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We love esports at Frost Giant and we’re committed to fostering a robust esports ecosystem for our upcoming RTS. We’re keeping esports in mind from the very beginning of development.
To position our game for esports success, we’re drawing on everything we learned from working on previous successful esports franchises, including StarCraft and Warcraft. We’re also looking at the best examples of competitive games outside of RTS—including traditional sports as well as other game genres like MOBA, fighting games, and competitive shooters.
We believe esports are for everyone, and there should be opportunities for players of all skill levels, not just high-stakes professional tournaments. We want to support the entire range of organized competitive play, from smaller-scale, grassroots tournaments to pro play. Organized competition will make our game more fun for everyone, streamline the path to pro for players who aspire to play professionally, and contribute significantly to the longevity of RTS.
Some of you may have participated in competitive events like these over the years, through a game’s in-client tournament organizing tools, a third-party bracket, a community website, a school club, or a favorite gaming store or café. We’re interested in learning about your experiences in these kinds of esports events as players, organizers, and spectators. We want to know what you loved or hated about them—your input here is incredibly valuable.
Large-scale esports leagues and events are also on the table and bring with them big questions about structure and approach. We’re thinking about everything from what types of brackets to implement in league or tournament play, to the scheduling of competitive seasons and off-season play.
How should the top-level qualification process work?
Should it be centralized and organized?
Or should we empower third-party tournament organizers to create the events that make up the top tier of competition?
We also know from experience just how expensive esports are, and we've already begun discussing potential funding models. One thing we know for sure – any financial model we put together has to ensure that our player community, as well as our esports organizers, teams, and pros, are all treated fairly.
We’d appreciate your perspective on a few related topics:
- What kind of competition would you enjoy participating in?
- Examples might include free entry tournaments without monetary prizing, prized competitions with entry fees, team competitions, corporate leagues, or events run through entities like your school, a local club, or community center.
- What tools and features would you like to see in the game client to support your participation in esports, both as a player and spectator?
- Consider things like in-game spectating, post-match educational content or coaching, redeemable reward points, fantasy betting leagues, and affiliate programs.
- What competition structures do you enjoy the most and why? Do you enjoy following a team’s performance over several months, or do you only tune in for a single end-of-year championship?
- What are some examples of esports-related products (digital goods, merchandise, subscriptions, event tickets, or anything else) that you were happy to purchase?
- In your opinion, what are some of the best ways to incorporate brands and sponsors into an esports environment? When do these partnerships suck and when are they fun?
- We’ve discussed many different possibilities for funding esports so far: scheduled commercial breaks, opt-in advertising (both in-game and out-of-game), product placement (also both in-game and out-of-game), title sponsorships, selling event-themed cosmetics, battle passes, and crowdfunding.
We’d love to hear your thoughts on these options or any that we may not already be considering.
Thank you for all your support and for being a part of our journey.
-The Frost Giant Team
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Previous Discussion Topics:
Previous Responses:
- Our Thoughts on Heroes
- Our Thoughts on Asymmetry
- Our Thoughts on Onboarding
- Our Thoughts on Teams
- Our Thoughts on Win Conditions
- Our Thoughts on Social Features
- Our Thoughts on Competitive Map Design