The AGP was founded to revive deathmatch games as an esport with a tour of events similar to the ATP tour in tennis, with four majors a year and additional events where players will pick up ranking points. The interesting thing about the AGP, though, is that a year will be divided into four seasons for different 1v1 games: Quake 3, Quake 4, Unreal Tournament 3 and Warsow. The entire circuit is set to start in 2009.

Read more details in SK Gaming's news about the AGP.

We were the first website to get our hands on Reisin and we made really good use of it. The original interview turned out so long that we have to publish it in two installments. Here is the first one, dealing with the problems of deathmatch as an esports and the general state of competitive gaming:

After nearly everything with the deathmatch tag on it died off, why do you want to go into this business?
It is something I have wanted to do for a long time. I love FPS 1v1 or deathmatch, and I don't believe that other past organizations have failed because of FPS 1v1.

Why did they fail and why will you not?
For the most part, other leagues focus on housing big events with many games. At least in the more recent few years. They focus on getting as many players and attendees as possible in order to sell vendor space. While this is fine and possibly has been profitable for them, the growth of the sport of FPS 1v1 has been limited to only decent production, if any, and no support for the actual sport itself.

What makes you think you have the know-how?
Because the AGP Tour is soley focusing on the players and the game. We are not concerned with having events with thousands of gamers that might watch if they happen to walk by a showmatch at a time unannounced. Every sport I have ever watched focuses on the players and the action. The fans and viewers are given what they need to follow these players they love. We are focused entirely on this.

We are basing everything on the simple sports model every pro sport sport accelerates in: great production, clarity, heavy focus on each individual player, and the intense action of the game. When our players play, they will be on camera, the fan will be able to follow their favorite players throughout each tournament, on the official website, they will know about them and they will love it.

It's a simple formula that has long since ignored. It was close in the CPL World Tour of 05, and WSVG first year, but it was never the primary focus of theirs.

The CPL WT had [Sander] Vo0 [Kaasjager] and [Johnathan] Fatal1ty [Wendel], because they won almost every tournament, but what about the other players? I have been a fan of the FPS 1v1 for years now and all I have ever wanted was a league or tour to show me what other sports show. This is not to say we believe we know it all. What it does say is that we will use all of our effort to present this sport and the players in the best ways we see fit in reflection of all other pro sports.

I want to see what the players look like. I don't want to just hear about it or read it. Most FPS 1v1 news is based on the winners, so they get all of the attention, as they should. However, there are tons of great things that take place within every high level match as well as what each player goes through. These small focuses have been missed for ages. We will not miss this.

Hell man, I don't even know what mouse [Johan] Toxic [Quick] used until I asked him. I always knew what tennis racket Agassi used throughout his career. And I also know why he was so great to watch. These things are key for the fans. Not just that they won again, or lost in the semi finals.

Why we won't fail is becasue we are going to treat FPS 1v1 as a pro sport. Period.

But CS1.6 and WC3 are doing quite fine, it's just deathmatch that withered and died. How so?
Fortunately for those games, they were treated right in my opinion. WC3 thrives in Europe (as well as everywhere else) and gets the attention it deserves. The more attention, the more ability it has to survive as a pro sport. And it continues and it is great. We all know of the great players, and we don't have to really worry if they will play next year or if those leagues will use a different game.

CS had so many players and still does. It's not overly hard to just pick up and play, meaning anyone can get a kill, and its depth lies within the great teamwork. They never created sequals until recently. And we all know how that went. But it is treated fairly and great organizations such as Fnatic and SK and all the others really put the hard work into keeping the attention where it belongs, which is on their teams and players and their continual growth. Leagues have not shunned the games or these teams because they are so important to the entire whole of its survival. We see what the G7 did to the CPL as it was rightly justified.

This power of the fanbases, these teams, is so substantial now that they can, in many ways, control the progression of their sport. I love it. That is sport. Focus on teams and players and the game.

FPS 1v1 on the other hand, has had many problems from many different things.

Leagues choosing the game however they feel is justifiable. That means every year we might not have the same players, as has been the case. A lot of FPS 1v1 games have come out and every fan has their favorite player and favorite game but it doesn't mean it will be used.

And that has been the case forever. No consistency. Growing this sport has been about having tournaments with no consideration much for the fanbases or players. Just whatever game is chosen.

People still play FPS 1v1. And in many ways these decisions have created great players from all of the games. But that also hasn't allowed any consistency in growth. Especially for the fans. Gaining new fans is limited, and old fans want to see their players play, yet they have no tourneys to play in or for the fans to watch them in.

I don't believe FPS 1v1 has died. I just believe that these poor decisions and lack of focus on the game and players has created such seperation, that fans really have nowhere to turn. And the players cannot stick around and put in the amazing amount of time it takes to be top with no hope of actually being able to play consistently or make enough money to even survive on. And the fans have ended up just giving up.

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The second part of the interview will appear on SK Gaming on May 25. In it, Reisin talks about the specific details concerning the AGP, the games and the tournament locations as well as the philosophy behind the choices he made.