Competitive gaming giant FACEIT have partnered with streaming platform Twitch to found the Esports Championship Series (ECS).
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ECS – Counter-Strike aims to make big changes to the eSports scene by being the firstprofessional eSports league to offer teams co-ownership.
“The league will consist of 20 teams (ten from North America and ten from Europe) and will kick off today with a pre-show at 8:30am PT/11:30am ET and game time at 9:00am PT/12:00pm ET, with $3.5M in payout for prize money and team financial support,” says today’s official announcement.
Players and teams are to be given seats on the league’s governing committee, allowing them to make decisions and influence the league’s direction,including regulatory framework, integrity, players’ welfare, holidays, and best practices.
“Players and teams are the heart of the eSports community and deserve the opportunity to reap the rewards of their hard work and dedication to grow eSports into a mainstream phenomenon,” says Michele Attisani, co-founder of FACEIT. “We make the community our first priority and as such, we’re excited to support the first eSports league that positions teams as co-owners.”
ECS will be showcased exclusively on Twitch through FACEIT’s official Twitch channel,with closed qualifiers for ECS Counter-Strike beginning today.
“A major part of Twitch’s success is built around our relationship with the eSports community, from the players and organizations who have made it a leading form of entertainment, to our own staff with deep roots in the scene,” says Stuart Saw, Twitch’s director of eSports strategy. “We’ve listened to what the teams and players are looking for, which is to have a bigger voice in the movement, and it inspired us to partner with FACEIT to launch the ECS. This will mark a significant and welcome change to the sport, and will lead to a wider impact across the industry.”