Skyesports has drastically scaled down its 2025 circuit, axing plans for three tier-one events and reducing its only remaining event's prize pool from $500,000 to $350,000. Once positioned as a key player in global esports, the organizer now cites "long-term sustainability" as the reason for its diminished ambitions.
The flagship event, Skyesports Masters, is now the lone tier-one tournament for 2025. Scheduled for November 10-16, the event will feature 18 teams:
VRS Invites: Top 4 teams qualify directly for the main event.
Closed Qualifier: 16 teams, including 2 wildcard invites, will compete in a Swiss-style format to determine the final 4.
Main Event: The 8 teams will play a GSL group stage, with the top 2 from each group advancing to a double-elimination playoff.
Skyesports also confirmed the Souvenir will now be an India-only, open-for-all ranked event, a sharp departure from its original plans as a global spectacle. The Souvenir was previously canceled and is now being reintroduced in a downgraded form. Additionally, the organizer teased a tier-two event later in the year, though details remain sparse.
A Troubled History of Skyesports Events
This downsizing comes after repeated missteps in 2024. Skyesports Masters 2024 was moved online due to complications from India’s General Election, failing to meet expectations of a premier LAN event. Later, the Skyesports Championship faced technical failures, culminating in BetBoom withdrawing from the event over "unmet promised conditions."
Skyesports’ recent announcement is being framed as a pivot towards sustainability, but the sharp cuts suggest deeper issues. Once aspiring to dominate the esports stage, Skyesports now faces significant challenges in reclaiming its former momentum.
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