Fortress Melbourne will be the official host partner for the Counter Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Blast Premier league in 2022. The partnership brings one of the largest CS:GO competitions, and biggest prize pools, to Oceania (OCE).
The Fortress OCE Masters – A BLAST Regional Qualifier initial competition will take place online. The top four teams from the event will travel to Fortress Melbourne for a LAN grand final in the Alienware Arena. A live crowd will cheer on at the event, with the winners advancing to the BLAST Premier Fall Showdown.
Blast Premier, established in 2020, currently run seven events each year with a total prize pool of $2,475,000 USD (around $3,380,000 AUD). This partnership gives OCE teams the opportunity to win a slice of this multimillion dollar prize pool and to become the BLAST Premier World CS:GO Champions.
Esports LAN events in OCE has been sporadic over the last two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns. Representatives from Fortress and Blast have shared their excitement about commencing the regional league in Australia, including the production experience and expertise these two brands bring to esports.
“We’re very excited to be partnering with BLAST, one of the world’s premier esports companies who are known for their groundbreaking events and best-in-class production. 2022 will be a massive year for esports in Australia as we present the Fortress OCE Masters, bringing a Blast Premier Qualifier to Oceania and giving gamers in the region the chance to qualify to play on the global BLAST stage. We’re looking forward to flexing our state-of-the-art production capabilities with our live grand finals” shared Mads Brown, Fortress Chief Operating Officer.
“We are delighted to be teaming up with Fortress. As Australia’s home of games, with an exciting portfolio of activities and ventures, Fortress is the perfect partner to bring BLAST Premier to our fans down under and to a wider Australian audience. We are very much looking forward to seeing BLAST’s Australian qualifiers being played out of their state-of-the-art Melbourne venue” shared Alexander Lewin, Blast Vice President for Distribution.
