Tag: eSports
The 2023 LEC Season Finals is heading to Montpellier Occitanie!
2023 may have only begun, but we’re already looking ahead to our end-of-season showpiece – the LEC Season Finals roadshow. This year, we wanted to give our community a sneak peak at what we have in store for our 2023 LEC Season Finals by revealing the location for the event earlier than ever before. We’re beyond thrilled to announce that we’ll be hosting our crown jewel event at the spectacular Sud de France Arena in Montpellier, in the Occitanie region!
After our amazing LEC 2022 Summer Finals experience in Malmö, Sweden, we can’t wait to get back on the road, and bring the live LEC experience to our fans in France and beyond. The French LoL Esports community is integral to our esport and regularly supports our players in the LEC by consistently tuning in to watch via our French LEC broadcast. The country’s fanbase are tireless supporters of the domestic league, the LFL (La Ligue Française), which has grown to become one of the top ERLs in our ecosystem. With such an engaged fanbase in France, we’re very excited to showcase the best EMEA LoL Esports talent to fans in the country!
“The LEC Season Finals is the biggest event in the Riot Esports EMEA calendar year and a celebration of the LEC season, providing LoL Esports fans with the opportunity to come together and watch EMEA’s best players make history,” said Alberto Guerrero, Head of Esports, EMEA at Riot Games. “With such a large and spirited LoL Esports fan base in France, we’re delighted to bring our roadshow back to the country for the first time since 2017, by hosting our showpiece event in Montpellier in the Occitanie region. The city and region were extremely impressive throughout the host city vetting process and their passion and commitment to growing the gaming and esports industries was very evident.”
“We are proud to host the 2023 LEC Season Finals in the Occitanie Region and in Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole. The monumental event brings together young people from all over EMEA and hosting the finals showcases our commitment to players in the video games industries. This event will contribute to the influence of our video game ecosystem and its community, among the most important in France and the region,” said Carole Delga, the President of the Occitanie Region and Michael Delafosse, Mayor of Montpellier and President of Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole, in a joint statement.
In recent years, the Occitanie Region and the Montpellier Metropolis have developed one of the best gaming ecosystems in EMEA and regularly hosts esports events to its community of gaming enthusiasts. Our 2023 host city is also where part of the “Arcane” production team Fortiche Production is based, showcasing the region’s love for our game. With its stunning medieval streets, beautiful architecture and variety of dining experiences, as well as its international airport links, high-speed train stations, and close proximity to many major cities, Montpellier and the Occitanie region offers an accessible location and range of activities for any travelling fans.
We can’t share anything more with you at this stage, but we can confirm we have LOTS more details, including ticketing information, roadshow dates and some super hype content to share with you in the coming months! Can KOI’s star-studded roster reign supreme under a new banner? Will G2 Esports make the run and win the title like they did back in Paris in 2017? Will Rekkles return to France and put on a show in front of his old home crowd? Or will Team Vitality put on a show and play in front of their own fans in their first ever finals? All these questions will be answered as we watch the action unfold throughout 2023!
MSSA confirms entry to IESF 15th World Championships
Mind Sports South Africa (MSSA), being the world’s oldest national federation for esports, and having participated in every IESF World Championships has confirmed that it has submitted an entry for each and every title. IESF’s 15th World Esports Championships (WEC) shall be held in August in Iasi, Romania.
Iași, also referred to mostly historically as Jassy is the second largest city in Romania and is known as the Cultural Capital of Romania and is a symbol of Romanian history. Lasi is still referred to as “The Moldavian Capital”, and is the main economic and business centre of Romania’s Moldavian region. In December 2018, Iași was officially declared the Historical Capital of Romania.
Romania previously hosted IESF’s World Esports Championships in Bucharest in 2013, and MSSA was able to put a very strong team into the field for League of Legends (LOL), Tekken Tag tournament II (female division), StarCraft, and Starcraft (female division),. The team was not only one of South Africa’s strongest ever fielded, finishing up as ranked 10th in the world, but also proved to be immensely popular.
Colin Webster, President of MSSA, stated, “MSSA’s entry reflects the confidence that it has in South African esports athletes. with teams and players selected to represent South Africa having to qualify for the 15th WEC, MSSA is confident that the majority of teams selected shall so qualify, and go on to represent South Africa with pride and distinction at Iasi.”
MSSA, in keeping with promoting all its esports athletes, has thus entered the following titles:
- Counter-Strike: GO (CSGO)
- Counter-Strike: GO (CSGO) – Female division
- DotA 2
- eFootball
- Mobile Legends, Bang Bang
- PUBGM
- Tekken 7
Only Registered Players who have qualified through MSSA’s Regional, Provincial, and National Championship are eligible to participate in MSSA’s National Team Trials.
Tears, Anger and Cheers: ESL and BBC Studios present the esports documentary “Game and Glory”
ESL, an ESL FACEIT Group brand, and BBC Studios, the content company of the BBC, the world’s leading public service broadcaster, proudly present the upcoming esports documentary “Game and Glory”. It will premiere on January 24, 2023, at 5pm CET on ESL CS’ Twitch and YouTube channels. On Twitch, you can watch the premiere together with Gaules and more.
In “Game and Glory” you will discover the personal side of the pro-players Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev, Kaike “KSCERATO” Cerato, and Casper “cadiaN” Møller. Find out what went through their heads while they were competing at the Intel® Extreme Masters (IEM) Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Major Championship in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Follow them on their quest to conquer the biggest title in esports and relive countless intense moments and nerve-racking action. CS:GO-caster Alex “MACHINE” Richardson guides you through “Game and Glory” and gives you an inside look.
“The Rio major was special for many different reasons for many different people,” says Alex “MACHINE” Richardson. “Two years in the making. A crowd like no other. A first tour to remember. On a crucial continent of the counter-strike landscape. A special first time for us all, but certainly not the last!”
“Participating in the documentary was really cool to show a little bit of my family, where I come from, what I did as a kid, what the atmosphere is like in my family when I’m competing, and how things are in general,” says Kaike “KSCERATO” Cerato. “It was rewarding to have my family in a documentary that will surely be eternalized. I felt accomplished and, certainly, they did too because after playing for 13 years we didn’t imagine we would reach this point.”
For the documentary “Game and Glory”, BBC Studios captured the spectacular atmosphere of the IEM Rio Major as well as the tremendous support and passion of the on-site fans. From October 31, 2022, until November 13, 2022, EFG hosted its largest CS:GO Major ever with a total prize pool of $1,250,000. It became the most-watched ESL competition and the third most-watched CS:GO competition of all time. During the first two phases of the tournament, 3,500 fans per day came to watch the tournament on-site and during the final four days, 14,000 fans experienced a live atmosphere like no other.
Even if you know who became champion in the end, the movie will captivate you and completely pull you in.
Watch the premiere of the documentary “Game and Glory” on January 24, 2023, at 5pm CET on YouTube, and join our watch parties on Twitch happening at the same time.
For more information, head to BBC Studios, check out the ESL Pro Tour for CS:GO, and stay up-to-date by following ESL CS on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
BLAST Premier agrees partnership extension with A.P. Moller – Maersk for the 2023 season
Esports entertainment company BLAST has agreed a partnership extension with global logistics company A.P. Moller – Maersk for a second year.
The deal ensures the Maersk brand will continue to feature across BLAST Premier physical and digital platforms for the 2023 season, which reaches over 150 territories around the world.
In 2022, BLAST became the global logistics company’s first ever long-term partner in esports and gaming. The partnership has become well-known for its MVP (Most Valuable Player) activation, which rewards the best player from each event with a special Maersk MVP trophy.
From digitalising physical infrastructure on a massive scale to developing a seamless digital customer experience, A.P. Moller – Maersk is connecting and simplifying global supply
chains with cutting-edge technology. As Maersk continues to grow its in-house team of
5000+ technologists, the partnership with BLAST creates a connection with a digital native
audience through the power and global appeal of esports and gaming.
Oliver Clarke, Commercial Director at BLAST, said: “We are very proud to extend our partnership with A.P. Moller – Maersk, after becoming their first ever global esports partner last year. It highlights the brilliant work we have achieved together over the last 12 months and our shared commitment to bringing esports closer to those who love it most through integrated digital campaigns and engaging content.”
Samuel Poulter, Head of Corporate Branding and Channel Development at A.P. Moller – Maersk added: “We look forward to our continued engagement with BLAST and the gaming community. The Maersk MVP segment has been incredibly well received, and we are excited to celebrate the fantastic talent in the community and share more stories that highlight what makes an MVP and also a great technologist at Maersk.”
A.P. Moller – Maersk is an integrated container logistics company working to connect and simplify its customers’ supply chains. As the global leader in shipping services, the company operates in 130 countries and employs roughly 100,000 people.
BLAST Premier is the world’s leading Counter-Strike tournament series, hosting the best players and teams, offering opportunities to regions across the globe and crowning the world champions of CS:GO. Up to 32 of the world’s best teams take part in the seven BLAST Premier events across the year with a combined prize pool of $2,475,000 on the line.
BLAST Premier 2023 global partners: A.P. Moller – Maersk, CS.MONEY and EPOS
Team Redline claims the crown at the star-studded Le Mans Virtual Series finale
The final round of the Le Mans Virtual Series, the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual, came to an electrifying end as #2 Team Redline and Felipe Drugovich, Felix Rosenqvist, Luke Bennett, and Chris Lulham triumphed at the world’s biggest and most prestigious endurance esports race after 24 hours of hard virtual racing at the legendary 13.6km / 8.5 mile Circuit de la Sarthe track. It was Drugovich’s second consecutive win at the virtual 24-hour event.
The GTE category was won by the #888 Ferrari 488 GTE of Romain Grosjean’s R8G Esports (Alexander Smolyar, Scott Andrews, Timotej Andonovski and Erhan Jajovski), while BMW Team Redline’s #71 of Rudy van Buren, Lorenzo Colombo, Kevin Siggy and Enzo Bonito took GTE championship honours.
180 racing and sim racing stars from across the globe tested their endurance in the 45-car field on 164 different simulators across the world. Two-time F1 World Champion Max Verstappen, former F1 and current IndyCar star Romain Grosjean, FIA F2 Champion Felipe Drugovich and FIA F3 Champion Victor Martins were among those who pitted their individual sim racing talent and team’s strategy against the famed 24-hour endurance race on a challenging and intense track. In second and third places were #20 Porsche Coanda – the position enough to ensure they claimed the championship title – and #53 AMG Team Williams Esports.
The twice-round-the-clock endurance race saw plenty of action including:
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A strong performance from #2 Team Redline which saw them crowned as winners of the final race of the Le Mans Virtual 2022-23 season
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Mika Hakimi in the #22 Rocket Simsport entry secured the fastest lap at 3:22.324 in the LMP category
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Charlie Collins in the #77 Proton Coanda Esports entry secured the fastest lap at 3:47.632 in the GTE category
We’re sharing the highlights of the race for news interest–you can see the full post-race report below. A full 52-minute highlights TV show will be available on TV and OTT channels in the days following the event.
24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual – Post Race Report
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The 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual, the fifth and final round of the Le Mans Virtual Series, kicked off Saturday 14th January with 180 drivers in 45 cars across the LMP2 and GTE classes taking to the start line. The drivers used 164 different simulators located in 38 different countries across the globe.
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Two-time F1 World Champion Max Verstappen led a star-studded driver line-up that featured names from across motorsport, including F1 and current Indycar star Romain Grosjean, FIA F2 Champion Felipe Drugovich, FIA F3 champion Victor Martins. Global motor manufacturers such as BMW, Ferrari and Porsche joined Alpine and Mercedes-AMG to enter esports teams.
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The challenging circuit also saw sim racing stars including Autosport Award recipient for Esports Driver of the Year James Baldwin, and former 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual winners such as Jeffrey Rietveld, Joshua Rogers, and Nikodem Wisniewski.
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The race started dry and saw spots of rain throughout the race, but the majority of the race laps were completely dry.
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The LMP classification saw a fierce battle between #2 Team Redline and #20 Porsche Coanda for first place throughout the race, with Team Redline ultimately taking first place with a lead time of 21.109 seconds ahead of Porsche Coanda.
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#53 AMG Williams and #36 Alpine Esports saw an intense, down-to-the-wire battle for 3rd place, with Nikoden Wisniewski from AMG Williams ultimately claiming the podium position.
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Joshua Rogers from Porsche Coanda spoke after the race about the team overcoming the challenges of the race to claim their place on the podium “It was obviously a fantastic prep, effort, and event for us. Unfortunately, things didn’t quite go our way on the whole but I’m proud of us as a group and how we came together in these difficult times to regroup, refocus to deal with what we had and try to make the most of the race from there. Congratulations to Team Redline on the win, they did drive a fantastic race.”
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The GTE classification saw the #888 R8G Esports take the chequered flag first with the #71 BMW Team Redline and the #89 BMW Team BS COMPETITION coming in second and third respectively.
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Charlie Collins from #77 Proton Coanda Esports secured the fastest lap at 3:47.632 in the GTE category.
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Erhan Jajovski from R8G Esports spoke after the race about his team’s victory “I don’t know what to say, I’m lost for words to be honest. In this race, there were a lot of ups and downs but in the end, we never gave up, we gave everything in our power. I’m so glad for myself and everyone in the team.”
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LMP Teams Championship top three after the race: #20 Porsche Coanda – 94 points, #1 Team Redline – 78 Points & #2 Team Redline – 73 points
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GTE Teams Championship top three after the race: #71 BMW Team Redline – 119 points, #888 R8G Esports – 81 points & #26 Sim Maranello – 61.5 points
BLAST Premier reveals broadcast footprint for 2023
BLAST Premier has revealed its media rights distribution footprint for 2023 and will see the esports tournament organiser’s upcoming season broadcast in over 150 TV territories and available in 25 languages.
Ahead of the 2023 season, BLAST has secured a number of media rights partnerships along with renewing existing global media rights deals. Broadcast partners include: TV2 (Denmark), RTP (Portugal), Webedia (France), Pelajaat (Finland), StarTimes (Africa), Maincast (Ukraine), Viettel (Vietnam) and Relog (CIS and Balkans) among others.
The Counter-Strike tournament series will be broadcast by more than 40 leading TV networks and online platforms in all major esports regions around the world ranging from North Africa, LATAM, Asia, the Nordics and the CIS region among others.
Alexander Lewin, VP of Distribution and Programming at BLAST, said: “BLAST Premier continues to be highly sought after by broadcasters from all around the world, offering unparalleled production quality and game-changing fan-first moments. We are delighted to reveal a truly global and expansive network of new and existing media rights partners, which will allow fans to watch and enjoy BLAST in 150+ territories. We are delighted to see broadcasters return year-after-year to partner with BLAST, which is testament to the huge following and global appeal our events have built up over the years.”
Last September, the esports entertainment company revealed plans to host and produce this year’s Counter-Strike Major in France. The BLAST.tv Paris Major will take place at the Accor Arena, making it the first CS:GO Major to take place in France. The event will be BLAST’s first time hosting one of the most watched and loved esports events in the world.
BLAST.tv will be the home of 2023 France Major, where fans can get closer to the action than ever before. Innovative and fan-first viewing features will allow fans to tailor their viewing experience, relive key and exciting moments and impact the action unfolding before their eyes.
BLAST Premier is the world’s leading Counter-Strike tournament series, hosting the best players and teams, offering opportunities to regions across the globe and crowning the world champions of CS:GO. Up to 32 of the world’s best teams take part in the seven BLAST Premier events across the year with a combined prize pool of $2,475,000 on the line.
Oddin.gg partners with MaxBet, enters the Balkans
World-renowned esports betting odds feed, risk management and iFrame solutions provider Oddin.gg is excited to announce a new chapter in its global expansion. Oddin.gg has partnered with leading local betting company MaxBet to enter the Balkans, helping MaxBet improve the quality of its esports offerings.
The partnership marks the first step in Oddin.gg’s expansion in the Balkans, and will see MaxBet use Oddin.gg’s iFrame solutions in Serbia, The Republic of Srpska, and Montenegro.
MaxBet is renowned betting company in Eastern Europe, offering betting and casino services in Serbia, Montenegro, and The Republic of Srpska, with plans to soon kickstart growth in Africa. MaxBet also has a presence in esports, which will be much improved by cooperating with Oddin.gg.
Maxbet’s CEO Darko Živanov said the following about the partnership: “MaxBet has been constantly growing, and we are always on the lookout for new ways to improve our offerings. The partnership with Oddin.gg is a logical step for us, since it gives us access to the highest quality esports betting services and market insights.
Esports, as a whole, is an incredibly interesting and high-potential area for betting, not just in our region but in the entire world. The trends we are seeing right now point towards esports as a new and emerging betting space, and we could not stand on the sidelines. We wanted to offer our users the absolute best in the industry, and that is why we chose Oddin.gg.“
Marek Suchar, Oddin.gg’s co-founder and Managing Director said: “MaxBet is a well-known company in Eastern Europe, and one that has made incredible moves in the last 20 years. We are extremely excited to be able to help them with our iFrame offering, and also to start providing our services in an entirely new market – the Balkans. We are always on the lookout for possible partners in new regions, and MaxBet is definitely a partner we look forward to working with.
Although we were not yet active in the Balkan region, the audiences for both sports and esports betting are prominent there, and since we have the utmost faith in the quality of our services, we know that these will give MaxBet a significant edge in the market.”
EXCEL ESPORTS APPOINTS TIM REICHERT AS NEW CEO
British competitive gaming culture brand, EXCEL ESPORTS, is pleased to announce Tim Reichert as the organisation’s new CEO. Taking on all business responsibilities and driving the organisation to new heights, Reichert will focus on delivering the organisation’s ambitions towards increased revenue, increased community growth and competitive success.
Former CEO, Wouter Sleijffers, will become Strategic Advisor to the Board where he will support the organisation’s strategic expansion, exploring and developing opportunities for growth and monetisation. Sleijffers will continue to represent EXCEL and build on its international presence. The leadership team also welcomes Rosenbelle Ganan as the new Director of Operations & Legal Affairs, who will be leading the company’s operational responsibilities across London and Germany. Ganan began her career in esports at Fnatic spending four years in various leadership roles including Finance Director and Head of Legal. She has overseen the legal affairs at EXCEL for two years and broadened her role to lead a best-in-class operations team in esports and support the expansion of EXCEL’s event spaces in London XLHQ and Berlin to become a prime destination for the industry, partners, teams and community.
Tim burst onto the esports scene in 1997 after co-founding esports organisation SK Gaming alongside his brothers, Ralf and Benjamin Reichert. He then turned to his second passion in life, football, where he became a professional footballer playing for the likes of Rot-Weiss Oberhausen. Tim utilised his knowledge and experience from esports and traditional sports to become Head of Esports at FC Schalke 04 Esports. During his time at the organisation, he developed the most successful esports roster for a traditional sports club with the League of Legends team securing playoffs and top-place finishes in 2018 and 2019 in the prestigious League of Legends European Championship.
Joining EXCEL in 2021 as Esports Director, Tim successfully drove the development and growth of the team’s rosters including the entry into new titles and was instrumental in the signing of world-class talents such as four-time back-to-back LEC winner Michael “Mikyx” Mehle. Reichert also helped increase the team’s performance including EXCEL’s first-ever LEC playoffs spot. Appointed Chief Operations Officer in May 2022, he has since helped the team’s rosters to become a competitive force in the European esports scene and continued to help grow the brand. As CEO, Reichert will continue to drive the organisation’s competitive success and further grow the brand to become a leading organisation in the European esports scene.
Sleijffers first joined EXCEL in October 2019 from Fnatic, where as CEO he grew the organisation into a globally renowned lifestyle brand. Since joining EXCEL Sleijffers took the organisation and brand to the global top, and built a team of experienced and passionate people, surrounded by great talent, fans and partners. Under his leadership, EXCEL signed partnerships with BT, JD Sports, Just Eat, and SONY’s INZONE as well as renewed its partnership with EE for a further three years, now one of the longest-standing mainstream partnerships in esports. Last year also saw EXCEL strengthen its infrastructure with a new HQ in Central London and a training facility in Berlin for its League of Legends team.
Tim Reichert, CEO of EXCEL ESPORTS commented: “I am thrilled to be appointed the new CEO of EXCEL ESPORTS. We are an incredibly ambitious team that constantly looks for new approaches and ways to improve, and improvement can only happen with change. I am very happy to welcome Rose into the leadership team and to continue working with Wouter.
EXCEL is developing into one of the strongest European competitive esports organisations and I am proud to continue paving this path with my colleagues.”
Wouter Sleijffers, Strategic Advisor to the Board at EXCEL ESPORTS commented: “My journey at EXCEL ESPORTS started in October 2019. After more than three years at the helm, and nearly eight years as the CEO of two successful esports organisations, it is the right time to hand over the reins.. Tim is the right person to take EXCEL ESPORTS further and I look forward to welcoming Rose to her new position. I’m excited for this new chapter and to continue developing EXCEL’s future whilst still supporting the team under Tim’s leadership.”
Rosenbelle Ganan, Director of Operations and Legal Affairs at EXCEL ESPORTS commented: “I’m honoured to continue working alongside a supportive group of investors, in JRJ, and an experienced team of leaders, Tim, Wouter, Oskar and Mark, who steered EXCEL to new heights in 2022. I’m very excited to be part of a team that is a rising star in esports and building a dynamic brand.”
FanClash set to host ‘CS:GO Reignite’ with ₹1 lakh prize pool to revive the game
FanClash, Asia’s largest esports fantasy platform has unveiled its exclusive tournament, “CS:GO Reignite” featuring top-notch participation from the country’s leading veteran CS:GO teams, competing for an overall prize pool of ₹1 lakh from January 9-15, 2022.
This tournament is a testament to FanClash’s vision to revive the popularity of PC gaming in the midst of mobile-dominated gaming scenarios in India. The objective is to create a strong ecosystem where gaming titles like CS:GO and DOTA 2 can see a strong revival in the community. FanClash’s recent partnership with AMD Skyesports Championship 4.0 was also with the objective to showcase their commitment to revitalizing the ecosystem of traditional Esports titles.
“In the wake of Esports officially being recognized as a multi-sport event by the government, we are extremely delighted to announce the launch of our premier Esports IP ‘CS:GO Reignite’. CS:GO is a legendary game deeply rooted within the Esports community. With teams in the country branching out into multiple rosters across different PC Esports titles, this will proliferate CS:GO’s importance in the community and make it a major title for Esports tournaments in 2023. Our ultimate vision is to make sure India wins the Olympics and Asian Gold Medals in esports right from day 1, the bus we missed in traditional sports and are still chasing. India has the opportunity to win the new sports and FanClash wants to enable this for India.” said Richa Singh, Co-Founder, and CEO of FanClash.
Athletes with a distinction like Tejas ‘Ace’ Sawant, Rishabh ‘Rakazone’ Karnal, Sayyed ‘Paradox’ Kasif, Manoj ‘Sentinel’ Kasyap, Harsh ‘Harshhh’ Arora, Swayambika ‘Sway’ Sachar, Nishant ‘iFlicks’ Murlidharan and many more will attend the high-profile tournament. Hyderabad Hydras, one of India’s first city-based Esports franchise outfits along with Revenant Esports, Velocity Gaming, Reckoning Esports, and Orangutan will be putting up a strong roster against each other to compete in a round-robin format starting on January 9.
The tournament’s grand finals will take place on January 15 starting from 5 PM wherein the winning team will take home ₹65,000 while runners-up will bag ₹35,000.
FanClash will provide fans with the opportunity to take part in the tournament by creating their own fantasy teams and capitalizing on their esports knowledge to avail of unique rewards on its app. All of the tournament’s highly anticipated matches will be streamed Live on FanClash’sYoutube channel.