Esports events may have wrapped interstate for the calendar year, but the undisputed capital of esports that is Brisbane will play host to one final show for 2022 — DFrag’s BrisVegas Summer.
It is this year’s fourth iteration of the long-running Counter-Strike: Global Offensive series, which, under the guise of Daniel “Mavrick” Lang, has aggressively expanded in 2022.
“I believe with every event we’ve made sure that we’re always taking one step forward,” said Mavrick to Snowball Esports.
“My goal for 2022 was to grow the event to a point where everyone was happy with all aspects of the LAN. I think we’ve achieved that and now we’re growing into other esport titles such as StarCraft 2 & Rocket League.”
Read more: Mavrick’s Way: BrisVegas eight years on and stronger than ever
Through an ever-growing team of over 20 staff and with support from sponsors, Mavrick’s BrisVegas has “aimed to bring the tier one experience to the grassroots” — all without sacrificing the atmosphere of a local LAN.
And he’s got plenty more in the pipeline for 2023.
“December is going to be a great example of what to expect in 2023,” said Mavrick.
“Bigger venues, team setups that mimic a tier one event in terms of hardware, rulesets & processes, and creating a much more secure environment to maintain the best level of competitive integrity.
We’ve grown from about a team of five to almost a team of 25 to make these events happen now. I’m absolutely blown away by how everyone has stepped up and helped make these events come together.
Daniel “Mavrick” Lang
Mavrick has already confirmed 2023’s first BrisVegas will feature Rocket League as well as a massive $10,000 AUD prize pool for CS:GO.
“Having purchased the 20 NUCs with the support from Intel, Mwave and Gigabyte has been a game changer. We’ve been able to fast track the progress from BYOC to fully supplied esports ready rigs.
“Now we can provide the same level of experience for all players and I think that is very important for the future of the grassroots scene.”
The upgrades keep coming for BrisVegas, with this weekend’s Summer event outgrowing its previous lodgings and moving to a much larger space at the Kedron-Wavell RSL.
It’s a necessary move as BrisVegas Summer won’t just be featuring the regular eight-team CS:GO tournament — Mavrick has teamed up with AusCraft to bring StarCraft 2 to the Sunshine State.
Eight of Australia’s best, including IEM Katowice qualifier and Protoss mastermind Sean “Probe” Kempen, will battle it out for the lion’s share of $2,000 AUD.
The event comes almost three years on from AusCraft’s first venture into grassroots StarCraft, which featured three international attendees amongst the twelve competitors.
Read more: AusCraft tournament looking to bring “heart and soul” to Melbourne’s Starcraft 2 scene
The StarCraft 2 and CS:GO tournaments will run simultaneously from the venue, and come complete with media content days, live commentary and plenty more.
Brisbane’s seen quite the year of offline esports and gaming action. Alongside Mavrick’s four BrisVegas’, organisations like The Chiefs have hosted a variety of events from their coveted Country Club.
The Chiefs’ launch of their inaugural League of Legends Scouting Grounds last fortnight was a major success, and the organisation is rounding out the year with a Macca’s Summer LAN Party on Sunday.
“It is always a fun time when we get to work with Macca’s.” said Chiefs’ Head of Brand Aiden Hiko.
“This year has been incredible; having superstars like Midbeast visit, getting to play games with some incredible creators, and now we get to give back to the community and welcome them into our clubhouse.
BrisVegas spectator passes are on sale now, with options for single day or weekend attendance available.
Can’t make it out in person? Tune in on Friday morning to catch the action kick off live on Twitch, with the StarCraft tournament set to begin on Saturday.
