Final of CS:GO Paris Major to be shown live at 39 Cineworld cinemas

17 May 2023

When it comes to esports in the UK and the rest of the world, few games have made as big an impact on the industry as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Since the release of the first edition of the hugely popular Valve title, the global Counter-Strike community has grown into one of the biggest in the world of esports, with an estimated 11 million unique players per day nowadays. Keeping that in the back of your head, the recent decision of UK cinema operator Cineworld to livestream the upcoming final of the CS:GO Paris Major 2023 in all of its locations around the world, which includes 31 cinemas in the United Kingdom alone.

Unique initiative by Cineworld

The idea to bring all of the action from the Paris Major 2023 to the big screen is a novelty in the worlds of esports and cinema, at least on such a large scale. There have been livestreams for large audiences already, at venues like stadiums or single cinemas, but a worldwide cinema showing like Cineworld is planning has not been seen yet. Besides their 31 cinema locations in the United Kingdom itself, including cities like Belfast, Edinburgh and Greenwich, the company also runs 8 cinemas outside of the UK. This includes locations in Ireland, Poland and Romania.

“We are delighted to be able to offer this unique viewing experience for CSGO fans in 31 cinemas across the UK and eight more in Europe”, says Shaun Jones, Vice-president of Operations at Cineworld, “What better way to watch the finals than on one of our state-of-the-art screens, with incredible sound alongside 100’s of other fans. We want this watch party to feel exactly like that, a party, so get ready to grab your favourite snacks and cheer on your team for this awesome major final”.

24 teams battling for $ 1.25 million

The Blast.tv Paris Major 2023, which is being organised by esports tournament organiser Blast.tv, started on Monday, May 8th, with the Challengers Stage. Five days later, on May 13th, the Legends Stage got underway and from the 18th of May onwards, it’s time for the Champions Stage. During the Champions Stage, which will run from May 18th to May 21st in Paris, 24 of the best Counter-Strike teams will be competing for the prestigious Major title and the lion’s share of a prize pool worth no less than $ 1.25 million. The winner will take home a cool $ 500.000 (£ 401.000), while the runner-up gets $ 170.000 (£ 136.000).

“The Blast.tv Paris Major is the pinnacle of the annual esports and competitive gaming calendar”, Alexander Lewin, Vice-president of Distribution and Programming at Blast, “We are delighted to team up with Cineworld to bring this unique event live to the big screen in 12 countries worldwide, and enable fans who cannot be in Paris to experience the event in the comfort of their community”.