Should we shorten the games? That seems to be the million-dollar question right now.
With tournament viewership supposedly being on the downswing, people are - rightfully so - starting to wonder if something might need to change. There a few ideas floating around right now:
We'll try and go into detail on those we think are the most interesting, and give you our thoughts on them. So here goes.
First comes the MR15 to MR12 change. MR stands for Max Rounds, with the number indicating on after which round the sides switch. So, instead of going to halftime on round 15, we would go down the VALORANT route and go for 13 rounds to win.
Something which isn't new by the way, old Counter-Strike used to be MR12 as well. We did it first, as always.
The knee-jerk reaction to that is that it would affect the economy too much, but we're not sure how relevant that is. VALORANT is different in this aspect because everyone can buy the same weapons.
Reducing bomb and timer length is also nothing new. Back in the day the bomb timer and round length used to be shorter. This does seem to be the main solution, as it could really shorten games according to Professeur. And we think only NAVI would mind.
Overtime is usually the main culprit for delays and long games, but does produce the more interesting moments in a match. And of course, not all games go to overtime. So shortening it might not have a big effect.
Shorter smokes and molotovs would certainly make the game faster, but might reduce their tactical advantage and change rotations and executes. Depending on how drastic the change is, you could see the game be transformed in a more aim heavy experience. Is that desirable?
Reducing the number and length of pauses could have a similar effect, but allowing the coach to speak during freeze time could spell the end of the dedicated IGL, even if good for the tactical prowess of professional play - it's something we've had before and which Valve didn't like.
And finally, reducing freeze time is another interesting one. Sure, it would shorten games, but freeze time is crucial for production to show replays and for casters to give information. Would that really improve the viewing experience?
Conclusion being that as long as there is no decisive evidence as to why viewership is down, there is no way of saying what will be the best solution, or if one is even needed. Basically, it's complicated.