[AnimeGamer]

Eternal Return Masters Comes to an End, What does the future hold?

Figure 1. Eternal Return

Tales of valor, courage, and tenacity are as old as mankind, for we have fought in wars, ideological battles, and sports since the dawn of our existence. But with the dawn of the 21st-century humanity has entered a new age, an age where large-scale conflict has all but ended, and in its place, a new method of competition has arisen. One that has only recently entered the mainstream media due to its profitability is none other than Esports. A once niche hobby that has grown to become an industry titan, that single-handedly carries the MOBA genre. Esports leagues for the CS: GO and LOL are some of the biggest in the entire industry, but to say they are the only or best ones is a reach at best. Now the gaming landscape is changing once again just like in the nineties and one of the games leading this charge is Eternal Return.

Figure 2. Eternal Return Gameplay

It would not be wrong to say that the late 2000s and early 2010s were dominated by the like of League of Legends and other MOBAs, and of them, only League of Legends managed to achieve impossible, mainstream recognition. For at that time games were still considered inferior media compared to movies and books. Now it is one of the largest growing industries that is estimated to be in the billions, but this fame has also made it difficult for brand-new games to prosper in the market. All but one, a game that not only manages to merge the tried-and-true format of the MOBA with a shorter time frame and skill-based battle royale mechanic. This was Eternal Return and despite all odds, it has not only succeeded in bringing in a massive casual audience, but it has also done the impossible by holding non-stop back-to-back esports tournaments. This not only functions as an advertisement for the game but also helps new players get a hold of the controls in a competitive setting. Currently, aside from the world championships the most played tournaments are the Masters.

Figure 3. Eternal Return Masters

Masters unlike other Esports tournaments, are localized to certain areas and are further subdivided based on the language. For example, the current Master is set to take place throughout three phases of which 2 have already been concluded and the remaining phase has just seen its last match played. It is also prudent to mention that this format is a first for the game and henceforth has been dubbed Season 1 of the year 2023. As for players who want to learn more about the winners and prize pools of these Masters tournaments, they can check out the official Eternal Return Masters website. And those players who wanted to take part in the matches can rest assured knowing that this was but the start and that many more tournaments are being organized both by players and developers. So in conclusion the beginning of the Masters tournaments was a massive success as the player turnover ratio and viewer numbers as per information provided by the discord channel were quite high. Knowing this it wouldn’t be wrong to say that players can keep their expectations high as there's more where that came from.



@"everyone"