The Esports Championship Series (ECS) of Counter-Strike has started a Developmental League where eight teams from each region set to battle for the open positions in each region’s bracket. The Development League matches begin on September 9, 2016, with premier matches throughout the league being live-streamed exclusively on FACEIT’s official Twitch channel – Twitch.tv/FaceitTV.
Four teams from each region will qualify for the ECS Developmental League through the ECS Open Qualifiers and another four teams invited by the ECS to compete in the league. The top two teams from both the North America and Europe brackets will then face off against the bottom two teams from the ECS Season One. The winners will then earn a place in season two of the ECS. Additionally, the first place qualifying EU team will move directly into ECS Season Two, due to the European bracket’s additional open roster spot from season one.
“We are committed to the further growth of CS:GO,” said Michele Attisani, Chief Business Officer and co-founder at FACEIT. “Structure and consistency are very important to making the ECS what it is; the Open Qualifiers and upcoming Development League will go a long way to help build that structure, and provide even more exciting content for our community.”
If your team is interested in signing up for the open qualifier in your region, the links are below.
Remaining NA Open Qualifiers:
1. NA Open Qualifier #1
2. NA Open Qualifier #2
Remaining EU Open Qualifiers:
1. EU Open Qualifier #1
2. EU Open Qualifier #2
Teams that qualify for season two of the ECS league will earn all the benefits of season one participants, which includes co-ownership in the league and the opportunity to select representation on the league’s governing committee. The ECS will provide a collective $1.75M for season two that will go toward the league’s prize pool and supportive funds for each team. According to FACEIT, this includes helping organizations provide better salaries, facilities and equipment that will improve the overall conditions and welfare for players, while furnishing the ecosystem of the ECS with a more structured framework to operate within.
The Developmental League runs from September 9 to September 27. The ECS season two will start on October 7.
Jonny eSports is the host of reSports which records live on Sunday evenings and is posted on Mondays here on AYBOnline. He also co-hosts the Outplay Podcast that airs live on Twitch.tv/aybtv on Wednesdays at 7:30pm and is the Director of Into The League. Last time he played Counter-Strike he went 25-5 in a pub stomp and retired champion. His opinions are his own.
