Chess great Magnus Carlsen was a diminutive picture as he sat at the end of the stage where he would be lit at the end of the Esports World Cup opening ceremony. Five minutes later, French star Aya Nakamura sang one song and left the stage. So did Theodora, before she stood up and lay down on the Secretalab play chair.
When Team Falcons awkwardly placed the Club Championship trophy in its place on the stage of La Seine Musicale, it was hard to tell what, exactly, the opening ceremony was trying to tell its audience. And I think it’s because it was trying to tell five different audiences, five different things at the same time.
That’s not really a criticism, but more of an explanation. The first Esports World Cup opening event outside of Riyadh is designed to satisfy more than 100 broadcast partners in 160 countries, a list of sponsors from Saudi government enterprises to Lenovo, and a global content pipeline that will take intimate B-roll videos into clips long into the night.
What it wasn’t designed to do – and probably wasn’t intended to do – was tell a story in a room. As someone who has been in the industry for a while, I felt excited, a little confused, and convinced that this game was not made for people like me. Which, I think, is really the whole story.
The opening ceremony of the Esports World Cup was like a global buffet
In trying to pinpoint the exact feeling I had when I left the place, bear with me, but I think it was that of walking into a global buffet. You know, the kind with a hundred trays carefully arranged in rows under heat lamps. You usually enjoy its wide range – chow mein sits next to Caesar salad, which stares seductively at arancini.
Opposite you have a drawing station just a stone’s throw from sushi. You load your plate, and forty minutes later, you’re full and ready for bed. You struggle to remember what you actually ate, with a cleft palate, and you wonder if the thing you threw down should have gone on the plate in the first place.
That is the opening ceremony of the Esports World Cup. Nothing on the menu was really bad. Carlsen is one of the most competitive people alive and is an ambassador for the tournament. Nakamura and Theodora are two of France’s biggest exports, and the return of the trophy is often an important part of any opening ceremony (the Olympic torch being a good example).
But it was not cooked for any one guest in particular. The arancini lacked the Italian nonna’s love, the biryani is a wonderful twist on a recipe that was passed down through four generations. Designed for room, broadcast, sponsors, and content engine. Everyone, really, but no one in particular. Most building openings are, however, and this was no exception.
Aya Nakamura and Theodora were given one song each
Some of the crowd at La Seine Musicale had come for Aya Nakamura and Theodora instead of sports performances. Next to me, the fans were singing every word, while others looked confused when Magnus Carlsen appeared in the past.
Theodora, or Miss Kitoko, leaving the stadium in the sponsor’s match chair, was a timely reminder that EWC is still establishing itself and building its identity. One song featuring two French champions sounded like a boxing exercise and lacked the true cultural connection and authenticity I think the booking was looking to achieve.
To me, it was almost like shoehorned proof that Paris was included. It felt more like a line justification in a press release than an authentic celebration of the art of Parisian culture.
When you step back from the stage, the mind starts to make more sense. When you remember that the event simultaneously served more than 100 broadcast partners in 160 countries, alongside a program of sponsors ranging from Saudi government enterprises to Lenovo and Hilton, the structure begins to make more sense.
You can already begin to see that it is almost an impossible task. It’s not a show built for the viewer; a collection of clips put together to portray a picture of greatness and hype, even if the storytelling is perhaps lost.
This probably explains why, to prevent the return of the cup to its place, the occasional appearance of an esports player on the stage, and the short LED of the players’ faces, almost did not refer to the tournaments themselves during the night. The competition often feels like an excuse for a show, rather than a spectacle in itself.
EWC sells stadiums to outsiders
Again, this is not a new theme. I watched the first episode of the Esports World Cup: Level Up documentary on Amazon Prime (and I recommend it wholeheartedly, with the Booster story in particular) and the opening set of clips is built around celebrity and heroism – talking to people who are existing esports fans. Lando Norris, Tony Hawk, Nick Kyrgios, Alisha Lehmann, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ronaldo from Brazil all appear in the first five minutes.
The instinct to reach out to the outside world as an official brand did not start with this opening event but is part of EWC’s overall operating model and mission: to bring esports into the mainstream conversation. The idea of pasting the events into hype montages allows the almost crass mash-up to continue and serve the purpose I think it was ultimately intended for.
Hardcore esports fans were not the target audience
Here’s the thing about buffets, though: not everyone is a picky eater like me. A die-hard fan of a particular game, or someone with a solid knowledge of the esports industry is closer to a Michelin reviewer than your average buffet-goer.
They know exactly what “right” tastes like in their culture, and the minute something tastes good, they call it. If the reference does not come, or is not in their specific taste, they will make it known by voice.
But here’s the kicker. The buffet was not designed to satisfy the Michelin inspector. It should be judged on an entirely different level. The aim is for people to leave full, not to stir up controversy about the authenticity of Arrabiata. A discerning palate and knowledge of the subject is what makes you realize that the pasta dish is not so spicy, or the Pad Thai is not authentic.
That, I think, is the real difference between how I felt on the night and how many around me at La Seine Musicale did too. Dinner sends nothing; they just sneak out and go back for another pop on the spring rolls.
The opening ceremony was okay, but it wasn’t for me
Which brings me to the part of this I don’t want to get lost under all of the above: it was okay. Honestly. As a sports fan in particular, this event was not designed for me, and I made peace with that while writing this.
A list of broadcast partners and a list of sponsors are essential to running an event of this scale – a fact often forgotten by esports fans as they sit and collect content at home. The $75 million prize pool, which occupies one of the largest Paris ‘expo-venues for seven weeks and the production of a modern event is not only possible with the ‘enthusiasm’ of die-hard esports fans.
It happened because EWC built and packaged a product that convinced our broadcast partners and sponsor wall that it was worth their time and money. The mechanics take esports from a hobby to something that commands the attention of one of Europe’s biggest cities all summer long.
It’s also worth stating the obvious: to get anything with that much star power on stage in the short time they had is impressive. Speaking to people in the industry, planning for the opening stages of League of Legends World starts 18 months in advance.
EWC was the part of that era and still managed to put on a show that looked the part. The thing that made the opening ceremony feel so empty to me is the same thing that made esports bigger, richer, and more visible than ever. I don’t think these two facts cancel each other out; I think they are true at the same time.
Esports fans are naturally suspicious of change
There is a wider discussion about esports fan culture to be had. In fact, there is probably a book worth writing about it. Esports fans have an inherent suspicion of anything that reaches the past.
It is like a natural defense that can look like protecting the scene, but it is also rooted in the fear of change and the small society that is part of the formation of companies. I suspect some of my initial gut reactions were baked into it, too.
Not every guest at the buffet has to be a food critic. Most people want to go full, and on that scale, the EWC opening ceremony did its job. The video is already being filmed and is looking for sponsors for next year. Someone will see it, the chess grandmaster, the star DJs, the familiar face in the gaming chair, and pique their interest. That’s enough for a crowd that hasn’t heard of half the games being played in Paris over the next two months. I wasn’t just a dish they were cooking.
Disclosure: Travel and accommodation for this event is provided by Esports World Cup. The World Cup of Esports had no editorial, or official authority on this topic.
