There is still some time left, but the StarCraft 2 Masters in Atlanta is already casting its shadow. The second ESL DreamHack Masters will be held from November 18 to November 20 at the Georgia World Congress Center.
The best StarCraft 2 players in the world are currently in the qualification phase. In Atlanta, the pros will be competing for a prize pool of 100,000 dollars. The matches will be played in a “1 vs. 1” format in a group stage, in the knockout stage and in the playoffs.
Two highlights before the Masters
On the way to Atlanta, three tournaments in particular are important for the players, where the most world ranking points can be collected, specifically:
HomeStory Cup XXI from July 21 to July 24 in Krefeld, Germany, offline.
Team Liquid StarLeague 9 from July 29 to September 04 online and offline with main event in Utrecht
Global StarCraft II League Season 3 from August 22nd to October 13th offline in Seoul
All current tournaments as well as the Masters in Atalanta will be played in the Legacy of the Void Patch 5.0.9 game version.
Review of the Masters in Valencia
The first DreamHack Masters 2022 in Valencia showed once again that StarCraft 2 is super popular, especially in Asia. The first four ranks at the highlight in Spain were secured exclusively by players from South Korea. The Masters ended in March with the following results.
| Place |
Player | Price Money |
Team |
| Rank 1 | Dark (South Korea) | 15.000 $ | Dragon Phoenix Gaming |
| Rank 2 | Maru (South Korea) | 10.000 $ | Onsyde Gaming |
| Rank 3 und 4 | herO (South Korea)
Creator (South Korea) |
6.500 $ | Dragon Phoenix Gaming
Team NV |
| Rank 5 bis 8 | Clem (France)
Elazer (Poland) Neeb (USA) Reynor (Italy) |
3.600 $ | Team Liquid
Team Liquid Onsyde Gaming KaiZi Gaming |
Top Event – IEM Katowice 2023
The top event for StarCraft 2 players as well as StarCraft 2 betting, of course, will then be held in February of next year. IEM Katowice 2023 will be the highlight of the year. The event in Poland has defied all odds in the past years and is still an absolute highlight. The IEM also currently offers the highest prize money for the players.
StarCraft 2: now a problem patient?
If you look at the development of other eSports disciplines and the resulting eSports betting, you won't be able to hide the fact that StarCraft 2 has moved somewhat into the background in the public focus. The reason for the fact is obvious. Blizzard Entertainment has completely stopped further development of StarCraft 2 in 2020. There will be no new game features and no more support.
However, the game, which was launched back in 2010 by the way, still has a huge fan and player base. The tournament calendar has become much thinner compared to 2016 to 2019. The prize money has also dropped. Despite this, the base seems to continue to keep StarCraft 2 alive.
Our prediction: the player and fan base will keep StarCraft 2 alive for years to come .However, tournament intensity is likely to continue to decline in the long run. The focus between 2023 and 2025 will be on the Masters tournaments and the IEM in Katowice. In the second part of the decade, we then foresee the end for StarCraft 2 in professional play.
