BLAST Pro Series to kick off with $250,000 event

RFRSH Entertainment has announced the BLAST Pro Series, a new global world series, with the first event taking place later this year in Copenhagen.

The BLAST Pro Series will kick off on November 24 at the Royal Arena, a multi-use indoor arena which opened in February, with a two-day event featuring six top teams and a $250,000 prize pool.

By limiting the number of teams to just six, RFRSH Entertainment plans to give participating teams maximum exposure as most of the matches will be played in front of an audience.

BLAST Pro Series will kick off in Copenhagen, in November

During the group stage, three matches will be played simultaneously and will be shown on screen in the arena, with one main match per round being featured on the Red Zone Main Screen. Fans will be able to choose the sound of the match they want to follow using headsets.

Little more is known about the format at this point other than the fact that the tournament will culminate with a best-of-three final, which will be played in front a packed arena.

"We have worked on the development of a new, energetic and audience-friendly format for more than 6 months," says RFRSH Entertainment CCO and Event Responsible Jordi Roig.

"We work with the best of the best and some of the most experienced stakeholders in CS:GO, including both traditionalists and the creative minds.

"With deep roots in the esports traditions, BLAST Pro Series is new, inventive, fun, compact, top quality live entertainment, opening the scene to a non-core audience, who has been passively watching from the outside for way too long."

According to RFRSH Entertainment, renowned commentator Anders Blume "has been heavily involved in the development of the BLAST Pro Series concept" as an Executive Consultant. PGL, which will host the upcoming Counter-Strike Major, has been hired to handle the event's production.  

"Esports is always changing and with it the needs of pro-players and fans alike," PGL CEO Silviu Stroie noted. "Tournaments need to highlight the beauty of competitive gaming in a professional setting and at the same time deliver premium entertainment.

"We believe the BLAST Pro Series will combine all these elements into a new kind of event and we are excited to show the results of our work with RFRSH this November."

More information about the first BLAST Pro Series event, including participating teams, ticket sale and schedule, will be announced in the coming weeks. This will be the very first live tournament hosted by RFRSH Entertaintment, which announced at the end of June a €7.2 million capital injection to "strengthen [its] position as a premier esports entertainment provider."

It’s official! See you in Copenhagen? #BLASTProSeries pic.twitter.com/wiiRRr9IGo

— BLAST Pro Series (@BLASTSeries) July 13, 2017