Things to know about the FXOpen e-Sports Invitational Series
First of all, an except from FXOBoSs's blog on why FXO have moved back to Twitch.tv (full blog here):
Sometime today we will be signing a contract with Twitch.tv regarding a partnership. Now you are going to say “but you said X and now you are doing Y”. This is the beauty of business. Albeit the response to my original blog wasn’t very pleasant from twitch. Business is business. I have always been a fan of the people from twitch (I flew gunrun to korea remember?) and this hasn’t hurt our personal relationships. And if anything it has strengthened our business relationship.
The new-look FXOpen Invitational Series is really going to be something special. Boasting last year’s GSL finalists, many fan favourites and a high online prize pool, it is set to raise the bar of all past FXOpen e-Sports events.
Over the last 2 months FXOpen e-Sports has been working on a new business idea to boost the growth of its event side of business. Unstable, Boss, Raelcun, frequency and our sole graphic designer, Suhali, have been plugging away at ideas and creating draft products in order to bring something fresh to the Starcraft 2 market.
A month ago, over 50 invites were sent out to teams and players across the globe for the new look FXOpen Invitational series, after a few rejections we have finally found our 32 players to battle it out for first place.
From the player list above, you can see that this event is going to be a good one. Every game will be cast by Raelcun, Unstable, Squiggles and Wolf, as well as the possibility for guest casters. On top of this, we have ramped up our graphical production level to a new high in order to entertain the viewers. We will continue to increase the level of graphical production each event.
Now there are some things you need to know whilst watching the FIS (FXOpen Invitational Series)
Firstly, be aware that every cent earned from this event goes into our next event. We do not cash in profits from our events. As previously stated the exposure is what we are after. $5000 prize pool is our starting price for the exposure. If we generate more than that we will be increasing the prize pool of the next event. Note: Ad revenue usually takes 2-3 months to receive, so the 6th FIS event will maintain the same prize pool.
FXOpen e-Sports will declare the income generated by the event. It will also provide proof of this income as well as some of the statistics behind the event.
FXOpen e-Sports will play 3 consecutive ads in a row after every game. We encourage you to watch the advertisement if possible as it helps create more advertiser interest in e-sports if the ads are actually viewed. However we understand if you wish to not watch the advertisement. For those who do not wish to watch any advertisements we have another option. FXOpen e-Sports understands the interest in watching events that are live or being played at the time. However, with the player pool being as highly talented as it is, we feel it is better to cast every single game in the entire bracket so that people do not miss out on their favourite players matches. Unfortunately this requires us to cast from replays. But it does also allow us to increase the production smoothness and quality.
FXOpen e-Sports will be rebroadcasting the event for those who missed the primetime or were watching another event during the broadcast time. The conditions will be the same as if the event were live however it may not appear in the TeamLiquid calendar but will appear in the stream list. Note that during this time, nothing but FIS will be streamed on the FXOpenTV stream (including Boss doing his hair and nails).
FXOpen e-Sports will be offering a subscription for this event. This will be completely optional and you will be able to participate in the following benefits.
Receive no advertisements on the stream
Ability to chat during peak broadcast time (chat will be limited during periods where we are not able to completely moderate the chat. Subscribers will still be able to chat)
Opportunity to win prizes:
1 x Razer Banshee headset
1 x Razer Spectre mouse
3 x Razer Zerg bag
4 x Signed FXOpen e-Sports jacket of the player or players of your choice
4 x replay packs consisting of 10 replays of your favourite FXOpen e-Sports players. You can choose any player, any specific matchup, or a mix. And our major prize is!
1 x FXOpen e-Sports Korean house access pass (for 10 days, includes inhouse food and board but not travel expenses)
We feel that a good cost for the benefits of supporting the event and the chance to win the prizes involved would be $5 USD for a months subscription (the entire event) Let us know what you think!
Prizes will be drawn at the end of each live broadcast (non rebroadcast). Please Note you do not have to be online at that specific time to be eligible to receive the prize.
We look forward to having you watch our event and hope that the event sets a new level for online events.
Razer has been a pioneering supporter of e-Sports since its conception. It is in our blood and we are driven to further the culture of professional gaming in all that we do. We work hand in hand with our pros to forge weaponry for the players who stake their livelihood on podium placements. Our gear is designed to perform flawlessly in high-stress tournament conditions where winning is everything and mistakes cost championships. Those who compete with our equipment will attest – We live by our words: For Gamers. By Gamers. Visit www.razerzone.com for more information.
FXOpen is a forex trading company seeking to get more involved in the game they are passionate about - StarCraft 2. FXOpen currently sponsors MMA, drift car series and various other sporting events.
I think it should go without saying who I'm rooting for, but I'm really excited for this! I'll certainly be chipping in $5 for a chance at all those prizes o.O
On January 17 2012 17:59 red4ce wrote: A signed FXO jacket would be suhweeet. Definitely tuning in for this tournament. Please let it not go unnoticed like the previous FXOis.
invites were sent out to teams and players across the globe for the new look FXOpen Invitational series, after a few rejections
Seems like all players are currently living in Korea and not from all corners of the globe. Nonetheless it could be awesome and perhaps it was the foreigners that declined their invites.
I have a question. Will it be possible to watch for free ? I read the OP & it's not very clear ( at least for me :S ). Is the 5 dollar subscription for the vods ( un aired games as well ) + no ads + the ( kick ass btw ) chance to win those prizes. Or do I need to subscribe to watch the main live casts ? I read it twice so I'll feel really dumb if it's mentioned & I missed it but as far as I know it's not mentioned ( or clear ).
TL;DR : Can we watch for free ? What do we get for free ( I know the VODS + chance to win prizes are in the 5 dollar subscription package ) ?
On January 17 2012 19:28 crackcc wrote: I have a question. Will it be possible to watch for free ? I read the OP & it's not very clear ( at least for me :S ). Is the 5 dollar subscription for the vods ( un aired games as well ) + no ads + the ( kick ass btw ) chance to win those prizes. Or do I need to subscribe to watch the main live casts ? I read it twice so I'll feel really dumb if it's mentioned & I missed it but as far as I know it's not mentioned ( or clear ).
TL;DR : Can we watch for free ? What do we get for free ( I know the VODS + chance to win prizes are in the 5 dollar subscription package ) ?
The subscription is optional only. You will still be able to watch the entire event at full quality + VODS on youtube. The only time you would see a difference is if the chat gets too fast that we enable subscriber chat.
On January 17 2012 19:28 crackcc wrote: I have a question. Will it be possible to watch for free ? I read the OP & it's not very clear ( at least for me :S ). Is the 5 dollar subscription for the vods ( un aired games as well ) + no ads + the ( kick ass btw ) chance to win those prizes. Or do I need to subscribe to watch the main live casts ? I read it twice so I'll feel really dumb if it's mentioned & I missed it but as far as I know it's not mentioned ( or clear ).
TL;DR : Can we watch for free ? What do we get for free ( I know the VODS + chance to win prizes are in the 5 dollar subscription package ) ?
The subscription is optional only. You will still be able to watch the entire event at full quality + VODS on youtube. The only time you would see a difference is if the chat gets too fast that we enable subscriber chat.
Thanks for clearling that up with your fast reply =D
SICK SICK lineup btw.! Too bad Nestea & Stephano declined the invite. You would think that with so many other Korean pros participating they would too. I guess they declined due to a busy schedule. Anyways very nice lineup, one of the best foreigner tournament lineup. So many code S players =D
That's really nice, holy shit. I like those prizes for the subscriptions. Really, really good job with these tournaments, there's something for everyone, especially subscribers who might be rewarded with prizes, the way I think it should be.
Broadcast 1: Saturday, Jan 21 5:00am GMT (GMT+00:00) Broadcast 2: Sunday, Jan 22 5:00am GMT (GMT+00:00)
Broadcast 3: Saturday, Jan 28 5:00am GMT (GMT+00:00) Broadcast 4: Sunday, Jan 29 5:00am GMT (GMT+00:00)
Broadcast 5: Saturday, Feb 04 5:00am GMT (GMT+00:00) Broadcast 6: Sunday, Feb 05 5:00am GMT (GMT+00:00)
Broadcast 7 (Finals weekend): Saturday, Feb 11 5:00am GMT (GMT+00:00) Broadcast 8 (Finals weekend): Sunday, Feb 12 5:00am GMT (GMT+00:00)
Please note we will be running rebroadcasts almost 24 hours, so if you miss out the first broadcast you'll still have a chance to see the matches (also there will be VODs).
Our subscription option is also now available, just click "Subscribe" over at our Twitch.tv channel!. If you don't know what benefits our subscription gives you, just have a read of this thread.
whoa, what a stellar lineup, sounds fantastic. it might be true that the reaction to your events is not the biggest tl has ever witnessed, but in the long run, the high quality of both your events and your engagement in esports is gonna pay off.
keep up the good job, please continue to support your teams and events! cant wait the two hours that are still left till it starts. ^^