BLAST introduces Major trophy to mixed reactions

The upcoming BLAST.tv Paris Major will be the last CS:GO Major as Counter-Strike 2 is set to be forcibly updated during the summer. With narratives already forming about the ending of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and how legacies could be defined by this very event, many have placed new expectations on the organizer.

Trophies for the Major have always been unique to the organizer. For some, like ELEAGUE, the trophy has some resemblance to the organizer's brand. For others, like ESL, the trophy represents a more traditional style. But for different organizers like PGL, who tend to push the limits in their events, they've come up with bolder and creative trophies.

BLAST have elected to go in a unique direction while also retaining ties to its brand identity. In a call to action for fans to help decide what the trophy color will be for the final Valve-sponsored event in CS:GO history, BLAST revealed the trophy to be in a triangle shape mimicking it's logo, with the lower half covered in a slime-like ooze.

With the design in sharp contrast to previous grand designs from event organizers, many on Twitter did not respond positively to the design. Some users compared it to melted cheese, others said it looked like a Nickelodeon trophy, while others simply did not like it and said so without words.

In explaining their decision to be so unique, Faye Marlborough, Head of Creative Solutions at BLAST said;

If Majors of the past have gone right, we want to go left. We are pivoting away from the hard lines and angles the audience traditionally sees at Majors and moving toward softer lines, curved edges, and playful imagery. It's going to be really fun, so why can't the way the Major looks and feels be the same?

The creators of the trophy are Fabit, a trophy design company that has a long history in Counter-Strike. They've created the PGL Antwerp Major trophy, the ESL Pro League S16 trophy, trophies for ESL Impact and BLAST World Finals, amongst many others. You can see a lookbook of their prior creations, here.