There’s a lot of dos and don’ts.
Last year, Valve announced the enforcement of a ‘Level Playing Field’ in the Counter-Strike esports scene. The move aimed to steer Counter-Strike esports towards a more inclusive and open environment. Today, Valve has released the Tournament Operating Requirements rulebook for Tournament organizers. Read on to learn more about the developments that will impact Counter-Strike in 2025 and beyond.
What is the Tournament Operating Requirements Rulebook?
The Tournament Operating Requirements Rulebook features a set of rules and regulations that determine the terms used in Counter-Strike esports. It also governs the process for tournament organizers to receive the operating license for events that conclude after December 31, 2024.
For almost all events, the Limited Game Tournament License will be the governing rulebook that determines the operation of the event.
Ranked and Unranked events
The biggest change of the recent announcement is in the form of the classification of Ranked and Unranked events. They have also clearly defined Tier 1 and Tier 2 events which we have explained later in this article.
Valve defines Ranked events as those that contribute to Valve’s Regional Standings. The Valve Regional Standings are the reference point while deciding on invitations for Valve’s various Regional Major Ranking events.
Ranked Event shall mean a Tournament for which the outcome generates data used by the Valve Regional Standings to determine the relative performance of Rosters.
Similarly, Unranked events are the ones where the final results do not impact the Valve Regional Major Rankings. These are usually third-party events that do not contribute to a team’s chances of qualifying for the Major.
Unranked Prize Pools limited to $100,000
Valve’s rulebook also imposes restrictions on unranked events that take place throughout the year. The total compensation for Unranked events cannot exceed $100,000. In this case, Compensation includes Prize pool and any other form of compensation. If the tournament organizer operates more than one Unranked Event in a year, the total compensation for all Unranked Events may not exceed $250,000.
Currently, many small-tier events’ prize pools easily exceed $100,000 and we may see a significant correction in prize pools. While this would impact many players, it might also lead to a more sustainable esports business environment for TOs and Teams.
The rules for Ranked events under new rulebook are more complicated and stringent. The licensee (Tournament organizer) will determine the qualifying rank from which to invite Rosters. Tier 1 events will have one team, Tier 2 events nine or lower.
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Tournament Tiers in Counter-Strike
Valve has introduced official terms ‘Tier 1’ and ‘Tier 2’ tournaments. While previously, unofficially, there were Tier 1 and tier 2 events that were loosely based on prize pools and participating teams, Valve’s definitions lend structure to the same.
Tournament organizers with Tier 1 events will be required to invite teams starting from the top ranks in the Regional Standings. Furthermore, Tier 1 tournaments must invite at least sixteen rosters which would then feed eight teams into the Main Event. In most of the current events, the top eight would go into the Playoffs.
Tournament organizers have the leeway to invite teams that have won any Tier 2 events in the past. This would still allow organizers to feed smaller events that feed teams into their Tier 1 offerings.
The Tier 2 events require organizers to invite teams that are below the ninth-best team according to the VRS (Valve Regional Standings). A tournament organizer can host a Wildcard event, however, they can only do so if they have completed three Tier 1 events.
Rules about Tournament Announcements
Another big change is the announcement of Tier 1 events. Valve has laid out specific rules for organizers to announce their events that take place over the next few months.
- Events starting between 1 January, 2025 and 31 December, 2025, the Announcement Date must be no later than 1 September, 2024.
- For events starting between 1 January, 2026 and 31 December, 2026, the Announcement Date must be no later than 1 January, 2025.
- For events starting after 31 December, 2026, the Announcement Date must be at least 24 months prior to the start of the Tournament's Main Event.
The announcement date for Tier 2 events should be at least three months before the tournament’s Main event.
These changes to the Counter-Strike esports scene will bring in more transparency regarding the calendar year. It will also ensure a level playing field for tournament organizers and bring more sustainability to the scene. The entire esports schedule for 2025 will be out before September this year. So Coutner-Strike fans can expect quite a few announcements in the next few weeks.
Stay tuned to esports.gg for the latest Counter-Strike news and updates
