Going Dark
As you may have noticed, we’ve taken all of our previously published articles down, leaving only this one. You may have also noticed that, just like the title of this post, our entire website has gone dark.
To be absolutely clear, TFCL is not dead. While I can’t actually comment on where we’re at right now, I can at least confirm our general existence. In fact, we could very well launch a very basic and straightforward league tomorrow if we truly wanted to. Problem is, we don’t want to. Instead, we will only launch TFCL when every single feature and service is ready to go.
We are arguably one of the most ambitious projects in the history of TF2. Naturally, building something like this from scratch will take quite a bit of time. It’s not like we can just tape a bunch of sentries together and call it a day. TFCL will launch only when it is fully ready.
RGL vs TFCL – The New CEVO?!
To be absolutely clear, TFCL is not trying to compete against RGL, at least not directly. RGL is a traditional Team Fortress 2 league, through and through. They offer tournaments, the occasional cup, seasonal ladders, divisional structures, prize pools, medals, and even yearly lan tournaments. We appreciate everything that they’ve been doing for the TF2 esport scene. The problem is, what they’re doing is nothing new.
When it comes down to it, RGL is really just a slightly more advanced version of UGC. Don’t get me wrong, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. It’s what everybody is used to, and we’re happy to see them take over the North American competitive scene. However, this approach to TF2 esports doesn’t have the best track record of long-term success. If anything, the traditional TF2 league has failed time and time again. There’s a place for it, but it’s not something we seek out to replicate with TFCL.
TFCL is not a rival for RGL. The fact that we are so operationally and functionally different, is also the very same reason both TFCL and RGL can easily coexist. TFCL will offer features and services that will directly benefit RGL and its player base. We will both directly and indirectly assist in the growth of RGL, simply by creating and maintaining the services contained within TFCL.
Now, as for the ESEA vs CEVO concerns some of you may still have? You must remember, CEVO tried to take on the likes of ESEA by doing pretty much the exact same thing as ESEA. They did not try to innovate, or do something different. They just took the ESEA formula, and threw money at it. This, naturally, split the TF2 esport scene apart, as two mostly identical leagues really couldn’t coexist back then, just like how they cannot coexist today. (regional leagues aside)
There’s simply too much of a risk, and if we were to try and run TFCL as a direct rival to RGL, we fear that this would do more harm than good. Whether we end up losing like CEVO, or winning like ESEA, would be entirely irrelevant. We’d all lose in the end.
When Can We Expect TFCL To Release?
We do not have a release date planned, but you shouldn’t realistically expect to see our full release anytime soon. We are years away from release.
Having said that, we’re still going to be active within the TF2 scene and competitive community, so you should expect to see some level of activity from us.