IEM Cologne: 3 Days in the Cathedral of Counter-Strike

In the heart of Cologne, Germany, the cheers of thousands of Counter-Strike fans erupted as the opening ceremony kicked off another legendary battle at the LANXESS Arena. Known as the Cathedral of Counter-Strike, this annual tournament, hosted by ESL FACEIT Group (EFG), features some of the best production an esports event has ever seen.

Over three days, IEM Cologne brought together more than 15,000 fans and millions of online viewers. The finals reached an incredible peak of 1.05 million viewers, making it the second-highest viewership for any Counter-Strike tournament this year and the 12th-highest peak viewership ever recorded by Esports Charts. These viewership numbers clearly reflect the excitement and success of the event—but what was it like to actually be in the arena?

For Bayes Esports, this is more than just an annual tournament. It’s a chance to reconnect with our long-standing friends at EFG and an opportunity to host our partners, customers, and future prospects at an esports event. Whether it's their first time stepping into the esports world or if they are already deeply connected to the heart of esports, Bayes Esports promises an unforgettable experience.

‍

Live Demos of Bayes Esports Full Product Suite

It’s one thing to see Bayes Esports’ products in an office setting, but it's an entirely different experience to witness their impact during an esports tournament. By hosting our partners, customers, and potential prospects in our lounge, our product and sales teams were able to demonstrate how live data can transform the fan experience.

We watched a match in three different ways: live - seeing players on stage compete for the champion’s title, broadcasted on the giant screens around the arena, and through our Video for Bettors tool on monitors inside our lounge. By comparing the delays of each video stream, we were able to clearly reflect on the benefits a low-delay stream can have for a business. Counter-Strike rounds last approximately two minutes or less, so data scraped from the public broadcast can be delayed by as much as 1-2 rounds, making accurate in-play betting possible only with Bayes Esports' official match data.

In-between matches, we also had a chance to demo our latest product, Bayes Highlights. Our intelligent search capabilities swiftly pulled together the top moments from a vast repository of historical video content. Ahead of the NAVI vs. Team Vitality finals, we could show Alexis, a player on NAVI’s best kills or most insane clutch moments on Mirage.

During the tense semi-finals between NAVI and MOUZ, we were keeping one eye on Bayes Live Odds, watching the odds fluctuate as MOUZ nearly made a comeback. As they battled it out on Inferno, NAVI went up 9:3, and we thought they had it in the bag. MOUZ came back strong in the second half, but NAVI managed to claim the map victory in overtime.

While Bayes Esports is the official data provider for all EFG tournaments, we also power our comprehensive product suite with Bayes Live Match Data. It's easier than ever to upgrade your esports portfolio with in-depth statistics, 2D map positioning, and other visual tools, ensuring that those watching the tournaments outside the arena can have the most engaging experience possible.

‍

Behind the Scenes of an Esports Tournament

IEM Cologne is widely known as one of the top annual CS2 tournaments, with production playing a key role in its success. As the exclusive data provider for all EFG tournaments, we were fortunate to have a chance to go behind the scenes bringing our guests along for a backstage tour. This gave us a firsthand look at the complexity involved in setting up every tournament.

We learned about the rigorous training routines that professional players endure to keep their reflexes sharp. In fact, their reactions are so quick that they require screens with over 300 frames per second (FPS), compared to the average viewing screen, which has merely 50 FPS.

We also got a glimpse inside the media broadcast vans, which came to Cologne straight from the Paris Olympics, and learned what it takes to be a camera operator of a tournament. These experts understand exactly which points of view to capture, ensuring that every key moment is shown on the big screen in the arena and featured in the broadcast. They have a deep understanding of the teams' strategies and gameplay, allowing them to adapt to the fast pace of each round.

Lastly, we learned about the crucial role referees play in protecting match integrity, monitoring the actions of audience members along with how the game unfolds online.

It was an unforgettable experience that made all attendees grasp the complexity and grandeur of such an incredible event.

‍

Thank You to Our Partners and Clients

We want to thank all of our customers and partners who joined us in celebrating at IEM Cologne. From our Friday night cocktail party to the backstage tours and product demos, we love sharing our passion for esports. Meeting face-to-face with our customers allows us to collaborate on ideas, receive feedback, and understand their goals on a deeper level, which ultimately fosters our product innovation.

We believe data is at the heart of building incredible fan experiences, and as the exclusive data provider for ESL FACEIT Group, we power the industry with accurate, reliable, and highly granular data for top esports tournaments just like IEM Cologne. Interested in seeing our data products in action?

Get in touch with us or join us at an esports tournament near you.