Spring Showdown and Final go online

BLAST Premier Spring Showdown and Spring Final to be played online in June 2020

BLAST Premier Spring Showdown and the BLAST Premier Spring Final events will be played remotely in response to recent global concerns. These tournaments will be an immersive live broadcast unlike anything done before and sit within BLAST Sessions, a broadcast season of competitive and entertainment programming.

In light of recent developments, we want to ensure the world-class BLAST experience remains the Premier experience in esports by planning our tournaments ahead of time. As such we’ve taken the decision to make our June events online competitions so we can create the very best broadcast and competitive product for the fans. With over 130 hours of broadcast and game play across the BLAST Premier Spring Showdown and Spring Finals, you’ll still get all the emotional moments, sporting rivalries and stories as the teams play to be the Spring Final champion wherever you watch your BLAST Premier.

The Showdown winners will advance to the Spring Final as normal and the Spring Final winners, as well as qualifying for the Global Final, will still access the same prize pool.

Taking BLAST online will make for a modified broadcast experience that will bring players, teams and audience closer together, with all the action and cheering taking place online. We aim to remove the physical barrier in an immersive online experience unlike anything that has been done in esports before. We’re working closely with the teams to ensure that fandom can live on in full force, even without a filled physical arena.

BLAST Premier Spring Showdown (31st May – 7th June, $325,000 prize pool across both Spring Showdowns):

– We will have two BLAST Premier Spring Showdown groups split by the region in which the teams are playing (the Americas and Europe)
– MiBR, 100 Thieves, Evil Geniuses, plus seven invited teams will play in the the BLAST Premier Spring Showdown, Americas
– Astralis, NIP, Team Vitality, the winner of the CIS Cup, the two best teams from the Elisa Invitational, the winner of the Iberian Qualifier plus three invited teams will compete in the BLAST Premier Spring Showdown, Europe
– Both BLAST Premier Spring Showdowns will remain as two groups of five teams competing in a round-robin of Bo1s to qualify for the gauntlet
– In the European tournament, the group winners will advance to the BLAST Premier Spring Final. 2nd – 5th from each group will then play a Bo3 cross group gauntlet to identify the other two teams qualifying to the BLAST Premier Spring Final
– In the Americas tournament, 1st – 4th from each group will play a Bo3 cross group gauntlet to identify the two teams qualifying to the BLAST Premier Spring Final.

BLAST Premier Spring Final (15th – 21st June $750,000 prize pool across both Spring Finals):

– The Final will follow the Showdown, splitting teams according to the region in which they are playing from remotely
– We will have an eight-team BLAST Premier Spring Final, Europe as well as a four-team  BLAST Premier Spring Final, Americas online tournament. Both run as double elimination tournaments with Bo3 matches
– Complexity, Team Liquid, NaVi, FaZe Clan, G2 Esports and OG have already qualified
– Complexity and Team Liquid will play in the Americas Final with two teams qualifying from the Americas Spring Showdown
– NaVi, FaZe Clan, G2 Esports and OG will play in the European Final with four teams qualifying from the European Spring Showdown
– The winners of the BLAST Premier Spring Final, Americas and the top two teams from the BLAST Premier Spring Final Europe, will advance to the BLAST Premier Global Final.

All those who’ve bought tickets for the Moscow arena Spring Final event in June should click here for information about ticket refunds.