(ESEAnews) - One of the great things about the TF2 community is the initiative some members occasionally take to inform their fellow players about the issues facing the game's growth. From mentor programs to competitive guides to tips & tricks to interviews of some of the biggest names in eSports, time and again members of the TF2 community have stepped forward and done work for no reason other than to help improve the community as a whole.
This is one of those times, as svfrey of the NATF2.com forums (comments, link his ESEA profile?) has taken it upon himself to interview none other than Mr. Jason Lake, longtime eSports fan and CEO of compLexity Gaming, one of the premier eSports Organizations still kicking.
Here now is a snippet from svfrey's interview with coL.1, in which they talk about the business-side of TF2 sponsorships - be sure to check out the complete interview here at the NATF2 forums.
Nowadays, compLexity is probably more well-known for their Starcraft 2 division, but in a distant past, your organization also had a TF2 team that they sponsored, which was quite successful. Can you tell us a little bit about how you first got involved with competitive TF2?
I founded compLexity in 2003 as a Counter-Strike team. Eventually we grew into a multi-gaming organization. I then sold the company to DirecTV for the Championship Gaming Series. When the economy tanked the plug was pulled and CGS closed its doors. Following that debacle I had to decide whether I was going to remain in eSports or close that chapter in my life. I decided it would be better to battle back than leave the scene with my tail between my legs. I bought back the rights to the company and started over from scratch (with partners Jason Bass and Alex Conroy). When evaluating what games to field it became apparent to us that TF2 had a solid following and had become a good eSport. We already had a new Counter-Strike team that would be attending ESEA events so it was logical to build on that presence and get into TF2.
Obviously you have since then withdrawn their sponsorship of the TF2 division. At the risk of sounding hostile, what sorts of things influenced the decision to let them go?
Eventually the cost/benefit analysis did not make sense. We had several roster changes and had a hard time finding true stability in the game. It became a chore to manage the division and sending 6+ people to LAN events wasn't always a cheap endeavor. When Carnage decided to sit out for awhile we decided it was time to move onto other games. We still loved watching TF2 but felt it was wise to invest our funds elsewhere.
Over the years, other organizations have done the same (withdrawn sponsorship of TF2 divisions), including EG and CheckSix. SirScoots, when asked why EG decided to remove their TF2 team from sponsorship, cited "[A] lack of events other than ESEA, that itself gives minimal/zero global reach for the ROI spent" as a major factor in that decision. I'll ask about ROI later, but for now, how would you respond to that?
Yes, I'd say when evaluating the ROI vs. exposure TF2 eventually got to a place (in our opinion) where it wasn't as competitive as other eSport titles that were taking off at the time.
Outside of the various leagues (UGC, CEVO, and, most importantly, ESEA), there are very few LAN or online TF2 tournaments (as compared to other competitive games, such as League, Dota (2), SC2, etc). The dearth of LANs could be explained by the logistics of getting a 6-person team to an event, but the reason for a lack of online tournaments (as in, weekend Round Robin-esque events, or smaller versions of the ESEA LAN) is less clear. What are your thoughts on this?
Any time you have a game with 5+ players the airfare and hotel costs become a concern. In order to justify the management time investment and travel costs the game must deliver a large audience that can get your brand (and your sponsors' brands) a great deal of exposure. Online is OK for this but not optimal. We need star players on live video and photo streams wearing our jersey to produce the results we promise our corporate partners. As far as a lack of online events I don't have solid information with which to answer but would assume it is because leagues have moved on to newer games with growing fan bases. They may view it a bit as we have in the past: we love TF2 but we need to operate the organization as a business and deliver the best exposure and ROI for the companies that pay our bills.
Once again, you can read the rest of this fantastic interview here in the NATF2.com forums. Thanks, svfrey!
Originally published on ESEA on 3/2/2012, 8:55 AM by 1rK-.
Archived from Jason Lake Talks Business of TF2 as part of tf2esports.com's preservation of ESEA's TF2 coverage. All rights remain with the original author and ESEA; reposted for historical reference.