CBCS Becomes Brazilian Circuit of Counter-Strike, Drops Franchise Model – The Esports Observer

During the virtual Comic-Con Experience (CCXP) in Brazil last week, the Brazilian Championship of Counter-Strike announced it will now be called the Brazilian Circuit of Counter-Strike (keeping the same acronym in Portuguese, CBCS), and will be completely restructured for 2021. Original producers DC Set and Grupo Globo are joined by the entertainment group Omelete, esports promotion company Gamers Club, and streamer Alexandre “Gaules” Borba. 

With the restructuring, CBCS drops its franchising model in favor of being an open Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) circuit. Now no team will have a secured spot in the league, which will feature open and closed stages. LATAM and new teams trying to become professional will also be able to participate in CBCS. The circuit now will count on seven different competitions throughout 2021, with the first taking place in March. Each tournament will grant points for a general ranking of points with all participating teams, which will serve as a parameter for the best-ranked teams to participate in the finals, the main stage of the CBCS. The total prize pool of the circuit will reach $500K BRL (roughly $98K USD).

The Esports Observer learned that LnK Gaming, a joint company formed by the union of Globo and DC Set, spoke to all teams which were part of the franchise, informing them about the change. LnK said that initially the franchise spots were once given to the teams which were initially supporting the CBCS initiative, but now contracts with undisclosed terms are being signed with such organizations with terms for the league to follow its new path. One CBCS team told TEO (who wishes to remain anonymous) that “the transition from the franchise model to an open system is being done in such a way that the assets of the clubs that are in place since the beginning have their value preserved. About how this will be done, we cannot give more details at the moment, but organizations are studying together with CBCS the best way to make this transition.”

The new format is the result of conclusions reached by LnK Gaming after two years of CBCS, which showed that the CS:GO audience was not very kind of the structure proposed by the franchising model. The open format, which makes it more likely that new teams and talents rise, is one of the reasons for the new partnership with Gamers Club, a gaming platform that has heavily invested in the Brazilian CS:GO scene over the last several years.

The addition of Gamers Club, an Immortals Gaming Club subsidiary, being involved in the CBCS drew special attention as it was also a key partner of the CLUTCH Circuit, another Brazilian CS:GO circuit organized by the Brazilian esports promotion company Bad Boy Leeroy (BBL). TEO learned that Gamers Club will not continue as an organizer of CLUTCH, which will continue its actions independently of the changes in CBCS while still relying on Gamers Club’s platform. Gamers Club CEO Yuri “Fly” Uchiyama spoke to TEO regarding this: “Gamers Club will not act with the same responsibilities in the CLUTCH from 2021. But as a platform, it continues with the objective of fostering the scenario with the main championships in the region.”

To clarify the decision, Uchiyama said that Gamers Club “wants to take CS:GO to the largest number of people. Our community has a lot to gain from this, bigger awards, sponsorships and great talents being revealed. We believe that this new moment of the CBCS, with the people and companies now involved, has the characteristics necessary for that to happen.”

Omelete and Gaules, which are today the main CS:GO streamers in Brazil, join as valuable resources to boost the audience of CBCS. They support an already large distribution potential the circuit has thanks to the involvement of Globo, a giant communications group in Brazil, which broadcasts the games on pay-TV through its channel SporTV. Before the entrance into the CBCS, Omelete was already partnered with Globo at the CCXP organization in Brazil.