon".

Opening of WePlay AniMajor - Talent Presentation. Credit WePlay Holding

Some organizational issues required immediate resolution. For example, the Chinese team's round-trip tickets were canceled due to the pandemic and changes in international air routes. After searching for the most convenient solution, the company decided to book their return flights to China individually.

Winners of WePlay AniMajor. Photo: WePlay Holding

WePlay Holding has not only solved the current problem, but also took all safety measures for the team and participants of the event, including gloves, disinfectants, masks, COVID-19 tests, and an emergency room manned by doctors and nurses 24 hours a day.

WePlay Holding CEO Oleg Gumenyuk

"It was the first Dota 2 Major in the history of the company. For about a month, all employees were able to focus only on the main goal: to make the WePlay AniMajor great. So, first of all, I would like to thank the team. Despite the fact that COVID-19 and the short delivery time caused some obstacles, we put on a show that the entire sports industry will not soon forget," said Oleg Gumenyuk, Executive Director of WePlay Holding.

WePlay AniMajor received the DGTL STAR MRTH award for its digital campaign. More information about WePlay AniMajor below:

Top 10 facts about WePlay AniMajor. Image: WePlay Holding

New title: Rocket League

What is a free-to-play, intuitive, and family-friendly game? The answer is the unicorn of the esports world, Rocket League (RL). Anyone can understand the game mechanics in a few minutes, even if it is their first video game. In addition, RL is one of the most watched games around the world, connecting people from different countries. According to SullyGnome, Rocket League saw a 105% increase in viewing hours on Twitch from September 2020 to September 2021, a record among other sports games that have lasted more than a year.

The English broadcast took place at WePlay Esports Arena Kiev. Credits WePlay Holding

Under the auspices of Psyonix, WePlay Esports organized the WePlay Esports Invitational Rocket League tournament. In the competition, 16 teams competed for a prize of $100. 000. The WePlay Esports Invitational Rocket League tournament in EMEA became the most-watched non-RLCS Rocket League event in 2021, with over 631. 000 hours of viewing time.

Evgeny Lutchanenko, Head of Esports at WePlay Esports

"We will continue our cooperation with Psyonix. The results of the WePlay Esports Invitational featuring Rocket League are impressive and we are confident that WePlay Holding Company will be able to organize further worthy tournaments in this discipline," said Evgeny Lutchanenko, Head of Esports at WePlay Esports.

Contribution to esports future: WePlay Academy League

The WePlay Academy League is a tournament series for young people and is considered the cornerstone of a structured Tier-2 scene. Eight major CS:GO organizations have merged with the WePlay holding company to create an ecosystem for developing professional esports players.

The aim of the competition is to overcome one of the main challenges in esports: the lack of skilled players. From major to major: visitors are likely to see the same faces on the Tier-1 stage, and young prodigies only occasionally get a chance to participate in LAN events.

The WePlay Academy League allows newcomers to develop the skills to play on stage and master all the basics: how to present themselves on camera, how to deal with opponents, how to answer interviews.

Season 2 closed by revealing the rising stars of the discipline, including Ilya "m0NESY" Osipov talking about his plans to take on the best teams in the Tier-1 scene.

"We want to attract more teams. Over time, the WePlay Academy League will grow and change to meet the needs of all academies. After two seasons, we came to the conclusion that the robin-round format is more exciting for the teams. Our format allows each academy to compete against different competitors, check itself and analyze external strategies. This way, players have every opportunity to prepare for the Tier-1 stage," says Evgeny Lutyanenko.

Winners of WePlay Academy League Season 2. Credit WePlay Holding

A new field of development — BLAST Premier and PGL broadcasts

According to the e-sports chart, the peak of the first season was 28. In order to continue to promote the development of EPORT, the company will implement it as a minimal season 4.

Weplay Esports has a tournament skill, but this year has evolved further and broadcasts blast premiere and desired PGL Major Stockholm 2021.

Maxim Bironogov, a key visitor and general producer of WEPLAY ESPORTS

"When working on external tournaments, it is fundamental to protect the original tuning of individuals. Adjusting the tournament for a common base is the spirit of weepholding. Instead of drawing the event, we really aimed to enhance the impressive of the visitors. For example, you need to see the major visitors and general producers of "Maxim Bilonogov, Weplay Esports.

WEPLAY ESPORTS has been in charge of Russian broadcasting and personal analysis studio companies, attracting Alexei's "YXO" Maretsky, Alexander "ENKANIS" polyshtuku, and many other CS: GO CIS world popular talent.

PGL Major Stockholm 2021 talent broadcast in Russia. Photo: Weplay Holding

Goals for 2022

WEPLAY ESPORTS's stream PGL Major Stockholm 2021 has set a record between Russian CS: GO broadcasting and gathered 865 132 at a time.

"Weplay Holding is waiting for a rich year. We are ready to establish an arena in Los Angeles and are ready to r e-conquer this area. As we are important, we are the basics. This is a difficult partner, as we have to justify trust and value. Says Maxim Bironogov, for example,, for example.

Says Maxim Bironogov. "This year, weep Holding will continue to set up the world standard for e-sports. The company has developed a personal new plan, developing a Weplay Academy league and attracting more estimated organizations and partners. I am.

The WEPLAY Academy League is a fuel of ESPORTS in the future. We have created a place where experienced but inexperienced players can find everything important to grow as a professional esports team. So we will do everything in order for the WEPLAY Academy League to take care of it, "said Oleg Gumenuk.

In 2021, the company was able to cooperate with a wide range of games, from Dota 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offense to Rocket League. While epidemic diseases paralyzed the LAN ESPORTS tournaments, Weplay has been doing their best to provide exciting content to the Esports community. By 2022, the company plans to hold an event in all proven events, and of course, other public interests.

"We are eager to enlarge the portfolio of events and do these publishers and businesses like Riot Games. The sports ecosystem is the most organized, and it is open to local players and global individuals. League of Legends, Valorant, League of Legends: Wild Rift, and are still in the background of our vision.

For several years, the company has developed from a tournament operating company to an export media holding company. Today, Weplay Holding holds a tournament that gathers hundreds of thousands of visitors and takes all opportunities to move the world of e-sports.