ESL Pro Tour of Starcraft 2 Canceled
Written by Dante Uzel on 08 April 2025 10:52
ESL FACEIT Group Gaming has officially announced the end of its support for StarCraft 2 esports, bringing a close to the long-running ESL Pro Tour (EPT). In a recent blog post, the company confirmed that it will no longer host major events such as DreamHack tournaments, IEM Katowice, and other key fixtures in the StarCraft 2 competitive calendar.
The news marks a significant shift for the RTS title, which has been a staple of the esports scene for over a decade. While the announcement spells the end of EPT’s structured competitive ecosystem, it does not mark a complete stop for StarCraft 2 esports. ESL confirmed that the Esports World Cup will still host a new SC2 champion later this year, though no replacement circuit has been announced.
Launched in 2020, the ESL Pro Tour was created to provide a "long-term sustainable competitive ecosystem" for StarCraft 2. The tour featured both online and offline events, regional qualifiers, and culminated in an annual world championship. Throughout its five-year run, the EPT hosted over 48,000 matches and awarded more than $6 million in prize money.
More:ESL FACEIT Group Layyoffs
Notable moments in the tour’s history include the IEM Katowice tournaments in 2020 and 2021, which drew peak viewership numbers of 71,794 and 87,479, respectively, according to Esports Charts.
However, ESL made it clear that financial sustainability has become increasingly difficult. The organization cited the inability to secure continued funding and waning commercial interest as key reasons behind the shutdown. The situation has likely been exacerbated by what many see as Blizzard's lack of investment in keeping StarCraft 2 relevant in today’s evolving esports landscape.
With the entire EPT structure being dissolved, the future of high-level StarCraft 2 competition remains uncertain. Without significant changes or renewed publisher support, industry analysts say it's unlikely another organization will step in to operate events at the same scale.
Some Good News! STARCRAFT 2 Joins EWC
The StarCraft II tournament at the Esports World Cup (EWC) is set to run from August 15th to August 18th, during the final stretch of the event. While details on the tournament format and prize pool are still under wraps, last year’s edition featured 16 players competing through group and knockout stages. Team Liquid’s Clément ‘Clem’ Desplanches claimed the championship, taking home $400,000 from a total prize pool of $1.05 million with Finnish player Joona ‘Serral’ Sotala of BASILISK finishing as the runner-up.
With StarCraft II confirmed once again, the 2025 Esports World Cup will include 25 tournaments across 24 titles—three more than last year. New to the lineup are Chess, VALORANT, and CrossFire, the latter arriving as part of a newly announced three-year partnership with developer Smilegate.
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