The 'CFS (CROSSFIRE STARS) 2024 Grand Finals', the most prestigious CROSSFIRE esports competition hosted by Smilegate, concluded on Sunday, December 15th, last year.
The 'CFS Grand Finals' celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2023 and was held successfully in Chengdu, China. Last year, it was held from December 4th to 15th in Hangzhou, China, one of the seven ancient capitals known as 'Heaven on Earth'. The total prize money for the competition was 1.43 million USD. It consisted of a group/knockout stage, playoffs, and finals and was held over a total of 12 days.
16 teams from China, EUMENA, North America, Brazil, Vietnam, and the Philippines were selected for the Grand Finals 2024. The top two teams from each of the four groups advanced to the quarterfinals, and Brazil's ANTISOCIAL TEAM and Vasco Esports(Vasco), Vietnam's Wolf Empire(Wolf), and China's Evolution Power Gaming (EP) were included in the semifinals.
The semifinals were held at the Hangzhou Canal Asian Games Park, where many fans and spectators were present. Over 7,000 people visited the stadium over the three days of the semifinals and finals. In particular, the 4,000 seats for the finals on the 15th were sold out within 10 minutes of the ticket sales opening. The home team EP was the most popular, but there were also many Chinese fans cheering for Brazil and this year's dark horse Wolf. Major Chinese media outlets, including CCTV, CGTN, and TVB, reported on the grand competition.
The Brazilian Vasco team that made it to the finals said, "Despite the final against the Chinese team, we were moved by the fans who cheered for us, which motivated us to play even harder. We are grateful that there are fans who truly love the game".
A fan who visited the finals site could not hide his excitement, saying, "I came all the way from Shanghai to watch the finals. I am so happy that Evolution Power Gaming, which I support, overcame adversity and made it to the finals."
CFS carried out various marketing promotions so that CFS could naturally blend into the daily lives of citizens. CFS pop-up zones were set up in Hangzhou's landmarks, West Lake, Grand Canal, and Yintai, and various decorations were used to create a CFS festival atmosphere throughout the city. Citizens continued to visit the CFS pop-up zone throughout the event, demonstrating the popularity of Crossfire and CFS. Many posts were also published on the most prominent review platform, 'DAZHONGDIANPING', and the largest community site in China 'SINA CHINA'.
The popularity of CROSSFIRE esports has also been confirmed online. Viewership increased by 8% compared to last year. Throughout the tournament, CFS ranked high in search terms on major Chinese social media Weibo, Douyin, and Kuaishou.
After 11 years, CFS is working hard to build a stronger esports ecosystem. In 2023, it announced a roadmap to strengthen the CFS brand. In order to improve the skills of CROSSFIREe esports teams in each country, it expanded existing competitions and established a new CFS event, CFS Summer Championship, in Vietnam. As a result, the skills of CROSSFIRE esports teams have been generally improved, and the semifinals of the CFS 2024 Grand Finals have been evenly divided among Vietnam, Brazil, and China. Vietnam's Wolf won the 'CFS Summer Championship 2024' championship last summer. The era of Chinese teams taking the finals or the tournament is over.
With the successful generational change of players, the player base has become thicker and more solid, and the fans are more entertained by the game, CROSSFIRE esports is expected to evolve even further in the future.