Intel 
Extreme Masters Sydney continued to grow in both scale and stature this past weekend, but one logistical problem pointed to improvements needed in Australia’s immigration department to better serve the needs of elite international esports players.
More than 7,500 fans turned up on each of the three days to watch some of the world’s best Counter-Strike:Global Offensive (CS:GO) teams battle for $250K USD in prize money. But FaZe Clan found itself missing its star player due to his Australian visa application not being processed in time.
“It was easier to get NiKo into China than it was to get him into Australia.”
Nikola ‘NiKo’ Kovac, a Bosnia and Herzegovina national, ended up not making the trip at all as FaZe Clan was defeated while using a fill-in player in his absence. NiKo was part of the successful team in 2018, so had been granted a visa previously.
“It was easier to get NiKo into China than it was to get him into Australia,” Erik Anderson, head of esports for FaZe Clan, told The Esports Observer.
Anderson said that with esports travel being much more common across Europe and North America, he thinks the process has become better recognized and smoother for international players. But the Australian process turned out to be far slower than he had hoped.
“It just shouldn’t be that hard. Maybe there was something we did wrong, I don’t want to blame Australia, we love playing here and the fans here are amazing. But a lot of countries are now recognizing esports professionals as athletes and making the visa clearance process very simple.”
Pictured: Nikola ‘NiKo’ Kovac, Credit: Predator Gaming USA
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Australian states are starting to see the tourism value around hosting esports events, with both Melbourne, Victoria, and Sydney, New South Wales, playing host to annual tournaments that bring fans from around the country and overseas to see the best competitors on the big stage.
At the federal level, esports has had little to no acknowledgment, nor has the games industry in general. The government has been lobbied to provide improvements over many years, but has yet to offer incentives or other support to games businesses based there in line with other screen media industries.
“Australia needs to take a closer look at esports and how the current visa processes might limit the ability of legitimate star players gaining lawful access to high profile tournaments.”
In the context of esports, esports athletes are also yet to be seen in the same light as traditional sports athletes or as entertainers, creating a situation where it seems to be harder to get immigration clearance for players from some countries with existing visa exchange agreements than the likes of Bosnia and Herzegovina or Kazakhstan, where FaZe’s AdreN – who was also slow to arrive – is from.
With Sydney’s IEM now part of a world circuit, the lead time between final qualification for a tournament and the tournament itself can become just a matter of weeks or even days.
“Australia needs to take a closer look at esports and how the current visa processes might limit the ability of legitimate star players gaining lawful access to high profile tournaments,” Managing Director of ESL Asia Pacific, Nick Vanzetti, told The Esports Observer. ESL is the global tournament organizer of Intel Extreme Masters.
“Visa processing delays pose [a] substantial risk to the teams, players, and tournament organizers of being able to perform or operate as they should, and ultimately harm the business of esports and the country’s ability to attract world class events. Perhaps, most notably, the fans are missing out!”
Credit: ESL
The esports industry has begun to try to build organizations that represent the interests of this competitive landscape. The Esports Games Association Australia (EGAA) has been formed to act as a representative organization for the wider esports ecosystem, and now says it represents over 350 members.
Australia is currently in the midst of an election campaign, with polls for the May 18 vote pointing toward a change of government to the Labor party that would put the country’s more progressive party into power.
“It important that esports builds trust in Australia, with its community of users, professional players, sponsors, and government.”
The Esports Observer requested comment from all relevant political representatives, across both sports and communications portfolios, and the Labor communications portfolio leader, Michelle Rowland, delivered a response in support of esports.
“Esports is fast growing and has well and truly made its mark in Australia, despite our second-rate NBN. Australians love sports and are early adopters of technology, so esports brings these passions together,” said Rowland in a statement.
“Both esports and traditional sports are forms of entertainment as well as outlets for grassroots participation requiring skill, training and teamwork. Like the NBN, interactive games and applications cut across all portfolios in the economy, supporting outcomes in health, education, training, and defense, as well as in the arts and sports, for example.
“It important that esports builds trust in Australia, with its community of users, professional players, sponsors, and government. Esports needs to think cross-portfolio as it builds relationships with government.”
The next major esports event on the Australian calendar is Battle Arena Melbourne 11, which takes place May 17-19, followed by the Melbourne Esports Open returning for its second year on Aug. 31.
