Tournament organizer ESL has updated the schedule of events for 2021, adjusting the format and dates of some events to take into account the current epidemiological situation. The first tournament in the traditional LAN format should be ESL One Cologne, which will take place in June. It will be held in the studio, and viewers will be able to watch the event only as a broadcast.
The next two competitions, DreamHack Masters Spring and IEM Summer, will again be held online, because, as the organizers point out, «the safety of teams, staff and the entire»community is of paramount importance to us. Originally it was planned to hold both tournaments in the studio with the teams present in person, but later these plans were changed.
ESL representatives mention that the status of ESL One Cologne is also not final and may change in the future if new anti-epidemic restrictions appear. They also mentioned that plans to hold LAN tournaments in front of spectators have been postponed until at least November. ESL is now exploring all available options to return to familiar formats in the late fall. Going forward, changes to the conditions of upcoming competitions will be communicated at least every quarter so that the community has time to adapt to potential changes.