CEVO Executive Board Blog

Our third Executive Inquiry features some great questions and, we hope, some great answers! Keep the questions coming!

ViRii[K] asks:
“Just curious, the community isn’t too large, so why choose America’s Army over some other games like Battlefield 2142, Command & Conquer 3, etc.?”

Plitt says: CEVO is constantly looking at all the games out there as well as their respective communities. At this time, we are actively considering events for at least seven different games in addition to the four games we are currently hosting events for. But launching a new event is not always a simple task.

When CEVO gets into a new game, it’s important that we release a quality product and environment. We want to run a strong, competitive events that create enjoyment, and serve to advance the industry of eSports. With that in mind, it’s not enough to simply choose a game and go with it. There are many factors to consider when moving into a new game:
- size of the community
- popularity trends
- competitive aspects
- spectator aspects
- the game itself
- sponsor interest
- event staffing

So why America’s Army? The timing was perfect. We were able to contact some amazing individuals to come on staff, and we already had an interested sponsor in NationVoice. The community may not be as large as some of the other games currenty running, but we feel it’s large enough to support an event. And with the US Army renewing its efforts to promote America’s Army, we feel there is plenty of room for its community to grow and we’re excited to be a part of it!

James asks:
“You say that America’s Army is the first of several new games. Any hints on the other upcoming games?”

Ping says: As Plitt said previously, we are presently in active discussion of at least 7 other games. I can’t give away any names, but we’re looking at a couple of FPS titles, at least one RTS title, at least one racing title, and maybe even a console title, among others. We plan to expand into at least one more new game in 2007, possibly two or three. As far as 2008… the sky is the limit!

Duke asks:
“I’m a server admin. Is there any chance that CEVO will release a player ban list or at least a list of banned steamIDs so I can ban CEVO cheaters from my public server?”

Ping says: The last time CEVO released an actual ban list was season one of Counter-Strike 1.6. At that point in time we honestly HAD to release a ban list just to prove that CMN did in fact work. Since then, CMN has improved exponentially and we have proven its effectiveness time and time again. Media agencies GotFrag and Amped have performed independent reviews of CMN’s effectiveness and found it to be solid.

With that in mind, we have refrained from releasing ban lists for one reason and one reason only: we feel that it hurts eSports.

You’re probably wondering why we feel that way. We’ve watched over the years as other organizations have released ban lists. What is the end result? Flaming. Lots and lots of flaming. It’s no secret that major sponsorship and interest from major corporations is the only thing that’s going to push eSports into the true mainstream and transform it from a “hobby” into a “sport”. But flaming tends to leave a bad taste in the mouths of corporations, even if the flaming is directed at those who broke the rules.

It’s not that we think releasing a ban list is BAD for eSports, we just feel that not releasing a ban list is better for eSports.

That being said, we have been reconsidering our decision as of late. We know there are some doubters within the community as to whether or not CMN works. We know there are cheat sites claiming they get around CMN, and we know there are competitors making claims that CMN is a thing of the past. This doesn’t really phaze us, because we know the truth and so do our players - which is why CEVO has been and continues to be one of the most prestigious online leagues to play in and the standard to which many of our competitors seem to aspire. Nevertheless, every now and then maybe it’s not such a bad idea to remind everyone how we got here in the first place. After all, we did pioneer the concept of using in-house, privately developed anti-cheat software in league play.

Will you see a ban list any time soon? Maybe. We’re thinking about it! Have an opinion? Share it here!

ressik asks:
“Does CEVO feel that it is threatened by other organizations like CGS, CGESA, WSVG, etc?”

Plitt says: Absolutely not!

If you look at what CEVO has accomplished since we started in 2003, and what we continue to accomplish season after season, CEVO’s quality and committment to the community speaks for itself. For the last four years our volunteer staff has strived to provide the community with the most fair and competitve environment and in doing so we have paid out over $250,000 in cash and prizes.

The one thing that I have learned in the last four years is that sucess takes time and a commitment to a vision. Sucess is in eSports is not measured in dollars and cents, and it is not measured in hours or days, but measured by results.

As for feeling a sense of threat from other online eSports companies (CGESA, XPL, etc …) we do not see these companies as a threat but as a necessity. Competition is good for the industry and gives us a chance to push ourselves to improve all aspects of our service. That means it’s good for the gamers too.

As Andrew Carnegie said, “While the law of competition may be sometimes hard, it is best for the community, because it ensures the survival of the fittest and the best results.”

As for feeling threatened by the MAJOR LAN players (CGS, WSVG, MLG, WCG) there is no threat currently as their business models do not include online gaming at this time, and the CEVO business model compliments their events as we cultive the players of the future. I think more importantly it has been great to see the growth and development of these companies as all individually have made huge improverments to eSports as they have been competing for your viewership and participation in their events.

SnakeEyes asks:
“If they ever make ‘Counter-Strike the Movie’, who would you rather see in the lead role - Vin Diesel, or Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson?”

Plitt says: LOL that’s a good question. I guess I’d say Vin Diesel. I’m an avid fan of xXx and, honestly, I almost cry every time I watch The Pacifier.

Ping says: I’m definitely going with Dwayne Johnson. Considering the most complex dialog in the movie would consist of the phrase “Go! Go! Go!”, even The Rock couldn’t screw that role up.

Do you want to ask a question? With CEVO’s Executive Inquiry, almost anything goes, so let us know at executives_blog@cevo.com.

This entry was posted on Monday, June 25th, 2007 at 1:16 am and is filed under Executive Inquiry. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.