For fans of esports, 2023 more than delivered when it came to tournament upsets and nail-biting Grand Final showdowns. Chinese teams have emerged as ones to watch over the past few years, while some tournaments have felt the pinch of steadily declining audiences and prize pools. Below, we take a look at some of the most memorable esports moments from the 2023 calendar.
T1 Earn Their Fourth Trophy at the LoL World Championship
The League of Legends World Championship always delivers. While the usual favorites were expected to go far in 2023, a few format changes had upset the apple cart. Some fans and players were a little dubious about the Swiss-style stage replacing the usual group format. Now match lineups are decided by the results record of participating teams, which in theory is supposed to level the playing field.
For the teams themselves, however, the format changes mean an early departure from the championship. This happened when T1 were pitted against Team Liquid. T1 saw off Team Liquid in style, progressing to the Grand Final. Here, the South Koreans took on Weibo Gaming. More than 6.4 million people, including 2 million South Koreans, tuned in to watch T1 trounce Weibo and add a fourth LoL Worlds title to their collection.
Team Spirit Dominates at The International
Dota 2 has been at the heart of the esports scene since 2011, with The International being the jewel in the crown of the Dota Pro Circuit. It was a surprise then when news broke of the pretty paltry prize pool that would be up for grabs at the 12th edition of The International. In 2023, teams would be competing for a share of just $3 million. This is a far cry from the $40 million prize pool available in 2021 and the second lowest-ever amount after 2013’s $2.8 million.
Despite this, the usual contenders assembled at the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, eager to prove themselves on the world stage. Team Spirit was keen to reestablish themselves as champions after losing out on the trophy in 2022, ending up in third place behind Team Liquid and eventual victors, Tundra Esports.
Team Spirit arrived at the TI 12 in good form. They had delivered a knockout performance at the Riyadh Masters, winning the Saudi tournament in July. Their eventual rivals in the Grand Final, Gaimin Gladiators, also arrived at the competition at their peak, having dominated the Dota Pro Circuit Majors. In the
end, Team Spirit secured a comfortable victory, earning the championship title with a 3-0 result. The win also makes them only the second Dota 2 team to have won The International twice, joining an exclusive club alongside OG. Can Team Spirit capitalize on their success and secure a TI win? Stay on top of the latest tournament schedule at 1337PRO.com.
Esports Titles Take Pride of Place at the Olympics and SEA Games
People have been calling for competitive gaming to be recognized as a legitimate sport for many years now. In 2023, things finally looked to be moving in the right direction with the inaugural Olympics Esports Week. More than 130 participants from 57 nations assembled in Singapore, competing in 10 different categories. While some people were glad that esports had finally been recognized by the Olympics, others were more critical. A lack of African competitors was singled out as a major problem, while others lambasted the game selection.
Elsewhere, esports was recognized by other sporting committees, with various games being played at the controversial SEA Games. Among these games was Valorant, with Indonesia and Singapore making it through to the finals. However, many people watching were left scratching their heads when the broadcast was put on pause. After several hours with no explanation, the feed was cut entirely.
It later transpired that Singapore had been accused of using bugs to turn the game in their favor. It was the Indonesians who had leveled the accusations, with the team publicly announcing that they had forfeited the game because of it. In the end, event organizers decided to announce both teams as joint champions. Indonesia might have been happy with the outcome, but Singapore has gone on record to denounce the decision.
Looking Forward to 2024
Will T1 and Team Spirit maintain their dominance? Will underdog rosters emerge as tier-topping heavyweights? With many esports now dabbling with new formats and some prize pools nearing an all-time low, there’s a lot of debate surrounding the future of esports. One thing is for sure, there will always be an appetite for competitive gaming.