Tournament organizer BLAST recently announced that it will change the way it calculates prize payouts. The amounts that teams will be able to choose from in upcoming events will decrease, but their totals will remain the same. BLAST believes such changes will «help create a more sustainable tournament model for the industry as a whole». The amount saved by reducing prize money will go directly to teams in the form of participation fees.
The head of the OG team, one of BLAST's partners, describes the changes as an investment in the ecosystem that will help organizations develop the infrastructure needed for players and operate sustainably in the long term. Robbie Dowack, executive director of BLAST, had a similar view. He noted that the company's partners include – leading brands in the cybersports scene, and many of them have felt the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The redistribution of payments in their favor should have a positive impact not only on specific teams, but also on the ecosystem as a whole.
The next season of the BLAST tournament is scheduled to start in October. The prize pool will be $150,000 in the group and preliminary rounds, and $425,000 in the finals.
