Valve corp has announced that it will be raising the prize pool of all Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) tournaments to $1 million in response to “major growth” in the game’s esports scene.

“When we announced the first CS:GO Major Championship in 2013, we hoped the Majors would be rallying points for the community, tent-pole events that could draw new audiences and amplify the value of all events,” Valve said on the CS:GO blog.

“Since then, the professional CS:GO community has been growing at an incredible rate. CS:GO tournaments are now among the largest esports events in the world, drawing global audiences of millions of viewers, filling massive venues, and garnering higher prize pools. Professional CS:GO has grown, and the CS:GO Major Championships are about to grow with it.”

Valve said that the prize pool for all CS:GO Major Championships will be raised to $1 million beginning with MLG Columbus 2016, which is set to take place in Columbus, Ohio, from March 29 through April 3.

Despite having been released nearly four years ago, CS:GO continues to be one of the most popular games in the esports industry, both for live events and for online streaming. The game typically holds the third spot on Twitch’s list of most-watched games, sitting just behind League of Legends and fellow Valve game Dota 2.

Since release, Valve has continued updating CS:GO with new maps, weapons, and other features, as well as bug fixes and balance changes. In fact, the most recent update for CS:GO arrived just yesterday.

Image courtesy of Valve Corp