Top 5 Impact will hit on the eSports Scene in 2012

As we pack 2011 away and store it with our most affable memories, one has to wonder what treats and sweets will the year of 2012 being to the table? In a year which gave us a slew of new eSports game titles, such as the long awaited unveiling of DotA 2 and the release of its beta, to the maturity of older titles, like the nonpareil rise of StarCraft 2 into the E-gaming scene; 2011 will be a tough act to follow. Yet fret, not because despite having big shoes to fill, 2012 will have plenty of tricks up its sleeve, and—without further ado, we shall now present our writer’s pick of 2012; five items in 2012 that E-gamers should definitely keep an eye out for. (In no particular order)

1. The release of Counter Strike: Global Offensive

Every professional FPS gamer would have started their career with a shooter and more likely than not, that would have been Counter-Strike. Now, this immensely popular terrorist-versus-counter-terrorist shootout is due for a haircut, a dashing new suit and new pair of spit shined polished shoes. That’s right, the very busy bees at Valve are hard at work to bring you the next iteration of the series, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, or CS: GO. Co-developed by Hidden Path Entertainment, the same people who brought you Counter Strike: Source, the game is due for release early 2012, so you might want to start thinking about setting up camp outside your game shop of choice really soon now. While Valve has remained rather tightlipped about the specifics of the game, we do know that it’s going to be an online FPS which will support cross-platform play.

Impact on the eSports community: Potentially huge

Valve has the unfortunate tradition of forsaking earlier versions of a game when building a successor. However, whether the eSports community will let go of Source and 1.6 will depend on how much sugar Valve pumps into CS: GO. If another USD$1 million dollar curtain raiser is on the cards, then you can expect the E-gamers to put their money behind CS: GO, too.

2. The new age gaming machine: the Razer Blade

A good computer to an E-gamer is like a good pair of skates to a figure skater. Without quality hardware your performance is going to suffer. And so the folks at Razer, your go-to people for top notch gaming peripheries, have come up with a revolutionary design for a portal gaming machine, dubbed the Razer Blade. Gone will be the days of bulky desktop replacements or underpowered slim fins with stylish cuts; the convergence of both represents Razer’s vision of gaming portability, which has largely evaded us since the dawn of gaming. Incorporating the Switch Blade, another Razer device, into its dashboard, the Razer Blade is meant to be the beast in Beauty’s disguise. Thinking of ditching your laptop already? Well, hold on to your horses eager beaver, the Razer Blade has yet to receive an official ship date, but you can be sure that’ll be sometime this year.

Impact on the eSports community: Not likely to change much yet

With contracts and tie downs with current core-hardware sponsors such as Alienware, Razer will have to slowly buy their way into the hearts of eSporters from the usual and trusted suspects. While many gamers will no doubt bite into this gorgeous looking machine, many of its key selling points may not be allowed in competitive gaming yet, such as the programmable buttons on the Switch Blade.

3. League of Legends season 2 and the USD$5 Million dollar prize

“What Valve can do, we can do better.” That has got to be the motto of Riot Games, the developer of the League of Legends (LoL). Because in a bid to upstage DotA 2’s USD$1 million unveiling to the world, the creators are now planning to put five times that amount behind their DotA-esque game. Released in 2009, 2012 will mark its second season of play with Riot going out to fix USD $ 5 million prize money for the winners of the season 2 league. Rumors are that the money will be split between the qualifiers and the finals, which would be held at Dreamhack. In any case, perhaps now is a good time to turn pro if you are a LOL fan. Expect more details in the coming months.

Impact on the eSports community: Groundbreaking!

Before 2012, the biggest prize ever on offer for an eSports tournament was Valve’s USD$1 million award at Gamescom 2011. Upstaging that will only invite more firms to do so and that will mean a better incentive to hone your keyboard skills. On top of that, competition between Valve and Riot games can only prove beneficial to the competitive gaming community as these two well established juggernauts of the E-gaming ring will look for new and innovative ways to beef up content in their titles and deliver better, more comprehensive support to the gaming society.

4. The day Diablo 3 hits stores

Do you remember the days of old when you were spending hours on end trying to flush out those dastardly demons from under the town of Tristram? No? Well, then you’re either way too old or way too young. Diablo 3, the hotly anticipated sequel to the humongously popular Diablo 1 and 2, is by none other than the Einstein who gave you StarCraft and WarCraft, Blizzard Entertainment. There is no doubt going to be a competitive element to Diablo 3 with a heavy emphasis on PvP this time round. Considering the huge following of Blizzard games, you will do well to mark this date down when it comes about because leave it late and you might be the uncool gamer, late and without a date at the party.

Barbarian 

Demon Hunter

Monk

Witch Doctor

Wizard

Impact on the eSports community: Not likely to change much yet

Unlike StarCraft 2 or WarCraft 3, which was made with eSports in mind, Diablo 3 will not. Instead it will be in essence, a single-player campaign which would then be expanded to include multiplayer components like PvP and cooperative play. However, like World of WarCraft before it, certain elements, if constructed correctly, may lend it a presence at future eSports meets. But again, such a feature is no more concrete than food for a toddler, so don’t hold your breath yet.

5. The release of DotA 2

Finally, how can we end the list without mentioning the ever popular DotA 2? Due for release in the first half of 2012, Valve’s reboot and repackaging of everybody’s favorite eSports custom game has been the talk of the town ever since it’s big unveiling at Gamescom 2011. Spotting a graphical overhaul and tweaks to gameplay, DotA 2 is every DotA devotee’s naturally appointed successor to their beloved game. From what’s been shown over the last 6 months, DotA 2 is looking quite the game, turning heads and winning the hearts of many; pro and casual gamers alike, and this even before the release. Expect a huge frenzy on the Steam store when this game goes on sale.

Impact on the eSports community: Huge

DotA is one of the spectator favorites at any eSports event, the revamp, led by the astute IceFrog looks to be doing no wrong at the moment. If all goes well, 2012 could see the original DotA shipped to the retirement cottage as the new supreme custom game reigns in its place.

So, what do you expect in 2012?

So with that we conclude our top 5 picks for the year of 2012! And if for some reason we’ve failed to take the skeptic out of you—well what else can we say be prepared to hear us exclaim “we’ve told you so!” come the end of the year because even if for the most stoic pragmatist, there’s definitely more than 5 reasons to be excited about this year! With 2011 still very much packing diapers to its parties, the fervent eSports gamer can be sure his or her wait will not go unrewarded over the next 12 months—as there is sure to be something for everyone! So ladies and gentlemen, take seat and fasten your seat belt because this year is going to be one hell of a ride.