In the past few weeks, the race to fill the void that will be left by ESEA has ramped up. On April 29, the Team Fortress Competitive League, or TFCL, announced that they will be revamping their service in the hope of offering a service comparable to ESEA.
In addition to a full league, TFCL stated that they plan to roll out a TF2Center-esque lobby service, a PUG platform, integrated server hosting with cpu.tf, and an automated scrim system as a part of their goal of eventually incorporating all aspects of the scene under their umbrella. The league will feature prize pools for the top three divisions, with a minimum prize of $1,000 at the lowest paid rank. The gamemodes for the seasonal leagues include standard 6s, Highlander, and Ultiduo.
"All in all, my goal with TFCL is to create a unified platform for competitive players," Sidular told TFTV in a press statement. "[We want to create] something that’s automated, easy to use, and approachable ... to teach new players how to play, while still providing thousands of dollars in prize pools every season for those looking to compete in a more serious setting."
The vision for the two-year old league is ambitious, considering most other organizations have been focusing entirely on creating a new league system to replace ESEA. Sidular claims that he doesn't see TFCL as being just another league taking ESEA's place, but rather a hub for competitive Team Fortress 2 with all the necessities and services required to play competitive, while still accommodating for casual players.
In his statement, Sidular also emphasized his desire to make TF2 "as approachable as possible for players of all levels," stating that he envisions TFCL also running Medieval, Dodgeball, PASS Time, and Prop Hunt tournaments to help lure in casual and new players. "The idea," Sidular highlighted, "is to make competing less 'scary' for newer players by showing them that competitive TF2 can be fun, and that they can earn stuff for simply playing the game and formats they already enjoy playing."
League signups are set to begin in June, with exact dates and further information to be provided in the future.