Everything is bigger in Texas and that includes Counter-Strike 2. In 6 hours, the first Blast.tv Austin Counter-Strike Major held in the US sold out 14 thousand tickets, breaking all previous Moody Center records in the city. At the in-person press conference hosted at the Moody Center, select press, UT esports students, and other invitees got the chance to hear from Mayor Kirk Watson, who spoke on the impact that esports will have on Austin.
Others who spoke were Robbie Douek and Andrew Haworth from BLAST, who broke down the new expanded format for the Major, Drew Hays, Austin Sports Commission, who connected the Major to the long history of international sporting events in Austin, and Jason Lake from Complexity Gaming, who talked to the group about the special role that Texas has played in esports, especially for Counter-Strike. All, of course, was hosted by Moses, one of the game’s former players and current casters.
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Much of the excitement around the first Major in seven years revolves around the fact that Texas has long been considered the birthplace of esports. It happened here, whether it’s Quakecon, Dreamhack, ESL, or the first Counter-Strike tourneys held in a ballroom. Now, the 2025 Blast.tv Austin Counter-Strike Major will be sponsored by Austin Companies Alienware and Dell.
Complexity Gaming is one of America’s legacy esports brands, and Jason Lake, one of the founding fathers of esports, explained, “Fans in the Americas have been eagerly anticipating the return of a Counterstrike Major since the last event in Boston seven years ago. The US has a rich history in Counterstrike, back to when my teams were winning them in 2005 all the way up to Cloud9 winning the Boston Major in 2018.”
Lake continued, “This is a full circle moment for a lot of us. Back in the late 90s and early 2000s, a lot of us were the brunt of some jokes and chuckles over cocktails. There were times when we were playing in hotel ballrooms… People were losing money and doing this for free because they believed in the future of a new digital sport for a new digital generation… It’s a full-circle moment. When Complexity partnered with Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys, it was a coming home for me. From old ballrooms carrying the PCs ourselves to the big leagues.”
While this is the first dedicated esports event in Austin at this scale, the tech-driven city has also been craving it. Formerly home to Dreamhack, the city’s game industry investment continues to soar. Regarding live sports, Austin has continued to build a path forward with PGA, Formula 1, and even hosting COPA tournament games.
The Blast.tv Austin Counter-Strike Major will take place in June in Austin, Texas, from June 3rd to June 22nd, hosted at the state-of-the-art Moody Center. But for those just looking for the final rounds, the Major Champion will be crowned between June 19th and 22nd.
So, what’s new with the Blast.tv Austin Counter-Strike Major?
Expected to stream to over 200 million people in over 150 countries and in over 30 languages across the world, the Austin Major stands as Austin’s most global event. The return of the Major to North America also showcases a new format. With an expanded 32 teams, the major is bigger, better, and stands to Dwarf every other Counte-Strike competition down the road in Dallas.
This is the first of a new Major; the 32 teams represent new regions, allowing for more equity. All teams will qualify through a new Valve ranking system. Sixteen teams qualify directly via the ranking system, and the remaining qualify via Regional Qualifiers.
The Americas will be split into North and South, Europe will be one region, and Asia will be divided into three regions: China, Oceania, and a Western Asia tournament. The tournament will begin three weeks before the finals, before the last stage to get to the Moody Center. During that time, the players will face off in Austin face to face with a frosted glass screen separating them. Throughout the time, local celebrities and ambassadors will help the cast.
Additionally, the 2025 Counterstrike Austin Major will host a tailgate experience for everyone. The tailgate will take place the weekend before the Counterstrike Austin Major finale, bringing together the Austin community, local celebrities, and players to celebrate gaming.
