eSports

FIFA phenom and Africa’s first Red Bull Player, Thabo “Yvng Savage” Moloi, shares his origin story in new Red Bull documentary

Published

4 years ago

August 9, 2021

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Emmy Award-winning Red Bull Media House has released a brand new episode of their esports documentary series, Unfold, featuring VS Gaming Festival 2018 FIFA champion and Africa’s first Red Bull Player, Thabo “Yvng Savage” Moloi.

In the newest episode of the series that uncovers stories behind some of the biggest names in esports and gaming, Yvng Savage shares exclusive insights into his incredible journey from learning and practising on a second-hand copy of FIFA to winning his first tournament, at only 16 years of age.

You can watch the newest Unfold episode on YouTube and Red Bull TV. I am sharing more information below, in case Yvng Savage’s origin story would be of interest for your editorial plan:

European Gaming Congress 2024 (Warsaw, Poland)

Thabo “Yvng Savage” Moloi is a 19-year-old professional FIFA player who is based in South Africa. In his Unfold episode, Yvng Savage opens up about being introduced and practising FIFA on a borrowed copy of the game, to winning the first competition he entered (still without owning his own copy of FIFA), VS Gaming FIFA Festival 2018. The episode features interviews with special guests including Goliath Gaming co-founder and team manager, Michele Brondani “Yvng Savage is passionately waiting to prove himself on the international stage…and I can say with absolute certainty when he does get that chance, he’s going to shock the world.”

Reflecting on his gruelling training regime leading up to his first competition, where he spent three months in isolation, blocking out friends and family, the episode delves into how Yvng Savage burst onto the esports scene. After dominating his first-ever competition, the VS Gaming Festival in 2018, Yvng Savage beat an impressive 512 players, solidifying his spot as one of the best up and coming FIFA players in the world.

Following his first win, Goliath Gaming spent “a few days after the tournament searching for Yvng Savage on social media and Google, but couldn’t find anything about him.” It wasn’t until Thabo reached out to fellow pro-FIFA player and Goliath Gaming talent, Julio ‘Beast’ Bianchi asking as to why Goliath hadn’t approached him yet, that the impressive youngster was finally signed.

The newest Unfold episode also sheds light on Yvng Savage’s personal life – his close relationship with his mother, the unfortunate passing of his father last year at a young age and consequently being the sole provider for his family.

Unfold by Red Bull Media House is a Red Bull series providing an inside look at the lives and stories of the world’s most prominent esports personalities. With a focus on a different player every episode, the series reveals how these superstars rose to fame and what motivates them to keep progressing. The Unfold series has previously featured prominent names such as, Nemanja “huNter” Kovač, Tsunehiro “Gachikun” Kanamori and Amer “Miracle-” al-Barkawi.

eSports

PlayVS Announces Multi-year Partnership with Zenni Optical

Published

1 week ago

March 26, 2025

GamingAmericas.com

playvs-announces-multi-year-partnership-with-zenni-optical

PlayVS, the leading esports platform in North America, announced a multi-year partnership with Zenni Optical, the world’s leading online eyewear retailer. This partnership establishes Zenni as the official eyewear partner of PlayVS, bringing exclusive benefits to PlayVS’ esports community.

As part of this collaboration, Zenni will serve as the official eyewear partner of the PlayVS Cup, the annual national esports championship for high school students. The Cup provides top scholastic esports teams from across the country with an opportunity to compete for a national title and earn recognition and awards, including college scholarships. Zenni’s partnership will help power scholarship prizes for Cup finalists, furthering PlayVS’ dedication to empowering students and supporting their educational and athletic ambitions. These scholarships not only aid with alleviating financial strain, but also highlight esports as a viable pathway to academic and professional success.

Zenni’s eyewear will also be included in the prize packages that PlayVS Cup champions and PlayVS Awards winners receive, providing students with high quality eyewear to complement their gaming performance. Additionally, Zenni will offer members of the PlayVS community exclusive discounts on eyewear.

“We are excited to partner with PlayVS and expand our ongoing support of the gaming and esports community. Empowering a dedicated high school esports program that not only will generate awareness around the importance of eye health to a new generation of gamers but also support their academic pursuits is such an amazing opportunity for Zenni to partner with,” said Robb Chiarini, Head of Partnerships, Licensing, & Events at Zenni Optical.

Through this partnership, Zenni will also be integrated into PlayVS’ content series, Road to the PlayVS Cup, a set of videos showcasing different esports programs across the nation as they compete to earn a spot in the PlayVS Cup.

“Partnering with Zenni is a natural fit for us as we continue to grow the high school esports community. Zenni shares our commitment to supporting students in both esports and academics. By joining forces with Zenni, we’re empowering students with scholarships and enabling them to partake in healthy competition to foster their esports careers. We’re excited to work together and bring Zenni’s eyewear to our community of gamers,” said Jon Chapman, CEO of PlayVS.

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eSports

Genius Sports Signs Partnerships with Bayes Esports and GRID

Published

1 week ago

March 24, 2025

Niji Narayan

genius-sports-signs-partnerships-with-bayes-esports-and-grid

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Genius Sports Limited has signed new partnerships with Bayes Esports and GRID Esports (GRID) to provide sportsbooks with the highest-quality official esports offering.

GRID, as the only game data platform directly working with the game publishers will provide Genius Sports with exclusive access to official live esports data from League of Legends, and VALORANT, the fastest-growing betting esports title, alongside Ubisoft’s Rainbow Six data, and a robust portfolio of CS2 and Dota2 data from the global tournaments by BLAST and Champion of Champions.

Genius Sports’ sportsbook partners will also be able to access official streaming and data visualizations powered by official GRID data.

Bayes Esports is helping power Genius Sports’ esports offering with its highly granular Live Match Data. As the exclusive data partner of key esports tournament organisers such as ESL FACEIT Group, Bayes Esports covers the majority of official live data for Counter-Strike 2 and Dota 2 esports, which brings in some of the highest revenue for sportsbooks.

Genius Sports will further enhance its offering with Bayes Esports’ data product suite, including low-latency video and live data-powered widgets. Select Genius Sports products will be available through Bayes Esports’ distribution in return.

Going forward, Genius Sports will provide sportsbooks worldwide with an end-to-end esports trading product across pre-match and in-play, powered by ultra low-latency data to guarantee sharp odds and maximum market uptime. Through this product, sportsbooks can unlock new revenues by reaching a highly engaged audience with high-octane, year-round content.

“We are thrilled to announce these new partnerships with Bayes and GRID, two leaders in their field, to create an unrivalled esports content suite for our sportsbook partners. As the new home of esports for sportsbooks, we will provide our partners with the highest-quality data and odds on the most prestigious titles in the sport,” said Matt Stephenson, Global Partnerships Director at Genius Sports.

The post Genius Sports Signs Partnerships with Bayes Esports and GRID appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

eSports

DACH CS Joins as Member of Esports Integrity Commission

Published

2 weeks ago

March 21, 2025

Niji Narayan

dach-cs-joins-as-member-of-esports-integrity-commission

Reading Time: 2 minutes

The Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) has announced that DACH CS GmbH (DACH CS), a tournament organiser seeking to revitalise competitive Counter-Strike in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, has officially joined ESIC membership.

By joining ESIC, DACH CS commits to upholding the highest standards of competitive integrity. The membership requires the league to implement ESIC’s Integrity Programme across all of its tournaments, tackling key issues such as match-fixing, cheating, and doping, fostering a culture of fair play within the region.

As an ESIC member, DACH CS will integrate ESIC’s codes of conduct, actively cooperate in investigations, and enforce ESIC’s rulings. This commitment aligns DACH CS with global best practices, ensuring that the DACH Counter-Strike esports scene operates with a proven integrity framework.

Stephen Hanna, Chief Executive Officer of ESIC, said: “DACH CS’s dedication to rebuilding and strengthening the competitive Counter-Strike scene in the DACH region makes them a valuable addition to ESIC’s growing membership. Their commitment to competitive integrity and fair competition aligns perfectly with our mission to safeguard esports. We look forward to working closely with them to support a sustainable and transparent ecosystem for players, teams, and stakeholders in the region.”

Anton Christoph, Founder & Managing Director of DACH CS, said: “At DACH CS, we’re on a mission to take the Counter-Strike Scene in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland to old and new heights! We’re super excited to be joining forces with ESIC, as we’re confident that this is a vital step in keeping our community’s most prized values at the heart of our operations. By teaming up with ESIC and aligning with their globally recognised integrity standards, we’re making a promise to you, our players, teams and stakeholders, to provide a competitive environment that’s both trusted and well-structured. We are excited to work closely with ESIC to build a sustainable and respected esports landscape in the DACH region.”

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