Hello, let's dive right into it I don't like wasting people's time.

Stop crying about valve, that company will always strive to be incredibly successful and profitable, and if that means giving no help to a community that is divided and unorganized then so be it. Ask not what valve can do for you, rather what can you do for valve? This community is small, historically all fps games have been relatively small. Now, I say relative because we as gamers have witnessed the huge popularity and attraction to games such as league of legends and dota. When you a step back and observe this community, you can see many elements that cause adversities that directly effect competitive tf2 6v6. Knowledge is power, the more information we have the more we can attempt to make a positive outcome for the future of 6v6.

In the gaming industry we can compare certain aspects of successful games to tf2, specifically formats which are arguably the most important element in anything that is competitive. Dota 2 and CS:GO each have one competitive format. Now on this same note, there are things that we can not compare to tf2. Yes those games have direct dev support for their competitive functions, but you must recognize the time difference as well. Team Fortress 2 has been out for seven years now, whereas Dota 2 was officially released on July 9, 2013 and CS:GO on August 21, 2012.

Prior to League of Legends which was released October 27, 2009, not many of us could have foreseen the insane popularity that has led to this new-age of e-sports. As I have previously stated, Valve is going to continue to be in it for the money, whatever they decide to do. Valve knew they could take a piece of the LoL pie by releasing Dota 2. This is important because it directly relates to the upcoming release from Blizzard, Overwatch.

Overwatch is very similar to tf2 (visually) and we know that it is an fps with other added features. We know that Overwatch is going to have competitive scene, and if it is of any respectable size, Valve is going to have some sort of response, whether it be a Source 2 port for tf2 with integrated matchmaking etc. or a whole new Team Fortress 3. Whatever it may be, we know that if there is profit to be made, valve will step up to the plate and do it better. If anything, Overwatch may be exactly what saves competitive tf2. There's just one problem, what is competitive team fortress 2? Unfortunately as of now this is something that is in the hands of the community.

For the past seven years we have had multiple leagues ranging from the old days of CAL to TWL to CEVO, ESEA and UGC. This is where this post becomes a nightmare and the ultimate debate begins.

Approximate player count:
UGC NA HL: 5250
UGC NA 6s: 2850
ESEA (Open, IM, and Invite combined): 400

If UGC truly cared about the future of competitive Team Fortress 2, they would drop Highlander AND their 6s divisions right now. The overall size of comp tf2 barely supports one league, to divide it into two or three is the most absurd thing I have ever seen. UGC has created a double standard for tf2 which has served as nothing other than a cancer for the growth of 6v6. In retrospect what they have done is created a special olympics for non-handicapped people. Instead of having to compete in the obviously more challenging league (ESEA) you can now run around with your medal that says you played Platinum and you get that warm fuzzy feeling as if you are the best of the best. Having different leagues for a competitive scene only ~3000 players in size is absolutely detrimental -strength through unity. Imagine if those 2850 6s players in UGC would gather the courage to register for ESEA-Open, stick with their teammates and work their way up the ranks, we may have had a stronger league (population wise) and who knows, maybe even a competitor worthy of contesting or beating Froyotech. Instead we have no teams in invite and no one on the horizon to give LAN viewers an exciting match or at least a hope that there will be a new champion. In fact we have the exact opposite, everyone panicking and screaming that the game is dead. I don't want to see one single response post to this about how you play UGC because its free, if you have the time in your life to grind 80+hrs/2weeks for 6v6, you can definitely throw down the ~30$ it costs to play a season of ESEA, [b]you aren't fooling anyone kid.[/b]

This game needs one competitive format to be seen and taken seriously. Seen by who you might ask? Pubs are the lifeblood of Team Fortress 2, pubs are what give this game the frequent top #3 daily rank on the steam stats page. If the day comes where those 3 million+ monthly active pub players launch their game and they see a button on their home menu that says "Play Competitive" which format do you want that button to que them in? Lets say Valve does do something, and this community somehow gets exactly what it wants, what format do you think Valve is going to chose to implement as the official competitive format of tf2? Now yes, valve could do absolutely nothing and not care one ounce about the future of tf2 or their competition with Blizzard. If I was a betting person, I would put my money on Valve doing something to attract as many players interested in Overwatch and get them interested in tf2. Finally, what Valve does is not up to us. We have to make the best of what we have, and right now all we have is a serious 400 people versus 5250 cringey anime spergs that somehow enjoy playing the most cancerous format in e-sports history. Don't abandon 6v6, the next 12 months could mean the death or survival of this awesome format. Show Valve why 6v6 deserves more, its up to you.

Oh and stop picking on Lange, that kid has done more for this community than any of you ever have or ever will, show some appreciation.