Skyesports, one of the leading esports tournament organizers in South Asia, has announced its much anticipated Counter Strike 2(CS2) Roadmap for 2024. They have planned a total of six global IPs and a cumulative prize pool of $1 million.
Released in 2023, Counter Strike 2, popularly known as CS2 replaced the much-loved video game- CSGO. CSGO established its standards and significance in the esports industry and elevated its presence to television. CS2 has the responsibility to maintain its predecessor’s esports scene and Skyesports is committed to growing its esports scene in South Asia.
Let us discuss what CS2 esports athletes will have in the coming year.
Skyesports CS2 Plans for 2024 Unveils Six Tournaments
As stated in the Press release, six international IPs are scheduled to take place in 2024. Every one of the six IPs will feature LAN events that take place both in the country and internationally, featuring matches between Indian and foreign teams.
Out of six events, the first three LAN tournaments will take place in India while the rest are set to take place in other countries.
Thrilled to reveal our entire roadmap for Counter-strike in 2024! With a cumulative prize pool of $1 Million, Skyesports is all set for a historical journey in the upcoming year for all the counter-strike enthusiasts with a focus on both Indian teams and International teams with… pic.twitter.com/eTKoLx0MDA
— Skyesports (@skyesportsindia) December 19, 2023
The roadmap kicks off with the Skyesports Grand Slam which is slated to take place from March 14 to 18 in India with a $50,000 prize pool. Skyesports Masters, India’s first-ever franchised league tournament in India will be returning next year too. The 2024 edition of that tournament is scheduled to take place from May 13-19 with a $350,000 prize pool in India. Here is the complete list of tournaments and their details as announced by the organizer.
| S.No | Tournament IP | Schedule | Prize Pool (in USD) | Place |
| 1 | Skyesports Grand Slam | March 14 to 18 | $50,000 (≈ Rs 41 lakhs) | India |
| 2 | Skyesports Masters | May 13 to 19 | $350,000 (≈ Rs 2.9 Crore) | India |
| 3 | Skyesports Championship 6.0 | July 4 to 7 | $150,000(≈ Rs 1.2 Crore) | India |
| 4 | Skyesports Souvenir | September 13 to 15 | $150,000 (≈ Rs 1.2 Crore) | Colombo |
| 5 | Skyesports Global Tour Thailand | October 25 to 27 | $250,000 (≈ Rs 2 Crore) | Bangkok and Thailand |
| 6 | Skyesports India vs Pakistan Series | December 20 to 22 | $50,000 (≈ Rs 41 lakhs) | Abu Dhabi |
The three events taking place in India as a LAN event will invite international teams to participate along with Indian teams. The Souvenir series will see teams from India, Europe and North America participate in the competition. Next up is the Skyesports Global Tour, a new IP, with its qualifiers taking place in India Europe, North America and Southeast Asia. Wrapping up the year, the organizer has planned the India vs Pakistan Series.
On top of these “Skyesports will also be supporting grassroots-level collegiate and cafe events for Counter-Strike 2 in India with monetary and infrastructural support.“
Furthermore, the roadmap will continue with invitations to the next competition going out to the best teams from the previous IP. By doing this, it will be more stable for elite teams to focus on developing talent rather than having to compete in the qualifiers every time.
Skyesporots Masters 2023 witnessed eight franchised teams and its Grand Finals were held at Koramangala Indoor Stadium, Bengaluru. Rather than much hype created around the tournament, it did not garner much viewership having a prize pool of Rs 2 crore. However, it collected a decent viewership count. Apart from that, gamers and professionals in the community raised concerns over the banned gambling app 1xBet as the sponsor for the tournament.
