Beyond The Summit to shut down after 11 years of esports

Beyond The Summit, one of North America’s most notable esports production companies, will shut down.

In a heartbreaking announcement for the esports community, BTS cofounder David “LD” Gorman has revealed that the long-running production studio will be shutting down all of its esports operations effective immediately. This is a massive blow to multiple major esports, with Dota 2 being especially affected.

Here’s the context for the announcement and why Beyond The Summit chose to shut down so suddenly.

The news came in a quiet announcement from LD, who released a public statement on the state of the company on February 27, 2023. In the six-page document, LD explained that Beyond The Summit has ceased being profitable, and the company would soon be facing dire financial straits. He cited difficult conditions since 2020 as well as a general downturn in the economy of esports. 

Beyond The Summit will continue to operate for its final event Smash Ultimate Summit 6, which will be held on March 23 through 26. After that, BTS will no longer produce any esports tournaments or content. LD hopes that the event will help ease the transition for many of BTS’ producers and commentators. 

Lastly, the statement ended with several statements of appreciation for different segments of the community. The cofounder thanked the Dota 2 community for kickstarting the company and staying tuned in for 11 years of competition. He gave the Smash community kudos for its loyalty and passion. The Valorant, Counter-Strike, and fighting game communities were also thanked. 

It’s difficult to call this shutdown anything other than extremely sad. Beyond The Summit was one of the most legendary esports producers in the world, and the biggest independent esports producer in North America, with hundreds of tournaments hosted over more than a decade. Seeing the organization bow out is disheartening, but the statement explains that now is the best time for it to happen. LD will be released a spreadsheet of resumes and work samples for the company’s staff, so hopefully, many of BTS’ biggest names will continue to pop up in esports events across the world.

Why did Beyond The Summit decide to shut down?

Beyond The Summit cofounder LD cited financial concerns as the main reason for the company to shut down.

In 2022, Beyond The Summit lost its production rights for the North American Dota Pro Circuit, a move that was highly controversial with the community. Dota 2 was BTS’ bread-and-butter for the majority of the studio’s career, and the snub clearly contributed to the shuttering. 

personally a terrible and sad day for me, and i know for much of the team here at BTS. we won't be producing a DPC league next year, and honestly it's unclear if we'll be doing any DOTA content at all moving forward. such an amazing game and community that has given me everything https://t.co/aY06FYhg4U

— LD (@LDeeep) October 13, 2022

LD also stated that shutting down the company was the right move for the staff. He explained that BTS could have continued, but the future already looked grim. By shutting down now, the company is able to provide severance and health insuranace for its workers as they look for new positions. Prioritizing the wellbeing of its workers is in line with the company’s grassroots values.