WePlay Esports’ Lead Esports Manager Eugene Shepelev: “We want the WePlay Academy League to be a regular circuit.”

Before the WePlay Academy League concludes its first season this weekend, we managed to talk to Eugene Shepelev, lead esports manager at WePlay Esports. Here are his thoughts on academy tournaments from an organizer’s point of view.

Esports.com: How important are Academy tournaments for the development of esports?

Eugene Shepelev: Over the last decade, esports as an industry has taken a huge leap forward in its development. Comparing tournaments as they were 10 years ago and as they are today, you may see the new level of competition, organization, and streaming, their new scale and quality. However, along with such rapid growth, the industry has faced another issue — a lack of highly qualified personnel. This also greatly influenced the balance of power between players in the disciplines. There are few experienced professional players in each discipline and their influence in the market is growing by the year. At the same time, young players looking to start their careers at a professional level do not have a training ground to demonstrate their skills.

The academy league, which our company founded in partnership with leading CS:GO organizations, has been created to become the training ecosystem for novice players. Performing in conditions as close as possible to those of the professional scene, they gain experience of interaction with the management of their own organizations, the tournament operator, the press, etc. Providing such a favorable environment for growing the new generations of esports players, we contribute to the development of the discipline and the industry in general.

How much interest was there from the teams in participating in a strictly academy environment?

Since the WePlay Academy League is established in partnership with leading CS:GO organizations, it is clear that they fully support and contribute to the creation of this academic environment. We work in the same industry and all the parties are interested in its development, so we are receiving all kinds of support and assistance from teams and partners.

This event is as much their idea as it is ours and the teams are very invested in its success, some even decided to recruit academy players specifically to be involved in the first season.

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Are there special challenges that are specific to Academy competitions?

Since within the WePlay Academy League our company strives to create conditions that resemble those of major international tournaments as closely as possible, we are organizing the league in the same way as we do for Tier-1 competitions. Our team has already proved its efficiency with the WePlay AniMajor, WePlay! Bukovel Minor & WePlay Ultimate Fighting League.

Since we want the WePlay Academy League to be a regular circuit, we are facing the normal challenges of forming regular schedules and a working formula that can be implemented across many seasons. As much as this is a challenge now, it will be a blessing in the following months and years, when we will have already made the most of the preparations and are able to improve on what we have.

Which new opportunities can be found by hosting Academy Events?

For WePlay Esports, the league is an opportunity to make our own contribution to the development of professional esports. By establishing a platform for young players where they can compete with each other and practice their skills, we are nurturing a new generation of CS:GO legends. This is a great honor and an opportunity for us as a tournament operator to express ourselves and showcase our creativity.

How large is the difference in viewer numbers in comparison to regular tournaments?

You may see a difference in viewership statistics of the WePlay Academy League and Tier-1 tournaments. And it’s natural — this is a pilot season, and we are just starting to gain momentum. However, our company already sees the community’s interest in this project. According to Esports Charts, we had more than 28,000 concurrent viewers at the stream during the group stage at the peak — it’s a pretty good result. 

How do you monetize those users to justify the cost of production with well-known talent on the scene as well?

Tournament monetization is always a pressing issue for all tournament operators. This often concerns not only projects that are just starting out but also international competition premieres. Working in a developing industry such as esports always entails risks and instability — you just need to learn how to deal with it correctly. 

Our business model is based on a large partner network with both international brands and other tournament operators (in the context of media rights). Since the WePlay Academy League is a long-term project, we can prolong the existing partnerships and communicate on the new ones. 

Throughout 2020 and the better part of 2021, many events in esports (and other industries) have been more or less impromptu as everyone was thinking on their feet and planning no more than a couple of months ahead. In this environment, it can be challenging to establish monetization streams, since you can’t come to a partner with a list of events for the next quarter, let alone the next six or twelve months. Our goal is to create stable circuits with schedules for years ahead. WePlay Academy League is one of those circuits.

Are you planning on expanding the WePlay Academy League to other games?

A project like this can only exist in a game with a sufficiently developed scene. The organizations working in CS:GO recognize the necessity of a league, as they get to expand their rosters with potential substitute players.

We are not working on similar projects for other games, but are always open to discussing them with interested parties.

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Image Credits: WePlay Holding