IESF World Championship 2023: A Rollercoaster of Records, Surprises, and Controversies

The IESF’s 15th World Championship returns to Romania, breaking new grounds in viewership with Mobile Legends: Bang Bang taking the limelight. However, it wasn’t all applause and confetti, as controversies overshadowed the successes.

Hey gamers, enthusiasts, and esports aficionados! Buckle up because we’re diving deep into the craziness that was the IESF World Championship 2023. We had highs, lows, drama, and everything in between. So, let’s not waste any more time and get right into the nitty-gritty!

A Romanian Encore

The event was hosted in Iași, Romania, a decade after its first stint in Bucharest. Romania was buzzing, and you could feel the electricity in the air. Even the cobblestones seemed to know something big was happening!

They rolled out the red carpet for the big guns CS:GO, Dota 2, Tekken 7, eFootball, PUBG Mobile, and the show-stealer, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (ML:BB). It was like assembling the Avengers of esports.

Last year, ML:BB flirted with 2 million watch hours. This year? Drum roll, please. We smashed that figure! The event clocked in a staggering 5.2 million total hours watched, with ML:BB hogging over 90% of it.

ML:BB: The Crown Jewel

The ML:BB Grand Final was the high point of the rollercoaster. It was Indonesia vs. the Philippines, and the numbers just soared. At its peak, over 700K concurrent viewers tuned in, breaking all previous IESF records. Seriously, could you imagine the tension? The Philippines won 3-1, and it felt like half of Indonesia let out a collective “Awww, man!”

The Elephant in the Room: Viewership Gaps

Okay, let’s talk disparities. The rest of the games? Well, they were like supporting actors to ML:BB’s leading role. An average viewership of 15.6K across the board, but for ML:BB? Way beyond that. PUBG Mobile was next in line but could muster only 5.7K.

Indonesian as a language is taking the IESF by storm. I mean, the commentators were probably dreaming in Indonesian by the end of it. Dota 2 also saw a surprising surge in Indonesian viewership, even though it’s usually not that big a deal there.

Ukraine: The Silent Protest

Now, for some controversy. Ukrainian viewership was dismal, especially in CS:GO and Dota 2. Why? The teams withdrew in protest because IESF allowed Russian players to compete under their national flag. It was a major blow, and it definitely left a mark on the overall event.

In Romania, CS:GO was off the charts. JaxiTV, our Romanian hero, was on fire as the community caster, pulling in viewers left and right. He made the match between Team Romania and the Czech Republic the must-watch match in the CS:GO universe.

Spotlight on Women’s CS:GO

For the ladies, the competition was fierce. Argentinian streamer forg1 covered the matches on Twitch, hitting a peak viewership of 11K during the Grand Finals. Unfortunately for Team Argentina, the Netherlands emerged as the champions, but what a show it was!

Let’s put things in perspective. Despite ML:BB’s stellar performance, it wasn’t even in the top 10 most-watched events of 2023 overall. It seems like the MPL leagues are the real titans of the ML:BB world.

Final Thoughts

There’s no denying it this year’s IESF World Championship was a spectacle. Sure, there were bumps along the way, but which great story doesn’t have them, right? We saw monumental growth, but we also saw rifts that need mending. The IESF has its task cut out for it, but one thing’s for sure: esports is exploding, and this event shows that it’s not slowing down anytime soon!