Beyond the Summit is one of the most important independent esports production companies in the industry.
Production company Beyond the Summit (BTS) has announced it’s shutting its doors and letting its staff go due to poor financial outlook. News of the closure was revealed today (Feb. 27) in a post by co-founder David “LD” Gorman.
In an expansive Google Doc that details the decision, LD explains the seeming closure of BTS. Describing the 11 years in operation as flying by, the document continues to explain that Beyond the Summit never took the venture capital route, turning down offers over the years. This was because the company, which was born from the grassroots, valued its independence.
Today, it shuts ahead of a looming financial disaster. This way, the document details can give all staff a headstart in figuring out future plans, and good severance offers.
“All of our full-time staff were notified at an all-hands meeting earlier today. We felt we owed it to the community, our friends, and our partners to share our story, but we would like to kindly ask that everyone give our people some time and space to process the news in their own way.”
BTS closes down
BTS lets go of all its staff, having spent 11 years bringing some of the best in tournament production to Dota 2, Super Smash Bros., CS:GO, and many other games. As the statement explained, the BTS team knew 2023 would be difficult, but it seems the troubles were insurmountable.
In October, 2022, we wrote about BTS’s departure from Dota 2 after not securing a DPC league in 2023.
In December 2022, and January 2023, BTS seemed buoyant, taking on the production of the Jerma985 Christmas Special and Ludwig x Tarik Invitational. The company also temporarily took over production of the South American DPC English broadcast, marking a return to Dota 2.
Now just a month later, the company is shutting its doors. Over the coming days, BTS will publish a document listing all affected employees with their cover letters and resumes.
The shutting of BTS also comes just days after another LA-based organization, The Guard, fired all its staff. However, it seems that Beyond the Summit has taken a far more compassionate and reasoned approach to their dismissals.
Beyond The Summit’s legacy
Beyond the Summit leaves a legacy of incredible events. BTS has produced and hosted esports tournaments for just over a decade, starting in 2013. However, the organization is best know for its Summit events, which offer a more casual and home-grown experience.
Inspired by StarCraft 2’s Homestory Cup, The Summit series of events featured comedy skits, closer player interaction, and a laid-back attitude to the tournament. These included Dota Summit, cs_summit, Smash Summit, and others.
BTS concluded its previous event, the BTS Pro Series Season 14, just days ago. Smash Ultimate Summit 6, and all upcoming and active contracts will still go ahead.
Even with the sad news of BTS’ apparent closure, it doesn’t really feel like a full goodbye. As the statement states “we always managed to find a path forward. Every setback was met with a solution. Our scrappy band of misfits always found a way.”
With this in mind, the company is still “exploring other paths forward, specially ones that allow us to do right by our staff.” Hopes for some kind of way that Beyond the Summit continues to exist still remain.