News | EssentialsTF

A statement regarding Insomnia

Post author By EssentialsTF
Post date 19/05/2024

The below statement is from DrHappiness, Event Coordinator for EssentialsTF:

Hello, just wanted to give you a quick piece of information regarding recent news with the Insomnia Gaming Festival. As you may have heard, the organisers behind Insomnia – Player1 Events – have been subject to mass layoffs. Right now the owners of Player1 Events, Supernova Capital, have yet to make a statement on the future of Insomnia. From what it looks like right now, it appears that Insomnia as we understand it will not be continuing.

We at EssentialsTF have been discussing our involvement with Insomnia for a long while now, many years even, and despite this latest news we have been planning on suspending TF2 events at Insomnia for the near future. This is so we could explore options more suitable for the changing attitudes and approaches to LAN we have seen post-COVID and have been making progress on these ideas. In our ‘Future of EssentialsTF’ post we discussed our commitment to a LAN this year, but upon reflection with this latest news and knowledge of other events in the calendar it is likely that we will instead be looking at our next major LAN sometime in 2025. Given that Insomnia was one of the community’s most well-known events and had tremendous longevity, we want to ensure that whatever comes next meets the community’s expectations whilst also being sustainable, an event that we can return to year-on-year.

We are saddened to see the end of what has been an iconic and storied event for TF2, it was an opportunity to not only celebrate the game and the peak of competitive play we have all come to enjoy, but also a place to connect with old friends and make new ones. The memories of such events will be long-held and fondly remembered. Despite all of this, we remain optimistic to what the future holds.

Online Events Press Releases

Future of EssentialsTF

Post author By EssentialsTF
Post date 22/03/2024

We at EssentialsTF are undertaking new projects and as such believe it is a good opportunity to explain where we are taking the organisation over the next few years and how that is likely to effect our events and coverage.

The first project of ours is to ensure financial sustainability for TF2 events and coverage, from purchasing equipment, renting venues, and supporting volunteer expenses; there is plenty of costs that come with running tournaments and coverage in TF2. To do this, we are committing to producing frequent and high-quality streams and content where possible and as such we will be covering as much of the upcoming and future ETF2L seasons and affiliated tournaments & events. Streams will go live on our Twitch page as per usual, and VODs will be uploaded on YouTube promptly. In addition, with the hard work of our staff we’ll be working through a backlog of events and getting them up on YouTube. The upload priority will be on recent events such as the ongoing ETF2L 6v6 Spring 2024 Season, with coverage of the poLANd.tf 2024 Winter LAN, i71, i69, and other past tournaments following.

Any money raised through our efforts will be directly re-invested back into ETF projects, whether that is LAN, Online Coverage, or supporting community projects. We’ll be exploring other content and revenue streams in the future but for now our focus is on consistent and quality livestreams.

To manage this undertaking, we’re looking for people to join the ETF Team! We’re currently looking for people to support:

Social Media
Content Creation (Video Editing and Graphics)
Producers
Casters
Developers

If there is anything here that you think you can help with, we’d love to hear from you! Contact a Team Leader via Discord with a basic background of any experience / skills you think would be useful for the role.

Finally, there have been a fair number of questions regarding an ETF LAN this year. As of right now there are no confirmed LANs and we would encourage that people avoid booking tickets for events or hotels in advance until we make any formal announcements. We are committed to running a LAN in 2024 and we should hopefully have more information later this year.

We’re open to any comments, feedback, or questions as per usual. Either contact us on the ETF Discord or reach out to any of the Team Leaders. The team are incredibly excited about what we are creating and we hope that you look forward to what we do.

To stay up to date for future announcements, join our Discord Server and be sure to follow us on Twitter (@TF2Essentials). If you have any questions, you’re welcome to reach out via email at [email protected].

Insomnia LAN LAN Events

Team Fortress 2 returns to Insomnia71

Post author By EssentialsTF
Post date 31/08/2023

Links
Site: LAN.TF
Twitter: @TF2Essentials (#i71 / #i71TF2)
Insomnia Gaming Festival: https://insomniagamingfestival.com/

Organisers
EssentialsTF (Essentials.TF)
Player1Events (Player1Events.com)

Insomnia71
Prize Pool: £3,000
Dates: 7th – 10th September
Location: NEC, Birmingham

TF2 returns to Insomnia for another year in September, but this time things are different! Alongside the traditional Bring-Your-Own-Computer (BYOC) LAN hall, TF2 players will also have the option to play inside a new dedicated esports area, accessible with a Weekend Festival ticket. The TF2 tournament will feature a £3,000 prize pool and will take place Friday 8th & Saturday 9th September; Sunday will feature a community get-together where players can socialise and play.

Online Events

Insomnia71 TF2 Online Open Delays

Post author By EssentialsTF
Post date 04/08/2023

Today we will be postponing signups for the Team Fortress 2 Insomnia 71 Online Open until next weekend, and will be adapting the format to have a more open structure.

It was clear from feedback with players that the dates and format clashed with other commitments people had, making it difficult for them to commit. Because of this we have adopted an alternative format where teams know their opponents in advance and can schedule their matches whenever they like, so long as all of their results are submitted by the deadline.

This gives the teams the freedom to control when they play whilst still ensuring a fair and balanced tournament. Because of this adaptation to the format, it was clear that we had to extend the duration of signups so teams have time to prepare and register.

For more details feel free to reach out over on the EssentialsTF Discord and the teamfortress.tv forum post.

Online Events Press Releases

DreamHack Beyond 2022: Team Fortress 2 returns!

Post author By EssentialsTF
Post date 30/09/2022

DreamHack Beyond 2022: TF2
Site: Essentials.TF/Beyond
Organizers: EssentialsTF (Essentials.TF)
Dates: October 1st – 30th
Prize Pool: $4000 USD

Event Link: https://essentials.tf/beyond/

DreamHack & EssentialsTF are back again with a fantastic lineup of TF2 events as part of DreamHack Beyond – Season 3.
With $4,000 of prizes available across October in three different events there’s something for everyone to get involved in!

Returning to this season is Beyond The Limit, the largest TF2 Jumping competition with total pool of $1,500 up for grabs,
and our TF2 Clip Challenge Twitter competition with $100 in prizes available!

Finally, a brand new feature for Beyond Season 3 is the latest issue of DreamHack TF2 Community Clash NA with a classic 6v6 tournament and a $2,400 prize pool to be won!

Insomnia LAN LAN Events Press Releases

Team Fortress 2 is dropping in to Insomnia 69 this August!

Post author By EssentialsTF
Post date 23/05/2022

Links
Site: Lan.tf/i69
Twitter: @TF2Essentials (#i69 / #i69TF2)

Organisers
EssentialsTF (Essentials.TF)
Player1Events (Player1Events.com)

Insomnia69
Prize Pool: £5,000
Dates: 26th – 29th August
Location: NEC, Birmingham

After a pandemic induced 2 year break, Team Fortress 2 is coming back to Insomnia. In partnership with Player1 Events, EssentialsTF will be bringing the awesome TF2 event experience to Insomnia 69 in August this year. With a £5000 prize pool provided by Insomnia, this open BYOC tournament is one of the first chances the EU Team Fortress 2 community will have had in the last 3 years to compete offline.

DreamHack LAN Events Press Releases

DreamHack & EssentialsTF – More Team Fortress 2 Events Coming This Summer!

Post author By EssentialsTF
Post date 05/05/2022

About EssentialsTF
For over 7 years EssentialsTF have powered and produced the largest events in Team Fortress 2. We started as a production partner, providing broadcasting hardware to events back in 2015. Since then we have expanded to organizing our own online competitive TF2 events with sponsored prize pools and becoming the primary production organization for the TF2 tournament at GAME’s Insomnia Gaming Festival events working alongside Player1 Events. We’ve also been responsible for organizing DreamHack’s TF2 Community Clash events. You can find out more about Essentials at Essentials.TF.

This article is licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Site: Clash.tf / Lan.tf
Organizers: EssentialsTF (Essentials.TF)

DreamHack TF2 Community Clash NA – $2500
Invite Qualifiers: 16th – 20th MAY 2022
Weekend A: 21st – 22nd MAY 2022
Weekend B: 28th – 29th MAY 2022

DreamHack Dallas TF2 – $2500
TF2: 3rd – 5th JUNE 2022

DreamHack and EssentialsTF are continuing our partnership with even more awesome Team Fortress 2 experiences in 2022. With a $5000 USD total prize pool, this summer we’ll be hosting multiple tournaments and events. We’ll be at DreamHack Dallas on the BYOC Esport stage, and introducing the next installment of the DreamHack TF2 Community Clash series online, with more HUGE announcements to come!

Online Events Press Releases

EssentialsTF brings TF2 to DreamHack Beyond

Post author By EssentialsTF
Post date 22/07/2021

DreamHack Beyond
Site: Clash.TF
Organizers: EssentialsTF (Essentials.TF)
Dates: July 24th – 31st
Prize Pool: $2000 USD

DreamHack & EssentialsTF are announcing three new competitions to take place during DreamHack Beyond from the 24th to the 31st of July. These events have a total prize pool of $2000, split and awarded differently between the three events. The DreamHack Beyond events won’t be a part of the TF2 Community Clash Series, but those aren’t going anywhere so watch this space!

The first of our Beyond events that we’re producing is DreamHack: Beyond The Limit – TF2.

Online Events Press Releases

DreamHack TF2 Community Clash NA & EU 2021

Post author By EssentialsTF
Post date 15/02/2021

DreamHack TF2 Community Clash NA
NA Weekend A: 1st – 2nd May
NA Weekend B: 8th – 9th May

DreamHack TF2 Community Clash EU
EU Weekend A: 12th – 13th June
EU Weekend B: 19th – 20th June

Site: Clash.TF
Organizers: EssentialsTF (Essentials.TF)

DreamHack & EssentialsTF are announcing two new events to take place in the first half of 2021. Much like Essentials’ last tournament, these will continue to be a part of DreamHack’s Community Clash Events. Each event will have a focus on a different region (NA and EU), and both will have individual prize pools of $2,400 USD.

Each of the tournaments will be spread out over two weekends, and we’ll be releasing more information about the exact schedule of each tournament closer to the time. Both events will have their own Invite qualifiers, so we’ll be giving teams a chance to register their interest for those nearer the time as well.

Future information about EssentialsTF and the event can be found on Clash.TF. This site will be kept up to date in the run up to and during the event, with both tournament and stream updates. You can also follow our Twitter to stay up to date for future announcements. If you have any questions or need more information regarding the event or EssentialsTF, please reach out via our email, or the EssentialsTF Discord.

Online Events Press Releases

DreamHack & EssentialsTF team up to announce TF2 Community Clash

Post author By EssentialsTF
Post date 26/10/2020

DreamHack TF2 Community Clash
Dates: 14th – 15th November
Site: Clash.TF
Organizers: EssentialsTF (Essentials.TF)

EssentialsTF has announced that they’re partnering up with DreamHack; the premier gaming lifestyle festival, to run an online TF2 tournament on the 14th – 15th of November. The DreamHack TF2 Community Clash will have a prize pool of $2000 (~€1700), the largest seen from any TF2 event since Insomnia65 last year.

“Team Fortress 2 embodies what DreamHack is all about, a strong and dedicated community. We’ve always wanted to bring the DreamHack fans a TF2 focused event and who better to do that with than EssentialsTF. Growing this as part of a bigger TF2 focus through our festivals will be the goal.”
– Justin Burnham, Creative Director of Global Festivals, DreamHack