[The Korea Times] CrossFire cements position as long-lasting esports g… 2025-02-04

CrossFire cements position as long-lasting esports game

Audiences watch the live feed of the finals match of CrossFire Stars 2024 at the Hangzhou Canal Asian Games Park, China, Dec. 15. Courtesy of Smilegate

By Nam Hyun-woo

Game developer Smilegate’s hit first-person shooter, CrossFire, is successfully consolidating its position as a long-running esports title, with the players and fan base for its top tournament, CrossFire Stars (CFS), showing stable growth even after the competition’s 11-year run.

CrossFire is one of the biggest online first-person shooter titles in service in over 80 countries, having over 8 million concurrent players with a total of 650 million users. Since 2013, the company has held CFS every year as the title's flagship tournament for professional teams. It finished the latest CFS Grand Finals 2024 from Dec. 4 to Dec. 15 in Hangzhou, China.

Members of China's Evolution Power Gaming celebrate after winning CrossFire Stars 2024 at the Hangzhou Canal Asian Games Park, China, Dec. 15. Courtesy of Smilegate

During its 12-day run, 16 teams from China, Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, North America, Brazil, Vietnam and the Philippines competed in the knockout stage, playoffs and finals for the total prize of $1.43 million.

Smilegate said more than 7,000 fans visited matches for the semifinals and finals at the Hangzhou Canal Asian Games Park. In particular, the 4,000 seats for the finals between China’s Evolution Power Gaming and Brazil’s Vasco Esports were sold out within 10 minutes of ticket sales, with major Chinese media outlets covering the competition.

“Despite the final against the Chinese team, we were moved by the fans who cheered for us, which motivated us to play even harder,” Vasco Esports said in a statement. “We are grateful that there are fans who truly love the game.”

Smilegate said it is doubling efforts to expand and consolidate the ecosystem of CrossFire as a global esport. As part of its 2023 road map to expand the CFS franchise, it set up a new CFS event in Vietnam, the CFS Summer Championship.

The CFS Summer Championship played an important role in improving team performances across regions, helping not only Chinese, but also Brazilian and Vietnamese teams to make it into the CFS 2024 semifinals. Vietnam’s Wolf Empire, which won the CFS Summer Championship 2024, was one of the semifinalists in the CFS 2024.

Another major esports event that will feature CrossFire will be Esports World Cup 2025 slated for this summer in the Saudi capital of Riyadh. Under a partnership with the Esports World Cup Foundation, CrossFire will be featured in the event for the next three years.

Dubbed one of the biggest multigame esports events, Esports World Cup first launched last year, featuring 200 clubs and 1,500 players from 100 countries competing in 21 events. The total prize pool was $60 million, and the event attracted 2.6 million viewers and recorded 500 million views during its eight-week run.

“With a successful generational shift among players, CrossFire esports now boasts a deeper and stronger talent pool, making the competition even more thrilling for fans,” a Smilegate official said. “The game’s esport scene is expected to continue evolving in the years ahead.”

Source of the Article – The Korea Times