Red Annihilation

In the spring of 1997, a groundbreaking event took place that would help shape the future of competitive gaming. The Red Annihilation tournament, centred around the popular first-person shooter Quake, marked a pivotal moment in esports history.

Red Annihilation began as an online tournament, with over 2,000 participants competing in one-on-one deathmatches. The top 16 players earned the right to face off in person at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Atlanta, Georgia. This blend of online qualifiers and live finals would become a standard format for many future esports events.

What set Red Annihilation apart was not just its structure, but also its prize. The winner would receive John Carmack’s Ferrari 328 GTS. Carmack, the lead programmer of Quake and co-founder of id Software, had offered up his personal vehicle as the grand prize, instantly elevating the tournament’s profile and adding a touch of rock star glamour to the proceedings.

The final match came down to two players: Dennis “Thresh” Fong and Tom “Entropy” Kimzey. In a display of skill that would be talked about for years to come, Thresh emerged victorious, claiming both the title and the Ferrari. His win catapulted him to fame as one of the first professional gamers, paving the way for future generations of esports athletes.

Red Annihilation’s significance extended beyond the competition itself. It was one of the first esports events to receive substantial mainstream media coverage. The sight of gamers competing for a luxury sports car caught the attention of news outlets, helping to legitimize competitive gaming in the public eye.

The tournament also demonstrated the potential for corporate sponsorship in esports. Alongside the Ferrari prize, hardware manufacturers provided high-end gaming rigs for the competition, recognizing the marketing potential of these events. This model of sponsorship would become crucial to the growth of esports in the following decades.

Moreover, Red Annihilation showcased the spectator appeal of competitive gaming. The finals drew a significant crowd at E3, proving that watching skilled players could be just as entertaining as playing the game itself. This revelation would eventually lead to the packed arenas and millions of online viewers that characterize major esports events today.

The success of Red Annihilation inspired the creation of the Cyberathlete Professional League (CPL) later that same year. The CPL would go on to organize numerous high-profile tournaments, further professionalizing the world of competitive gaming.

Looking back, Red Annihilation stands as a watershed moment in esports history. It combined elements that would become hallmarks of the industry: online qualifiers, live finals, significant prizes, media coverage, corporate sponsorship, and spectator appeal. While esports has grown exponentially since 1997, many of its core elements can be traced back to this pioneering event.

The legacy of Red Annihilation lives on in today’s multi-million dollar esports industry. From the Ferrari prize that turned heads in 1997 to the massive prize pools of modern tournaments, from the 16 finalists at E3 to the thousands of professional players today, Red Annihilation laid the groundwork for the thriving esports ecosystem. We now take for granted.