The end of DreamHack Leipzig embodies gaming history at the trade fair known throughout Germany. The event was a cornerstone for esports in Germany.
The biggest LAN party in Germany has come to an end. DreamHack Leipzig will no longer exist in the future. Already in 2021, the gigantic event had to be cancelled due to the pandemic.
In 2016, the first DreamHack event took place in Germany. However, the beginnings lie in the 90s. The story took its course in a basement of a primary school in Sweden. However, the focus there was still on digital artwork. As early as 1994, the venue was extended to the cafeteria and the event was given the name DreamHack.
The event grew steadily and the games moved more and more into the foreground. By 2004, it was the largest LAN party in the world with over 5,000 participants. At DreamHack, gamers can not only meet and play together, but also watch Esport tournaments. The very first League of Legends World Championship took place at DreamHack in Jönköping in 2011.
DreamHack has belonged to the Swedish company Modern Times Group, to which ESL Gaming also belongs, since 2015. Meanwhile, the brand has been under the management of ESL since 2020 and is therefore even more closely connected to the esports scene. Even before the merger, DreamHack was a central component for the spread of esports and united the large audience with the tournaments.
Layed the foundation stone for esports in Germany
But DreamHack Leipzig was also not shy about tournaments and was instrumental in establishing esports in Germany. Already at the first event in 2016, the CS:GO event DreamHack Open Leipzig also took place. At that time, the current major champion NAVI walked off the field as the winner.
One memory in particular remains in the mind of Esport expert Nik Peters. At DreamHack Leipzig 2017, BIG made its first appearance on the Counter-Strike stage and even made it to the final. “The atmosphere was sensational, although it wasn’t enough to win,” Peters recalls. “Still, this was the first major success in CS:GO by a German team in a long time.”
At DreamHack Leipzig there were not only CS:GO tournaments, but also for titles such as StarCraft 2 and Hearthstone. At the last event in January 2020, more than 23,000 visitors were on site, bringing esports closer to a large number of people across Germany. The event grew every year and the number of visitors increased.
The LAN party in particular just attracted the Spieler:innen, even though there was that certain LAN smell there according to Nik: “I still have my DreamHack barcode on my monitor to this day.” In the end, over 2,000 gamers attended the LAN party and wanted to play together.
It won’t be the end
January 2020 was the last time DreamHack Leipzig took place on site. Due to the pandemic, Germany’s largest LAN party had to be cancelled and was made up for online. Although the event nevertheless continued to enjoy success, there will be no more DreamHack Leipzig. The licence agreement with Leipziger Messe will not be continued.
However, this does not seem to be the end for the LAN party in Leipzig. The city does not want to give up on the ever-growing gaming sector and is already planning something for the gamers:inside. Nevertheless, the event will not run under the name DreamHack Leipzig. Long-time partner XMG is also behind the Leipzig fair’s plans. The hardware manufacturer has always provided the PCs and screens for the LAN party.
In addition to Esport tournaments, DreamHack Leipzig was a place to go for all kinds of video game fans, cosplayers and also exhibitors. For Nik, too, it was a place with many like-minded people. “Always brought out fun moments. Whether it was the fancy PCs and decorations, the little drinking camps or the ever-present shouting for Helga.” The Leipzig fair doesn’t want to miss this. DreamHack Leipzig is now making way for a new project for the gaming community at the fair.
