How was the first half of 2023 remembered in esports?

Ambar Jimenez

2023-07-06 01:47:34

Let's take a look at the main sensations, achievements, and notable successes of teams in key esports disciplines.

The first half of 2023 is coming to an end, which means it's time to summarize what we have seen. The leading author of the portal EGamersWorld, Yurij Sheremet, talked about the most unexpected results, the teams that emerged as the season's discoveries, the leaders of the pro scene in each major discipline, and the new projects that have become part of the esports world in the past six months.

The main breakthrough teams and leaders of the first half of 2023

CS:GO

Let's start with CS:GO, where everyone is actively preparing for the transition to Counter-Strike 2. The recent Major in Paris brought several sensational results. First and foremost, the world saw teams like GamerLegion, Apeks, Monte, and Into the Breach. Secondly, these relatively unknown teams caused quite a stir in the pro scene by defeating the giants one after another. As a result, the first half of the year became a turning point and introduced countless new names and teams in the second tier.

The leaders of the pro scene in CS:GO can be named as two teams: Vitality and Heroic. They have shown more consistency than others and have often won trophies in major championships.

Dota 2

In Dota 2, we also saw new names, but the main discovery of the year so far can be called Gaimin Gladiators. The European team not only managed to assemble a strong lineup but also won both majors in Bali and Berlin. Moreover, the team continues to win at other major events, gradually asserting dominance over the entire pro scene. This is despite Gaimin Gladiators' failure at The International 2022 last year, which they completely turned around with just one signing.

VALORANT

In VALORANT, there is a total domination by Fnatic. Earlier this year, the European team won LOCK//IN in São Paulo and recently became the champion of Masters in Tokyo. It seems that this team cannot be stopped.

The main discovery of the first half of 2023 in VALORANT can be named Evil Geniuses, who made a splash at the last LAN tournament, winning over a large part of the audience.

Rocket League

As for Rocket League, the battle between Europe and North America continues. However, Karmine Corp won the winter split, and now it's time to find out who will be the winner of the last major of the season, which, by the way, will take place in San Diego.

One unexpected development is the team Rule One from the Middle East, which unexpectedly interrupted the dominance of Team Falcons. Nevertheless, the pro scene is progressing steadily, without presenting any grand surprises.

League of Legends

We cannot overlook League of Legends, where the initiative is gradually shifting to the Chinese team JD Gaming. The club recently won the Mid-Season Invitational 2023, with Bilibili Gaming becoming the runner-up. Meanwhile, the season in the leagues is progressing as usual, and we will soon learn the names of the first participants in Worlds 2023.

Rainbow Six

In Rainbow Six, the expansion of the Brazilian pro scene continues. The main protagonist is the team w7m esports, which won the first major of the season in Copenhagen and reached the finals of the Six Invitational 2023 in February.

We must not forget about other teams, among which Soniqs stands out, unexpectedly performing well in the major with a not-so-strong lineup.

New phenomenon - Pokemon UNITY

The first half of 2023 also brought us an interesting discipline called Pokemon UNITY. Last year, the pro scene began to grow rapidly: major organizations started paying attention and forming teams, the number of tournaments increased significantly, and there was increased support from developers.

All of this resulted in fully-fledged leagues with six-figure prize pools. While the pro scene is preparing for the upcoming Pokémon UNITE World Championship 2023, we can only speculate on the scale to which this discipline will grow and the sums it will attract clubs in the future.

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