Petition to reintroduce open qualifiers reaches 6000 signatures
Well, that didn’t take long did it?
Since Valve updated their Major rulebook by removing open qualifiers in the Americas and Europe, the community was quick in showing their disagreement with the decision.
Consequently, Viperio, a British esports organization has launched a petition demanding the reinstatement of open qualifiers for Counter-Strike 2 Major tournaments.
The petition claimed that the new closed, invite-only system based on teams' rankings will undercut opportunities for lesser-known teams to gain experience at the top level.
“The fact that any group of 5 friends has the possibility to qualify for a major by upsetting the biggest teams in an open qualifier system has given us too many memorable moments to just remove.”
- Brodie Mulvaney, Co-Founder of of Viperio
Many organizations thrived during open qualifiers and made history. Moreover, the previous system allowed teams to not only dream but make it a reality. Notably, teams like Quantum Bellator Fire, Into The Breach and ECSTATIC all proved its fruition throughout the years.
The community stands together
Since its initiation on the 31st of May, the petition received over 6000 signatures. With various figures from the scene urging their communities to take part in the movement.
According to the former NIP coach Faruk "pita" Pita, Valve steered away from their original vision of making the most prestigious event accessible for everyone, even a group of friends.
“Hey @CounterStrike, I remember back in 2014 you guys told me and my team in person you wanted CS to be a game where 5 friends would have the possibility to qualify for a major,"
- pita on X addressing Valve.
Now, whether Valve will revert the changes remains to be seen. However, it's important for the community to stand together in this, as the open qualifiers have been a cornerstone of the competitive integrity and accessibility of esports.
Featured Image source: Perfect World
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