BLAST has announced several key format changes for the upcoming Bounty Season 2 tournament, including adjustments to seeding retention, prize distribution, and its signature team wagering system.
Set to begin on August 5, 2025, the new structure is designed to enhance competitive integrity and create more financial incentives throughout the tournament’s duration. The changes affect both the online phase and the broader mechanics of how teams earn money during competition.
Under the revised format, teams will retain their initial seeding from the start of the tournament through to its conclusion. This modification ensures that any team defeating a higher-ranked opponent will do so without altering the pre-assigned seedings, potentially resulting in more underdog matchups and longshot runs through the bracket.
A notable aspect of BLAST’s Bounty format is the team-to-team wagering system, which has received a significant update. In Season 2:
- The lower-seeded team will propose the first wager amount, which does not have to be matched equally
- The winner of a wager now receives the full amount directly in prize money, rather than having it added to their bounty pool as in previous iterations
- This change aims to encourage higher-stakes wagers by addressing prior rule language that discouraged risk-taking
BLAST notes that these changes are expected to lead to more aggressive strategic decisions and increase the drama of head-to-head matchups.
