Esports had a great year in 2017, as we discussed at length in our Year in Review article, but now it's time to look ahead to 2018 and what's in store for esports fans this year, whether that be in terms of the events we already know about or the games that are bursting through and proving themselves in the competitive scene. There's plenty that we know is coming, but that's just the start, and there's plenty yet to be revealed.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
The biggest shooter in esports is kicking 2018 off in style with the Eleague Major Boston this month, which sees 24 teams fight for $1 million USD in prize money, aiming to replicate the success of the Eleague Major in Atlanta almost exactly one year ago. The so-called Legend teams like Gambit, Astralis, North, and SK Gaming will be fighting not only against new challengers such as Cloud9 and FaZe Clan, but also Minors Champions like the newly included Flash Gaming, who'll be looking to take down some giants and prove the doubters wrong. There's a lot to see, with the new Challenger and Legends stages running from January 12 to 22 before the action moves to the Champions stage from 26 to 28, and SK Gaming has everything to prove after being the dominant team of last year.
That isn't all the CS:GO action that we know is coming our way though, as the cs_summit 2 follows hot on the heels of Boston, running from February 8 to 11 in LA, before IEM Katowice in Poland from March 2 to 4, and the World Esports Games World Finals the same month. These are just the first few months after all, and with the ESL Pro League starting once more for its seventh season and events like DreamHack offering CS:GO tournaments too, there's no shortage of ways to watch, and it's even more exciting when you consider that there are unannounced events coming as well.
But who are the teams to watch out for? SK Gaming is the obvious answer, as they won a ton of trophies last year with the help of star players like FalleN, Taco, and coldzera, but they're not untouchable. FaZe Clan has had their fair share of success as well, with NiKo being one of their top players, and Danish side Astralis have everything to prove after a barren spell as of late. There are also other teams that have shown promise, like North and Cloud9, not to mention Mousesports. CS:GO, like esports as a whole, is an unpredictable beast, and so it's hard to predict who will and won't perform.
League of Legends
Arguably the biggest thing in League of Legends esports this year is the North American Championship Series (NA LCS). Last year we found out that the league was being franchised, and since then both esports organisations and others like NBA team Houston Rockets have invested, meaning all that's left is for the league to start on January 20. With the inclusion of new names like OpTic Gaming, Golden Guardians (owned by the Golden State Warriors), and 100 Thieves, not to mention the absence of teams like Immortals, it should be a really interesting Spring Split. That's without even mentioning the academy league all of the teams are competing in either.
Let's not forget that the EU LCS will be having its own returning league this spring too, which should offer its fair share of excitement as well, especially considering it has its own changes in format this time around. This new single-league competition sees giants like G2 Esports (which has a hugely changed roster), Unicorns of Love, and Fnatic go head to head again to see who can come out on top, and newbies FC Schalke 04 Esports will also be looking to surprise a few people as well.
There are plenty more competitions around the world to be paying attention to as well, including Korea's LCK, featuring powerhouses like World Championship winner Samsung Galaxy and SK Telecom T1; the LPL from China, which also has solid teams like Royal Never Give Up and Team WE; and the overlooked LMS, from Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau. All of these leagues provide the qualified teams for both the Mid-Season Invitational and the World Championships, so the stakes are high, with teams like Team SoloMid needing to prove themselves on the international stage. Can they do it this year?
Dota 2
Another MOBA that has a lot to live up to year-on-year is Valve's Dota 2, but considering it broke records yet again last year with The International, which amassed a prize pool of over $24 million USD, we can't imagine Valve is too worried about that. In fact, each year The International continues to impress, and with Team Liquid winning the grand prize last year, they'll no doubt be hoping for the same success this time around.
There are plenty of competitions aside from the big stage of The International though. ESL One Katowice; StarLadder i-League Invitational Season 4; the Bucharest Major; DreamLeague Season 9; the Asia Championship; and the Epicenter Major are just some of the other tournaments where top Dota teams can compete for huge prizes and qualification chances, so there's plenty to see if you're a fan of professional Dota.
As we've mentioned, Team Liquid are one of the teams to watch this year, but there are other competitors hot on their heels. Team Secret and Virtus Pro, for instance, will be chasing the top prizes, but then there are also Chinese teams like Vici Gaming and Newbee to contend with as well, the latter of which saw success in the Perfect World Masters Major tournament back in November and contested Liquid at The International in August. LGD Forever Young are also worth looking out for as well, as are Evil Geniuses.
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Overwatch
Arguably the most exciting esports prospect this year is the Overwatch League. As with the NA LCS there has been tons of investment from all around the world, and starting January 11 we'll see 12 teams comprised of the top Overwatch players in the world battle it out at the Blizzard Arena Los Angeles. These will represent a plethora of owners and organisations, ranging from London Spitfire with Cloud9 to the Los Angeles Gladiators, owned by Kroenke Sports & Entertainment.
Of course it's not just the large investments that make the Overwatch League an appealing prospect, as we've also got a glimpse of the action in the preseason which, although it yielded a mixed bags of results for most teams, did give us some indication of who to look out for. Seoul Dynasty and Los Angeles Valiant, for instance, won all of their matches, and Dallas Fuel and San Francisco Shock's roster also look incredibly solid.
Aside from the actual competition, there's a lot that's exciting about the league too, as there are new in-game skins and merchandise launching alongside the competition. Blizzard made it clear that they had lofty intentions to make this a global affair with a lot of marketing and publicity to go with it, and if it garners a large following it could really be a big deal in pushing esports into the public eye. It's already got the attention of celebrities and businesses, and with Blizzard committing to improving things like spectatorship, the future looks bright.
What else to keep an eye on
Rainbow Six: Siege is another game that's grown extensively both in itself and as an esport, and we'll see some of the top teams worldwide clash at the Six Invitational in Montreal next month. After the ambitious event in Brazil last year for the Pro League Season 3 finals, Ubisoft is upping the ante with big plans like a dedicated arena, 16 invited teams, and a prize pool of $500,000 USD. Siege's own future is bright, with a Year 3 roadmap of content already laid out, and if this esports commitment continues, we can imagine more and more interest will be shown.
It's also worth keeping an eye on Battle Royale-inspired games in 2018's esports scene, namely Fortnite and PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds. While other games like Paladins will be making moves into the same space, Fortnite and PUBG have had tried and tested competitions already, which along with their thriving streaming community shows that there's an audience for these types of games. PUBG has even had large-scale competitions at IEM Oakland and Gamescom too, so it's just a case of more organisers putting events on, like the StarSeries league in March, and more teams investing in squads.
We can't forget the Fighting Game Community (FGC) this year either, as they've got the usual range of juicy competitions to contend with, whether you're a Super Smash Bros. fan or a Street Fighter V follower. The first Evo tournament in Japan at the end of this month should be particularly interesting, especially since Arms is getting a competition yet again (Nintendo has previously been a little frosty with regards to esports support), and last year's releases of Injustice 2 and Tekken 7 add two more big names to the list for future events as well. Choice is always a good thing, especially when it comes to fighting games and the events that host them.
Last but not least we also have a promising future for sports games, and more specifically football games. The PES League, for instance, is going around the world, starting with the Asia Round before moving into the world finals in summer, an event that really impressed us last year. With the new co-op category as well, there's even more PES to enjoy in new ways. FIFA is also holding its own Global Series on The Road to the FIFA eWorld Cup, where multiple events across the world will culminate in a grand final later in the year, so whatever football game takes your fancy you have plenty to watch and take part in.
In short, there's plenty to be looking forward to this year in competitive gaming, whether that be specific events or just to see what's in store for specific games and their communities. With events like DreamHack already on the table, and more still to be announced, there are loads of ways for fans to watch their favourite games, but let's not forget that plenty of organisers are hosting smaller scale tournaments for players to get involved in as well. If 2017 is anything to go by, we should be in for a wild ride in 2018.