Intel Masters

The ESL has announced that Counter-Strike 1.6 has been taken off the main titles list for the seventh season of the IEM. The announcement came from the ESL, that the IEM season seven will not feature CS 1.6 as one of the main titles, du to a decline in its status outside of Europe.

The announcement came via the Intel Extreme Masters website and reads a statement issued by Michal "Carmac" Blicharz : 

"Over the six seasons in the Intel Extreme Masters, Counter-Strike 1.6 brought a lot of fantastic moments to our events and its community contributed enormously towards its global growth. We hope we have delivered a great deal of entertainment and emotions in return.

For a truly global project like ours, with events on four different continents and many different countries, we require game titles with professional players and teams from all corners of the world. In the recent years of Counter-Strike 1.6, the game has retained its status of a top professional game in Europe but declined in other parts of the world. This was evident at our events outside of Europe.

With this as the basis, we have decided to take Counter-Strike off the main titles list. This means that if CS 1.6 will be featured at an event, it will only be for certain events where it is a perfect fit for the Intel Extreme Masters locally.

The legacy of CS in the Intel Extreme Masters is one of the greatest stories in all of ESL. The names of the champions of all six seasons will be engraved on every Intel Extreme Masters season final trophy a player or a team will ever win.
For a truly global project like ours, with events on four different continents and many different countries, we require game titles with professional players and teams from all corners of the world. In the recent years of Counter-Strike 1.6, the game has retained its status of a top professional game in Europe but declined in other parts of the world. This was evident at our events outside of Europe.
With this as the basis, we have decided to take Counter-Strike off the main titles list. This means that if CS 1.6 will be featured at an event, it will only be for certain events where it is a perfect fit for the Intel Extreme Masters locally.
The legacy of CS in the Intel Extreme Masters is one of the greatest stories in all of ESL. The names of the champions of all six seasons will be engraved on every Intel Extreme Masters season final trophy a player or a team will ever win."

According to the statement, should the game be featured in the IEM, then it will only be at events where it makes more sense.