Tournament with an unusual stage tries to take CS:GO out of the bubble

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Amidst the colorful lights that illuminated the walls of an old building in the Brás neighborhood, in São Paulo, this Saturday (6th) the final of the “Counter-Strike: Global Offensive” tournament, two against two, took place, the Red Bull Flick .

If, for many, CS (as the game is known) refers to the experience of playing in the lan house or in the comfort of your room, the event’s stage went in the opposite direction. The players were confined in a cabin suspended more than 10 meters high, between an abandoned car and a colorful van.

The teams started the dispute with 100 tickets (or points) and, for every ten lost, they went down a little until reaching the ground, which meant the defeat of the duo.

The contraption created additional challenges for the teams, such as the cold São Paulo night and an eventual fear of heights, but not for Lucas “lux1-” Meneghini, a member of the MajorRIO duo, who took the trophy.

“It was easy, we were focused on the game, so I ended up not noticing much. Woodyadr [Adriano Cerato] that he felt more because he was facing the windows of the building, so he saw it really go down”, he said.

The guests at the event, including streamers and professional players from FURIA’s lineups, were also trying to adapt to the novelty, dividing their eyes between the booths going down live and the headshots on the monitors.

This flashy scenario comes amid a growing investment by companies in the world of games. The market has been growing mainly after the boom that the Covid-19 pandemic provided for the sector.

Despite Counter-Strike, launched in 1999, being one of the most popular online games in Brazil, it still lacks visibility according to Gaules, one of the most watched streamers in the world who followed the dispute.

“[Em eventos como o Red Bull Flick] you see the promotion of a game, not only of electronic sports, but of CS, which has been around for decades, but which still has a shortage, mainly because the game’s publisher does not promote its own actions”, he says. The matches were broadcast by his Twitch channel, which has more than 3 million followers, and by TNT.

Red Bull Flick takes place the month CS:GO turns 10 years old. The game moves other tournaments and prizes filled in Brazil and in the world. It is estimated that there are around 1.3 million CS players on the Steam gaming platform.

Events like this seek to get video games out of a bubble. “The actions that the brands do very much endorse this issue that the game, Counter-Strike, is for everyone”, says Gaules. Until the end of the year, Red Bull will still promote two more events with games.

The Red Bull Flick format was unique:

• The draw was played in a draw. In the semifinals, Made in Floripa faced Chosa Heidan, and MajorRIO faced Maetonalan;
• The disputes were best of three matches, played on futuristic maps, exclusive to the competition;

• The final was played in best of five matches, each on a different map;

• The matches were quick, lasting 10 to 15 minutes each;

• The objective was to control capture points at each time period.

SEE MORE: GLOSSARY GAMER

The event mixed professional players, such as ex-MIBR Woodyadr, and amateurs, and serves as a spotlight for non-professionals, who have a chance to show themselves in the competitive scene.

The duo Made in Floripa, formed by two CS enthusiasts, arrived at the tournament as underdogs and surprised by beating the then champions of Chosa Heidan in the semifinals.

In the dispute for the trophy, the duo from Santa Catarina gave MajorRIO work. “It was a very good game. In the first two rounds they played a little poorly, but then it felt like I was facing two Goliaths, it was difficult,” said Woodyadr.

The champions guaranteed a spot in the international stage that will take place in Denmark.

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raft

(PRAÇA)

Lost on the high seas, you are trying to survive amidst the blue immensity. I’m not talking about the movie “Cast Away”, with Tom Hanks, but about “Raft”, a survival game in which the player doesn’t have the resources of an island, only his raft floating on the sea. Released in 2018 for PC, the game requires a lot of patience and persistence. The player needs to grow his own food and even run away from sharks and seagulls. At the same time, the title can bring a sense of peace while being adrift. If you like a challenge and strategizing, you’ll want to know the game. You can even call a friend and play together.

update

news, launches, business and what else matters

• Tencent plans to increase its equity stake in Ubisoft, according to a Reuters report. The Chinese company, which already owns 5% of the French company’s shares, would have even contacted members of the Guillemot family, founders of Ubisoft, to discuss the deal.

• A mobile version of the MMO “World of Warcraft” has been canceled, according to a Bloomberg report. The game, which would be a partnership of the American Blizzard with the Chinese NetEase, was in development for three years, but, according to the publication, had its production suspended due to financial disagreements between the companies – which Activision Blizzard denied.

• Crystal Dynamics took down the episode of a podcast that leaked the script for the new game in the series “Tomb Raider” that is being developed by the studio. The company has filed a copyright protection lawsuit against the Sacred Symbols podcast, by journalist Colyn Moriarty, who decided to cut the part about the leaked script from the program.

• Activision Blizzard confirmed in a financial report that “Call of Duty: Warzone 2” will be released later in 2022. According to the document, the company’s new free battle-royale will be integrated with “Mordern Warfare 2”, scheduled for release on 28 of October.

• Microsoft has started testing a family plan option for Xbox Game Pass. In it, Ultimate level subscribers could invite three more people without a subscription to try out the service’s games. For now, the novelty is only available in Colombia and Ireland.

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games that will be released in the next few days and promotions that are worth it

Aug 9

“Two Point Campus”: BRL 199.50 (PS 4/5), BRL 199.95 (PC, Xbox One/X/S)

aug 10

“Lost in Play”: BRL 37.99 (Switch), price not disclosed (PC)

aug 11

“Cult of the Lamb”: BRL 64.95 (PC, Switch), BRL 92.45 (Xbox One/X/S), BRL 133.90 (PS 4/5)

“Rumbleverse”: free (PC, Xbox One/X/S, PS 4/5)

aug 12

“Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered”: BRL 249.90 (PC)

Promotion of the week

All CD Projekt RED titles are discounted at GOG.com. Among the titles on sale are the full version of “The Witcher 3” (R$20, 80% off) and “Cyberpunk 2077” (R$99.99, 50% off). Offers run until August 14th.

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