Intel Extreme Masters reveals dates and locations for season 11

Next season of IEM will feature fewer but bigger events than last year. Counter-Strike, League of Legends and Starcraft still on the circuit as prize pools boom.

ESL has revealed their plans for the 11th season of Intel Extreme Masters, their long-running global tournament circuit. Quality over quantity seems to be the name of the game, as the upcoming season will feature fewer but bigger events than we saw in 2016.

Counter-Strike, League of Legends and Starcraft are still the headlining games. A total of four events will be held under the IEM banner in the upcoming year, and three of them will be stadium-sized, ESL reports.

First off is IEM Shanghai, held as part of the ChinaJoy Expo in Shanghai on July 28-31. Then it's off to the US, where ESL is moving their regular event across the San Francisco bay; IEM Oakland will happen on November 19-20.

A month later, IEM will return to Korea for the first time in eight years. IEM Goyang takes place on December 17-18. And is tradition at this point, the season is rounded off with the IEM World Championship in Katowice, Poland in March 2017.

Which games will be featured at what events is still to be disclosed, but the total prize pool for the entire season has crossed $1 million (by comparison, the prize pool for season 10 was $993,000).

The first ever Intel Extreme Masters event was held in 2007 in Hannover, Germany. It featured Counter-Strike 1.6 and Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, and a prize pool of €160,000. How times have changed since then.

Fnatic won the Counter-Strike tournament at the most recent IEM World Championship in Katowice. // Photo: Helena Kristiansson, ESL