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RSL Revival
Overview
RSL Revival is an ongoing StarCraft II (LotV) tournament series organized by TastelessTV, the production entity led by professional caster Nick "Tasteless" Plott and a team based in Seoul, South Korea. It is a crowdfunded A-Tier circuit designed to sustain high-level StarCraft II competition through regular seasons featuring top international players. The series emphasizes consistent scheduling, substantial prize pools funded via Patreon, and a mix of online regular-season play with occasional offline finals.
History
RSL Revival launched in 2025 as a community-driven initiative to revive competitive interest in StarCraft II amid declining official support. The project was announced in April 2025 by Tasteless and collaborators, leveraging Patreon crowdfunding to establish a studio in Seoul for live production.
The series began with Season 1 (June–July 2025) and quickly expanded. An offline grand finals event occurred in December 2025. By 2026, the circuit had stabilized at roughly one season every 1–2 months, with Season 6 marking the first edition to feature finals at a major event (BlizzCon). The format and prize structure have remained consistent, with each season offering ₩10,000,000 KRW and 16-player fields.
Format
Each season features 16 players in a 1v1 format. The main event includes a group stage followed by playoffs. Regular-season matches are primarily online across Korean, European, and Americas servers, with broadcasts starting at 18:00 KST. Season 6 introduced a hybrid element, with the grand finals held offline at the Anaheim Convention Center during BlizzCon 2026.
Qualification typically involves open qualifiers (top players advance) plus invited players and occasional community votes for final spots. Prize pools are standardized at ₩10,000,000 KRW (approximately $6,800–7,000 USD depending on exchange rates) per season.
Notable Editions
- Season 1 (2025): The inaugural edition established the series' viability through consistent weekly broadcasts.
- Offline Finals (December 2025): Featured an elevated ₩15,000,000 KRW prize pool and marked the first in-person finals in Seoul.
- Season 6 (2026): Notable for its conclusion on the BlizzCon stage in Anaheim, California, providing significant exposure and integrating with a major Blizzard event.
Past Champions
Detailed per-season winner data is tracked on Liquipedia. Public results highlight strong performances from players such as Serral, Clem, herO, and Korean terrans/protoss in recent seasons. Specific champions include high-profile international competitors, with matches often featuring top-ranked players like Maru, Rogue, and Solar.
Viewership & Impact
The series has achieved respectable viewership for an independently produced SC2 circuit, with peak concurrent viewers typically ranging from 8,000–13,000 and averages around 3,000+. EsportsCharts data for early seasons recorded peaks of 13,301 (Season 1 playoffs) and 9,700 (Season 4).
Broadcasts occur primarily on YouTube (@revivesc2) with additional distribution on Twitch and other platforms. The Patreon community has grown to support monthly funding exceeding $10,000, enabling sustained production.
RSL Revival has played a key role in maintaining StarCraft II's competitive ecosystem outside official Blizzard events, fostering international competition and providing regular high-level content. Its success demonstrates the viability of crowdfunded models in legacy esports titles.