For gamers and esports enthusiasts alike, the Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) tournament needs no introduction. It's a premier global esports competition that draws the attention of fans worldwide.
After nearly a five-year absence due to various reasons, including the pandemic, IEM has finally made its return to China!
Recently, 16 professional CS2 teams from around the world gathered in Chengdu for the IEM 2024 Chengdu stop, engaging in intense competition for the championship title and a total prize pool of $250,000.
The IEM Extreme Masters tournament, co-created by Intel and the renowned esports brand/event organizer ESL, has spanned 18 years, making it one of the longest-running esports events globally and scripting one of the most enduring partnerships in esports history.
The IEM 2024 Chengdu stop marks the first CS2 major international offline tournament since the PGL Copenhagen Major, with full coverage in 20 languages worldwide. It will crown the champion of this year's first ESL Pro Tour Masters event, and the winning team will secure a spot in the IEM 2024 Cologne group stage.
After intense battles, Team Liquid, MOUZ, Astralis, Virtus.pro, FaZe Clan, and G2 Esports have advanced to the final stage.
Among them, French powerhouse G2 stands out as one of the top contenders for the championship. Having showcased impressive performance at the PGL Copenhagen Major, with formidable firepower from players like NIKO and monesy, G2 secured a convincing 2-0 victory over Virtus.pro in the quarterfinals.
Lyu Dong, General Manager of Intel's Marketing Department, stated that as a leading technology company, Intel has long been committed to the esports industry, continuously supporting gamers and engaging in extensive collaborations. Apart from events like IEM and IMC, Intel has also partnered with local leagues such as LPL, tournaments for "League of Legends," and collaborations with games like "Valorant."
Regarding the selection of games for competitions, Lyu Dong emphasized that Intel, in collaboration with ESL, constantly explores games that are globally popular with massive fan bases, ensuring consideration for fans worldwide. Currently, their focus is primarily on Counter-Strike (CS).
It's worth mentioning that as a global partner of the Olympics, Intel is actively advocating for esports to be included in the Olympic Games.
Prior to the Beijing Winter Olympics, Intel organized the IWO (Intel World Open) under the commission of the International Olympic Committee, serving as a prelude to esports' potential inclusion. During the Hangzhou Asian Games, esports became an official competition, indicating that Olympic inclusion may not be far off.
Marc Winther, Head of the ESL Group's CS ecosystem, expressed in an interview that IEM has long looked forward to returning to China. In 2019, they explored Chengdu, and in 2020, they had plans to return but were delayed due to uncertainties. It wasn't until November last year when they held an invitational tournament in Shanghai, which was very successful, and now they've finally landed in Chengdu.
When asked why Chengdu was chosen, Marc Winther jokingly mentioned the city's famous national treasure, the panda. However, the real reason lies in Chengdu's rich esports culture, strong fan base, and extensive reach. IEM also aims to explore different cities and will continue to stand with Chinese fans, hosting tournaments in China in the future.
【IMC: Grassroots Players' Dream Stage Beyond Competition】
IEM serves as the battleground for top-tier teams and players. However, to satisfy the enthusiasm of domestic semi-professional players and enable more enthusiasts to fulfill their esports dreams, Intel launched the IMC Masters Challenge in early 2017. This initiative aims to unearth esports talents from major universities and internet cafes worldwide through a grassroots and professional competition platform.
Now, the eighth edition of IMC has officially kicked off. This year, it has expanded both in scale and format, extending its coverage to more cities. It is estimated to encompass around 4,000 internet cafes/esports hotels, with over 16,000 participating teams and more than 80,000 players, even reaching county-level areas.
Notably, during the Wall of War Three Kingdoms Cultural Music Festival held in Chengdu in early May, IMC will organize three exhibition matches, bridging esports and music to offer players a dual auditory feast.
Intel China's Client Computing Group General Manager, Zong Ye, pointed out that IMC has two main objectives: inclusivity and professionalism, committed to creating a truly grassroots competition.
Just like many of us are sports fans with dreams, but the vast majority cannot become professional athletes, let alone become the likes of Maradona or Messi, but when we run on the field, it doesn't stop us from feeling like Maradona or Messi. IMC aims to fulfill the extraordinary dreams of ordinary people.
In terms of professionalism, IMC is dedicated to integrating resources from all aspects of the industry chain and supply chain to organize competitions well, drive the entire industry forward. It has evolved from simple matches in the past to now attracting many hardware/accessory manufacturers and a plethora of cross-industry products. This is crucial for the future of the industry and the promotion of esports culture.
This time, Intel has partnered with over 30 industry partners to establish the Star Esports Ecology, integrating the strength and resources of technology, equipment, operations, digital services, media networks, internet cafes, hotels, and other ecosystems, to explore more development opportunities for the esports industry and enrich user experiences.
Shanghai Wangyu, founded in 1998, upgraded to Wangyu Esports in 2021, and ventured into esports hotel business, all leading in the domestic market.
Lin Feng, Vice President of Wangyu, admitted that the past three years of the pandemic have been extremely challenging. In 2022, operations were halted for as long as four months, and in Tianjin, they operated for only four months in a year. However, after the pandemic, the entire internet cafe market saw a substantial rebound, both in product forms and hardware, resulting in an enhanced gaming experience for players.
Over the years, Wangyu has been in deep cooperation with Intel IMC. Their self-organized Wangyu Esports events attract over 200,000 participants annually, ranking among the top nationwide. If IEM represents the "pinnacle" of the pyramid, these events serve as its "foundation."
Then there's Shunwang Technology, established in 2005, the largest offline esports venue nationwide and globally. It provides a wide range of digital services to around 80,000 internet cafes nationwide, including internet billing systems, online gaming platforms, and esports cloud computers. ChinaJoy has also fallen under its umbrella.
Shunwang's longstanding collaboration with Intel includes actively building Intel product ecosystems, "esports+" activities, and the esports music festival in early May.
Cheng Yu, Director of Strategic Expansion at Shunwang Technology, pointed out that esports today are significantly younger, with internet cafe users mostly aged between 18 and 35, and males constituting over 80%. Therefore, whether it's internet cafe decoration, operations, or esports competitions, they all need to cater more to the younger demographic.
