IEM 2022 returns after a two-year break to Poland, the Katowice Spodek, on February 25-27, 2022. It is one of the most significant esports events globally and the most important in the country.
Intel Extreme Masters 2022 in Katowice will be held again with the participation of fans in person. On this occasion, the organizers are preparing unique attractions for them. There will be Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament, where the best ESL Pro Tour teams from around the world will face each other. Fans can also expect the StarCraft II scene veteran battle.
IEM Expo
Once again, the IEM Expo zone will be hosted at the International Congress Center. Visitors will see the world’s most comprehensive technology, gaming and esports brands. They can also count on presentations of the latest gaming equipment, meetings with their idols from the world of gaming and esports, competitions, and many other attractions.
A bit of history
Intel Extreme Masters Katowice is one of the most major esports events globally, organized by ESL Gaming. The event, which had its first appearance in 2013, attracts a growing audience each subsequent year. In 2019, when the last time fans could sit in person in the stands, 174,000 participants from all over the world visited the event. The presence of IEM in Katowice has contributed to shaping the awareness and popularity of the esports industry in Poland. At the same time, the games organized in Spodek resulted in the professionalization of the entire community.
Currently, IEM Katowice is an event that sets production standards for the whole industry. It is also a technological venture that sets trends in terms of organization and production. ESL transmits games worldwide in several dozen languages thanks to the latest solutions. In 2020, the public couldn’t visit the event due to the pandemic. Nevertheless, over a million viewers watched it at its peak.
IEM Katowice 2021
In 2021, the tournament also was played entirely online. Nevertheless, IEM Katowice again gathered a massive audience in front of the screens. The games CS:GO alone generated an audience of over 18 million hours. At their peak, they were followed by over 550,000 people. It means they were the most-watched CS:GO online games broadcast on Twitch. There were also surprises in the area of the esports competition itself. The IEM Katowice 2021 champions in CS:GO, StarCraft II and WarCraft 3 made their mark on esports history. They won a large chunk of the prize pool, which amounted to $7M in the first season of the ESL Pro Tour. IEM Katowice 2021 thus completed a series of 25 tournaments. They make up the first season of the ESL Pro Tour, with a total audience of over 200 million hours!
Links
You can find more information about the ESL Pro Tour and the upcoming season on the official website of the series. The latest updates regarding IEM are available on the tournament website. Videos are available on the IEM YouTube channel. The next stop for IEM is the start of Season 16, which will kick off IEM Summer Online. You can watch it on LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook channels.
Read more abour EMEA Production HUB Katowice, which is a perfext place in Poland for gaming here.