Beyond the Summit, a celebrated production company that organized esports tournaments for notable games such asDota 2,SuperSmash Bros, andCS:GO, has ended its 11-year run and closed down its operations. In a recent video, several members of theesportscompany conveyed a farewell message to fans and gamers alike.
Despite the end of a decade-long mission, Beyond the Summit stayed committed by hosting the Smash Ultimate Summit 6, which was held over March 23-26. The event served asa finale to its esports events, with Managing Partner David Gorman, and many famousSmash Bros.players, in attendance for the final tournament.
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The ERocks Reddit account recently posted a clip from the end of the tournament shared from Beyond the Summit’s Twitch channel. Several members of the team, along with numerous gamers, expressed their remorse for the company closing its doors. In the clip, Gorman stated theSmash Bros.summits had the “best memories,” and that, “If you add them all up, there is just no better community.”
Beyond the Summit, founded around 2012 as a passion project, developed a reputation for its distinctive style, often focusing on a casual or cozy atmosphere rather than a more conventional stage setup. Over the years, the organizer became a key component in esports. Despite its popularity, BTS is now one of the most recent victims of the esports winter. During that time, BTS professionalized and became a top-tier tournament organizer and production firm, specifically in theDota 2andSuper Smash Bros.communities.
Most recently, Beyond the Summit has experienced tough times, with numerous cutbacks being made. In accordance to various other companies likeThe Guard’s notable layoffs, Beyond the Summit recently announced significant layoffs as well, indicating that it was on the verge of shutting down. By letting go of all of its staff, the company has severely limited what it will be able to accomplish in the future. Only the founders will attempt to keep Beyond the Summit going, as there will no longer be any active staff working on anything.
Gorman recently posted a tweet with a link to a statement titled “On the Future of Beyond the Summit,” which confirmed that Beyond the Summit was closing its doors. The statement explained the reason for the shutdown, specifically citing the esports winter and economic issues. Gorman explained that theSuper Smash Bros.tournament organizeris shutting its doors now to prevent its staff from facing further strain. According to Gorman’s statement, Beyond the Summit kept all full-time staff on payroll for two weeks and has offered severance packages and healthcare coverage for US employees until the end of April. The company also released a list of the 27 impacted employees to assist them in securing new positions.
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