Cover-Credits:
Beyond The Summit
Popular esports production company Beyond The Summit, best known for its Dota 2 tournaments is letting go of all its staff and will be shutting down its esports operations after 11 years, at least temporarily. The company’s co-founder David “LD” Gorman explained that it was no longer sustainable to run the company’s esports operations in its current structure.
The company will continue to keep everyone on its payroll for the next couple of weeks as it honors all of its active contracts, following which all of its employees will be offered a two-week severance package. The company’s last event will be the Smash Ultimate Summit 6, although there are calls for one last crowd-funded Dota Summit.
LD also stated that the company is still open to exploring other paths forward. “BTS has a beloved brand, a fantastic network of talented people who make cool shit, a state-of-the-art studio, professional gear, and plenty of openings in our production calendar”, he said and invited interested parties to contact him on Twitter or email for further discussions.
End of an Era: Beyond The Summit Was One of Dota 2's Treasures
Beyond The Summit played a significant role in shaping the esports scene of Dota 2. The company pioneered grassroots tournaments in the early years of Dota 2, before the inception of the Dota 2 Pro Circuit. Its events, particularly The Summit, are still cherished by the community for its creative skits and for allowing professional players to cast tournament games.
Moreover, Beyond The Summit contributed to the growth of emerging teams in Southeast Asia and North America through its BTS Pro Series tournaments. The company also led the way in broadcast innovation for Dota 2 esports, introducing the 'teamfight recap' feature before Valve integrated it into its native client and pioneering the use of battle passes in third-party tournaments in the Source 1 version of Dota 2.
Beyond The Summit's presence in the Dota 2 community will be greatly missed, as its contributions to the game and its esports scene have been invaluable.
As the esports industry undergoes restructuring and multiple organizations are compelled to downsize their workforces, it appears that the industry is facing an impending period of economic decline. The future for many esports companies remains uncertain as they continue to navigate the challenging market conditions and strive to sustain their businesses.
