Valve has recently made significant adjustments to its CS2 circuit, particularly for the upcoming BLAST Austin Major. The revisions involve the Major Supplemental Rulebook, which now includes provisions for expanding the participating teams to 32, a change that had been previously rumored and has now been officially confirmed.
While the core rules of the event have largely remained unchanged, there have been tweaks to the qualifier system and seeding regulations. Notably, the requirement to hold RMR (Regional Major Ranking) events has been removed, providing financial relief to Major organizers, despite the expansion of slots.
However, one aspect that hasn't changed is the prize pool for the BLAST Austin Major, which has not been increased to accommodate the additional teams. This means that the bottom eight teams will not receive any prize money. Additionally, there are talks of introducing an extra sticker capsule for the extended stage of the tournament.
Although dividing the earnings among 32 teams may result in a reduction in individual sticker earnings, it is expected to drive higher overall sticker sales, potentially increasing revenue for teams and organizers alike.
