​BLAST Pro Series LA introduce Front Row experience and Bo3 semifinals

BLAST Pro Series Los Angeles will be a new, more exclusive and intimate experience for all Counter-Strike fans, the live audience, players and viewers.

Front Row introduces a brand new, open production with studios, stages and exclusive team zones, bringing the fans much closer to the players, talent, media and production than ever before - in a tournament format which for the first time will include Bo3 semi finals.

On July 13-14, Counter-Strike fans will be taken behind the scenes at the most intimate premier Counter-Strike event ever. Walk among the players, meet the talent, and see some of the best teams up close when they battle for the $250,000 prize pool with Bo3 semifinals.

Enter the engine room of world-class Counter-Strike and esports entertainment!

At Front Row you will be taken inside the heart of the massive BLAST Pro Series production.

Up close and exclusive

With the ambition to develop a world-class tournament focussing on competitiveness, live- and viewer experience in a cut-throat entertainment format, BLAST has introduced a range of initiatives to the arena show and fan and viewer experience.

Some have since spread throughout the global esports scene, but the inspiration goes both ways, says Nicolas Estrup, Director of Product at BLAST Pro Series:

- Since day one we’ve worked towards BLAST being the best possible experience for the core fans and everybody involved or engaged in Counter-Strike, while at the same time appealing to a wider audience. It’s a constant balance, and while we have always been inspired by the foundation other tournament organizers have created, we want to bring in engaging and audience-friendly elements, inspired by pro sports and other live entertainment forms says Estrup and continues.

- The BLAST Pro Series Front Row experience has been a dream of ours for a long time. We invite the fans and viewers into all the way into the engine room of live Counter-Strike, up close with the players, talent, hosts, the media machine and to the production of the massive set-up a BLAST tournament is. There are so many things going on at a tournament that you never get to see as a fan, and we’re now opening the doors to it, studios and stages to the live audience and to the viewers at home.

- Every BLAST tournament is unique and we want to create something that you do not get anywhere else. We’ve liked the format that we have now, but are aware that the balance between being “cut throat” and competitive have been swaying towards cut throat and we’re actively looking at how to tweak that. We have a very open and frank dialogue around the format with some of the main stakeholders in the community and over the coming weeks, we are going to formalize this dialogue even further. BLAST Front Row is different and we know some will love it while others have different opinions. All we do is about creating the best, most fun, most competitive and entertaining format out there and I for one can’t wait to present this one live, says Estrup.

Get behind the scenes, in the media work zones, behind the players and close to a production that goes out to millions around the world!

Format includes Bo3 semifinals

At BLAST Front Row the audience and viewers will be closer than ever to the star players and to the cast, but everything will be kept exclusive in the premium feel of any BLAST tournament. Jordi Roig, Executive Producer of BLAST Pro Series, explains:

- Throughout the 2019 season, we will work to develop the tournament further. Just as we did when we introduced the global season format and when we, together with local partners and tournament organizers, introduced the qualifiers, we are also developing the format of the main tournament. This is one of the results of our ongoing talks with teams and talent where this has been one of the most discussed subjects, Roig comments.- In Los Angeles, we’ll for the first time introduce semifinals in a Best of 3 format between the 4 top teams from the group stage. It’s something we’ve been trying to get our heads around for a while as it’s a balance between maintaining a compact format only taking up a few days of the players’, fans and viewers time in a compact season while also securing the most competitive format possible, he says.

- Ever since before we launched BLAST, we heard from many fans who wanted to know for sure, they will have a chance to see their favorite team playing live in the arena. At the same time, we want to ensure a fixed schedule for the broadcasters and that participating teams’ commercial partners are able to activate their sponsorships around their teams with their teams playing in the arena. But we also want to present a strong, competitive format rewarding the most professional and well-prepared teams, and we don’t want to compromise on professionalism, Roig continues:

- The format in Los Angeles will be our first tournament with Bo3 semifinals, and similar to the live show, we will tweak the format as we go along during the 2019 season and build on the elements and formats that work best for us. We appreciate and will continue to listen to the - sometimes very direct - feedback we get from fans, partners, broadcasters and all other stakeholders to become the best tournament and experience we can be. Los Angeles will mark yet another first for us - and this one we’ve been looking forward to presenting for a long time, Roig comments.

Meet your favorite casters and hosts - and witness first hand how they work their magic live during the matches.

Without sacrificing the premium feeling of BLAST Pro Series, the Front Row set-up in Los Angeles will be an exclusive and intimate experience for fans, partners, viewers, and players who’re competing for their share of the $250,000 prize pool and for their position in the 2019 Season of BLAST Pro Series.

Tickets are on sale via www.blastproseries.com/losangeles! With only 1,000 tickets on sale per day, it will be more intimate and exclusive than any BLAST experience to date!