win.gg
Win.gg Counter-Strike BLAST Pro Series defends move to smaller, more expensive CSGO venue

BLAST Pro Series defends move to smaller, more expensive CSGO venue

Olivia Richman
Olivia Richman Published 10/07/2019
Google Preferred Source

Despite backlash from fans, BLAST Pro Series director of product and experience Nicolas Estrup is confident that its upcoming Counter-Strike: Global Offensive event will be a great experience thanks to a late change of venue. 

Originally to be held at the University of Southern California’s Galen Center, the BLAST Pro Series: Los Angeles CSGO event will now be held in a smaller space in Oakwood, California. While fans who purchased tickets to the original venue were offered refunds and priority booking for the new location, attendees were still weary of the smaller capacity and the raised ticket prices. 

The capacity of the Bevery Avenue venue dropped from 7,000 fans to 1,500. The tickets prices were also doubled. 

“For the fans attending, we’re sure they’ll feel like this was an unexpected but appreciated change, as they’ll be brought closer than ever to the players, talent and production,” Estrup said in an interview with Unikrn.

He went on to say that the event’s engagements will be “above in a level never before seen” in competitive CSGO. 

The new space offers an outdoor viewing area, as well as a 360-degree experience inside. More details will soon be revealed on what exactly that means. There are also many food and drink options closeby. Fans will be able to watch a performance by asking Alexandria. 

According to Estrup, drawings and videos will be released in the near future, explaining what will take place at the new venue. 

The sudden change of venue came from BLAST’s long-time desire to create an “immersive, intimimate, and inclusive” experience for fans. Estrup expressed that this event was the right moment for this to play out after the original venue failed to sell out. 

After their recent Sao Paulo tournament sold out in a few hours, Estrup was disappointed by fans’ response to the Los Angeles event. 

“That to us meant that we now had the opportunity to tweak the experience for the better, with the focus being on that ticket group but opening up a bit wider to let more people in to this more inclusive and intimate show,” he explained. 

The sudden switch was a risky move for BLAST, who are often under fire for past tournament formatting. 

The Los Angeles event takes place on July 13 and 14. Team Liquid will be fighting to defend their title as the best CSGO team in the world, facing FaZe Clan, Cloud9, NRG Esports, Renegades, and MiBR. 

Olivia Richman Olivia Richman
About Olivia Richman

Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.

View full profile
Read Also
IEM Cologne Major 2026 CS2 Stage 3 Pick’Em Predictions Counter-Strike
IEM Cologne Major 2026 CS2 Stage 3 Pick’Em Predictions Owen Harsono It’s that time of the year again, as the next Counter-Strike 2 Major is right around the corner. The IEM Cologne 2026 Major is set to start on June 2, meaning you still have some time to lock in your Pick’Em predictions. The Pick’Em Challenge is one of the most exciting parts of the CS2 Majors, as it allows you to test your knowledge and predict which teams make it ...
Team Spirit concede just 10 rounds in Stage 2 of the IEM Cologne Major Counter-Strike
Team Spirit concede just 10 rounds in Stage 2 of the IEM Cologne Major Owen Harsono It was pretty weird seeing Team Spirit having to start the IEM Cologne Major from Stage 2, but they quickly proved why that was a mistake. With donk shooting on all fronts, the Eastern Europeans speed ran the competition to book their spot in Stage 3. With how they’ve been playing, it’s hard not to wonder whether they can actually win the entire thing. These boys can sometimes be known ...
BIG pull off 0-12 comeback to stay alive – IEM Cologne Major Stage 1 recap Counter-Strike
BIG pull off 0-12 comeback to stay alive – IEM Cologne Major Stage 1 recap Owen Harsono We’ve just witnessed arguably the worst choke in Counter-Strike Major history, and we’re only on the first stage of the IEM Cologne Major. If you didn’t tune into the Stage 1 matches, here’s what you need to know heading into Stage 2. Many fans tend to underestimate Stage 1 teams for fair reasons, but some survivors in this tournament look extremely promising. Two Eastern European teams, BetBoom Team and B8, ...
Who will win the IEM Cologne Major 2026? Counter-Strike
Who will win the IEM Cologne Major 2026? Owen Harsono If you’re looking to play it safe and back one team at the Counter-Strike 2 IEM Cologne 2026 Major, traders prediction markets platforms have a clear frontrunner – it’s Team Vitality. But if it’s not meant to be, there are a few other candidates that could lift the trophy. Here’s what traders on Polymarket and Kalshi think. If you haven’t been watching CS2 this year and are only jumping on ...
The 10 best CS2 players who have never won a Major Counter-Strike
The 10 best CS2 players who have never won a Major Owen Harsono In Counter-Strike, winning a Major immediately puts you into legend status. It’s an achievement that proves you won the game’s biggest trophy. However, there have been some really good players that could never get their hands on the biggest trophy that Counter-Strike esports has to offer. Here is WIN.gg's list of best CS2 players who have never won a Major. ScreaM is one of Counter-Strike's most famous players for one ...
IEM Cologne Major 2026: All the teams, favorites, and outright betting odds Counter-Strike
IEM Cologne Major 2026: All the teams, favorites, and outright betting odds Owen Harsono Mark your calendars, as the IEM Cologne Major kicks off on June 2, 2026. We’re going to see the best teams in the world compete, but which ones are actually favored to take the title? This will be the first time in 10 years that IEM Cologne will return as a Counter-Strike Major, so the stakes this year are much higher than they’ve been in a decade. In this guide, ...
All IEM Cologne winners and rosters in Counter-Strike history Esports Betting
All IEM Cologne winners and rosters in Counter-Strike history Owen Harsono IEM Cologne is one of Counter-Strike’s biggest events, happening every single year. Some seasons, the event is labeled as one of Valve’s two Counter-Strike Majors of the year, but if not, still stands as one of the big events every player chases to win. With the IEM Cologne 2026 Major right around the corner, let’s take a trip down memory lane and check out every single winner of the tournament, ...