FACEIT scraps ECS and partners with B Site, reports say

Reports say that FACEIT will no longer put on its ECS tournament series and will instead partner with B Site.

FACEIT will no longer run its tournament circuit ECS, and will instead throw its hat in the ring with the North American league codenamed B site, according to a report from DBLTAP. FACEIT’s ECS was the main competitor to ESL’s ESL Pro League, now part of the ESL’s larger tournament offering in the ESL Pro Tour.

B Site is the North American answer to BLAST Premier and the ESL Pro Tour. Initially reported back on December 18, the league will be run and is owned by the participating team organizations. It will also feature what insiders have called a generous revenue sharing option for players and teams that join the league.

B Site and FACEIT partner to combat ESL, BLAST Premier

According to other reports, there is a $2 million buy-in to B Site. Cloud9 and Immortals Gaming Company, owners of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive team MIBR, are said to be leading the B Site push. The news comes just after the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Professional Player Association announced a deal to establish a framework of cooperation with ESL and the ESL Pro Tour. 

Both B Site and the BLAST Premier tournament circuits are expected to conflict with dates carved out by the ESL Pro League, a biannual league that pits the world’s top Counter-Strike teams against one another and culminates in the EPL Finals. There are no official dates for B Site or EPL Season 11, but BLAST Premier is set to start January 31 and ESL’s Pro League normally starts at the beginning of April.

The news that FACEIT is doing away with ECS and partnering with B Site might seem shocking, but FACEIT was left with few options considering their opposition. BLAST Premier already has a full slate of teams ready to attend, and B Site is rumored to have Cloud9, MIBR, Gen.G, MAD Lions, and Dignitas already on board.

ECS scrapped by FACEIT after 8 Seasons

ECS ran for eight seasons, with the most recent season ending in the ECS Season 8 Finals that brought in over 190,000 peak viewers. While still popular with many CSGO fans, ECS always seemed to come in second behind ESL Pro League in terms of both viewers and notoriety. 

Left with little room to maneuver in the now-crowded CSGO season and having little incentives to offer teams that hadn’t already been provided by other tournament organizers, FACEIT seems to have opted to partner with B Site.