WARGAMING’S MOHAMED FADL, AND THE 2017 WARGAMING.NET LEAGUE FINALS
We’re back from Moscow and the biggest World of Tanks eSports event yet. But what does a free game get out of hosting such a big show?
esports
is a big thing for Wargaming, the developers of World of Tanks, and the company continues to invest more money into its League every year. “We’ve been running for six years now,” said Wargaming’s Mohamed Fadl - the head of global esports - just before the semi-finals kicked off. “When it started, the players were on folding chairs at crappy desks. Today, it’s a world brand, with millions of viewers.”
And it’s come a long way from those first folding chairs, too. The finals took place in the VTB Ice Palace, a sprawling Moscow complex dedicated - normally - to ice hockey. It’s one of the centrepiece buildings on a massive new development encircled by two massive bends in the Moscow River. Over Saturday and Sunday, however, ice hockey fans were replaced by passionate esports fans, and the ice swapped out for a dramatic stage dominated by the two team boothes for each round.
So how has Wargaming taken it this far?
“Victor (Kislyi, the company’s CEO) is player driven, so when the community came to him asking for esports, we went in that direction,” said Fadl. “We want to nurture our community,and grow it. The way people digest entertainment is changing, and we need to keep up with it.”
In fact, Wargaming’s setting its sights very high indeed. “HBO and Amazon need to watch out, because esports is coming,” Fadl added. “Average watching time is two hours for our events, so watch out Hollywood - we’re coming.”
The big question, though, is how a free-to-play title like World of Tanks, and Wargaming in general, profit from such massive investment in esports. Since 2013, Wargaming’s invested over $US40 million into growing the brand and the community - what’s in it for them?
“It’s an interesting question,” Fadl responds, laughing - whether at the question or just fatigue, it’s hard to tell. The finals are the culmination of eight months of preparation, and Fadl’s already admitted he’s seen more of his work colleagues than his family for at least the last month. “We don’t make money from these events; what we get back - it sounds strange - but it’s the passion, the crowds, the community, the emotion… We’re getting back one hundred, two hundred, even three hundred minutes of watched games, per person, and millions of viewers.
“If you look outside, it is crazy,” Fadl adds - and he’s right, there are thousands of people on hand to watch the game live, and in between the semis the crowd is entertained by the game’s mascot - a dude in a giant lobster suit - and the sound of roaring punters and blaring music, even in the interview booth, is impossible to block out. The craziness extends to the matches themselves, too. Wargaming’s constantly tweaking how its game works at this level of competitiveness, and this year the quality of matches is higher than I’ve ever seen before, as is each team’s willingness to execute bold strategies.
“It’s crazy. It costs millions to make this happen, but we do it for people here and at home. People want to see the games that they love, and the best players, so this is our chance to give something back to our players.”
It’s quite the ‘gift’. The finals are made up of 12 teams from all over the world, including Australia, all competing for a $US300,000 prize pool. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Grand Final itself didn’t feature any teams from outside of eastern Europe, where the game’s popularity - and player base - is biggest.
The final match, between Tornado Energy and dING, was fantastic. Tornado dominated the entire first to seven wins set of games, but each of those games was a superbly tense affair. In fact, having recently been to the IEM finals in Poland, and the first IEM event here in Sydney, I think I can say that this was possibly some of the best esports I’ve seen.
And with Wargaming just one player investing heavily into esports, alongside the likes of Intel, Riot Games, and even Blizzard, one thing is perfectly clear. esports is not only here to stay - it’s only going to get bigger and bigger.