End of an e-ra: World Cyber Games halt tournaments and events after 14 years in eSports

World Cyber Games 2013 will have been its last outing.

This year, World Cyber Games Inc. won’t be running any tournaments and events, including the World Cyber Games finals in Kunshan – for the first time in 14 years.

This is no Glastonbury-style break to let the sticky convention hall floors recover and the Counter-Strike pros graze for a few months, sadly. Rather, it’s the moment we “say goodbye to the WCG”.

The South Korean organisation’s committee made the decision after considering the “current global trend” and “business environment”.

“This is shocking news to you, we know,” wrote WCG CEO Brad Lee in an email to the company’s partners. “The entire staff of the WCG was surprised.”

Lee thanked the company’s partners for 14 years of helping WCG run “the greatest events in the world”, throughout which there have been “many great moments”.

“The brand has disappeared but WCG spirit will remain forever in the hearts of each player and fan,” Lee went on. “This moment is very difficult and painful for me. However, I must say goodbye to the WCG.”

It’s a frownsome development, and it’s hard not to question Lee’s talk of global trends when the rise of the MOBA has seen eSports grow so fast its buttons might pop off. But then: WCG’s remit covered the spectrum from StarCraft and World of Tanks to Street Fighter and FIFA – as well as LoL. What do you make of their sudden demise?

Thanks,OnGamers.