Esports Charts not to cover Games of the Future 2024
Analytical company Esports Charts notifies its users and partners that we will refrain from collecting statistics for tournaments featured in the Games of the Future 2024. We denounce this event and perceive it as an instance of political propaganda.
One of the reasons behind our decision is that the data collected and published during the event may be utilized by organizers and sanctioned sponsors for purposes that could potentially aid in circumventing sanctions. The tournaments will not be included in viewership totals for teams and esports titles, nor will they affect prize money standings in our database: millions of dollars in prize money across gaming titles will not be considered.
Because of the significant prize pools, the organizers can make a strong push to attract a large audience to the tournament, particularly targeting Asian viewers for the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang events. We have no plans to promote any achievements or viewership milestones reached during this event.
The Games of the Future 2024 event is directly supported by the Russian government and is sponsored by sanctioned companies. Additionally, several Russian media outlets, known for promoting hatred and justifying Russian military actions against Ukraine over the past years, are among the information partners of the series.
Participants of the event may indirectly become subjects for propaganda materials favoring the aggressor country: media coverage from tournaments, including brand displays, will highlight sanctioned companies, and player photos featuring these companies may be utilized in public media. The trip to Kazan could lead to scrutiny and punitive action from international regulators. The same risks and potential consequences apply to broadcast studios and individual talent, such as casters, analysts, and desk hosts.
Esports Charts highlights the fact that most of the top teams declined to participate in the Games of the Future 2024. Some teams withdrew from the tournament after receiving invitations from the organizers. Both sponsors and organizers of the Games of the Future 2024 are under sanctions not only in Europe and the United States but also in many other countries worldwide, including the UK, Australia, Switzerland, New Zealand, and Canada.
Per the latest EU agreements, participation in an event sponsored by sanctioned companies may be considered facilitation of sanction evasion by the EU. Moreover, engaging in business activities and/or financial transactions with sanctioned organizations could be considered a criminal offense.