World Esports Association formed to take pro gaming to the next level

WESA

The World Esports Association (WESA) has just been formed by the ESL and top pro gaming teams with the aim of making eSports better regulated and more professional all round.

WESA describes itself as an open and inclusive organization which wants to avoid treading on toes, not wishing to impose itself as some kind of operational body, but rather providing a framework for the pro gaming arena.

It will cover aspects including standardizing regulations for matches, player representation and issues such as revenue sharing for teams, along with arbitration for matters such as league and player disputes. Initially, it will be focused on the top teams, and eight of the most well-known teams were involved in setting up the organization, including the likes of Fnatic and NaVi.

More members will be added down the line, with talks apparently progressing with a number of European and North American teams.

WESA Logo

Player power

WESA will also have a Player Council – player representatives elected by their fellow players – so pro gamers can have a say in league policies and rules, along with issues such as player transfers.

WESA isn't all about the players, though, and will also benefit eSports spectators by organizing concrete schedules ahead of time for the fans and broadcasters who enjoy watching these tournaments.

Speaking of which, the first competition to be played under WESA regulations will be the ESL Pro League for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.

NaVi Team Owner Alexander Kokhanovskyy, commented: "We welcome the inclusion that WESA offers in the decision-making process for competitions like the ESL CS:GO Pro League. The partnership, if I can call it that, goes one step further as well: Natus Vincere, along with all WESA teams, share in the profits when it comes to the WESA and their sanctioned events. That's a huge step for the industry."

Darren is a freelancer writing news and features for TechRadar (and occasionally T3) across a broad range of computing topics including CPUs, GPUs, various other hardware, VPNs, antivirus and more. He has written about tech for the best part of three decades, and writes books in his spare time (his debut novel - 'I Know What You Did Last Supper' - was published by Hachette UK in 2013).