After more than 10 years, the first major venture to turn gaming into a profession has shut its doors.
Effective immediately, the Cyberathlete Professional League (CPL) will cease operations. Therefore, all CPL events currently scheduled for 2008 are hereby canceled.
The CPL was launched in June 1997 with the pioneering mission of promoting and sanctioning video game competitions as a professional sport. For ten years the CPL events experienced increased growth – commencing with a small LAN event in Dallas, Texas, and culminating in world-class competitions across five continents.
However, the current fragmentation of the sport, a crowded field of competing leagues, and the current economic climate have prompted the CPL to suspend its pro-tournament operations. The CPL regrets that this news will disappoint those that were planning on attending the summer and winter events this year.
Many thanks to all of the sponsors and partners that helped CPL establish the groundwork for professional video game competitions. Their vision and pioneering spirit should always be remembered.
Counter-strike existed and thrived before the CPL, and I played CS competitively before it, as well. But CPL brought CS competition into the spotlight. While never really getting enough press and fans beyond other CS players and game sites, the CPL did generate a worldwide buzz that carried over into other games. They also helped establish a rulebase and a legitimacy for it being almost a sport. I only competed in CPL events in it’s first couple years, but I remember them fondly. It’s sad to see this phase of gaming die.
Related posts:
