eSports
Icespice5 triumph at Red Bull Campus Clutch UK Nationals, qualifying for World Finals in Istanbul
Icespice5 has been crowned the UK’s best student VALORANT team at the Red Bull Campus Clutch UK National Finals tonight at the Red Bull Gaming Sphere.
The UK Champions, Icespice5, delivered an exhilarating final, taking the win against Boba Enjoyers (18-16), and qualifying for the Red Bull Campus Clutch World Finals in Turkey on November 19-24th. Icespice5 will now go on to battle some of the best student teams in the world for €20,000 in prize money and the chance to be crowned Campus Clutch World Champions.
Red Bull Campus Clutch kicked off this August, with National Qualifiers taking place across the globe and National Finals determining the best student team from each participating country.
The National Finals concluded at the Red Bull Gaming Sphere with Icespice5 dominating the first Semi-Final, winning by an impressive 13-1 in the second map against City Wok. Progressing through to the Grand Final, the five-man team clinched the win after a nail-biting final against Boba Enjoyers, going into overtime five times and finishing with a final score of 18-16.
Having now achieved the three-peat by winning the UK nationals in 2021 and 2022, icespice5 captain, ‘BENZKI’, will be heading to the World Finals yet again in the hopes of being one the UK’s first Red Bull Campus Clutch World Champions.
The Icespice5 team consists of:
- Benjamin ‘BENZKI’ Price
- Jacob ‘joocaab’ Stringer
- Toni ‘wizzing’ Troka
- Jakub ‘Inkelo’ Mrowinski
- Marcio‘soldierval’ Rafael Sousa Camoes Correia
Reflecting on their amazing achievement and his three-peat, team captain Benjamin ‘BENZKI’ Price commented: “This year’s Red Bull Campus Clutch has been really good, I’ve won it the past three years in a row and this has been by far the hardest. We practised quite regularly and have been quite strict in our systems, so I think we have a really good chance at the World Finals. There’s a couple of teams I’ve got my eye ahead of the Campus Clutch World Champions, like Egypt and Czechoslovakia but other than that I feel pretty confident.”
Now in its third season, Red Bull Campus Clutch – along with Red Bull Home Ground, the premier pro Red Bull event for VALORANT – encapsulates the brand´s continued commitment to support the VALORANT community and uplift its competitive ecosystem, from a grassroots level with an array of local initiatives to the very highest echelons of esports.
Red Bull Campus Clutch World Finals will take place at the world-famous Volkswagen Arena in Istanbul, Turkey, which hosted VALORANT Champions 2022 where LOUD clinched the title of VCT World Champion. From there, the teams remaining will battle it out in an elimination format, with the Grand Final taking place on the 24th of November, with the final stages being streamed live on Red Bull Twitch.
Three outstanding partners are supporting Red Bull Campus Clutch this season, to bring improved performance to competitors with Intel NUC and AGON by AOC returning to the tournament and Jack Link’s joining as the Official Protein Provider for Red Bull Campus Clutch UK 2023. As PC Partner, Intel NUC, renowned for packing high-powered gaming rigs in small form factors, will support with their top-notch Gaming PCs. The official Monitor Partner, AGON by AOC, will once again provide high-performance gaming monitors for the event.
eSports
GIANTX unveils its team for the Spanish Superliga of League of Legends
The global esports organization GIANTX has officially presented the roster for its League of Legends Superliga team, the most prestigious esports competition in Spain, organized by the LVP. The roster includes Feisty (midlaner) and Aetinoth (ADC), who continue for another year after establishing themselves as key players for the organization, and newcomers Badlulu (toplaner), Ferret (jungler), and Lospa (support).
The team, known as GIANTX Pride, will be led by Fearless, a veteran coach who has already won three Superliga titles with GIANTX. After previous stints with teams like Guasones and Rebels, Fearless returns to lead this young and promising roster as they pursue the organization’s long-awaited eighth Superliga trophy, with the season set to begin in January 2025.
The roster was revealed during an event at the Home of GIANTX in Málaga, attended by over 150 fans and supported by Opel, the team’s main partner in the Superliga. The event featured activities, giveaways, and a showmatch against Barça Esports, where fans got a first glimpse of the team in action.
Feisty (South Korea, 2003) and Aetinoth (Turkey, 2005) return for another year, having gained recognition as rising talents with potential for the LEC, Europe’s premier competition in which GIANTX also competes. Badlulu (France, 2002), with prior experience in the Superliga at CASE Esports, joins as the toplaner. Ferret (Turkey, 2001), a promising jungler from the Turkish scene, comes from FUT, while Lospa (South Korea, 2002), a former Iberian Cup champion, joins as support after training in Gen.G Academy.
GIANTX Pride is the most decorated organization in Superliga LVP history, with seven titles to its name. The last victory came in the summer of 2021, and the team is determined to add the elusive eighth trophy to its collection. The Superliga for 2025 will feature ten teams, including Barça Esports, Guasones, Los Heretics, LUA Gaming, Movistar KOI, Ramboot Club, UCAM Esports, VENI VIDI VICI, and ZETA, competing across three splits—winter, spring, and summer.
The LVP, part of Grupo Mediapro, has introduced changes to the Superliga’s format for 2025. The updated calendar will be released soon, setting the stage for another thrilling season.
The post GIANTX unveils its team for the Spanish Superliga of League of Legends appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
eSports
GRID Joins IBIA as an Associate Member, Strengthening Esports Integrity
GRID, an esports data platform, has officially joined the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) as a first esports-focused Associate Member. This collaboration signifies a pivotal moment for esports integrity, aligning GRID with IBIA and its globally recognized integrity-focused members, who monitor over $300bn in sports bets per annum and have a growing focus on esports betting.
With this partnership, GRID and IBIA are committed to collaboratively addressing any integrity issues in esports, fostering trust across stakeholders, and setting a benchmark for excellence in the ecosystem. GRID has been a certified member of IBIA’s Data Standards program since 2022, actively contributing to the development of tailored esports integrity protocols. This membership further underscores GRID’s dedication to transparency and collaboration in combating betting-related corruption within esports.
Since 2018, GRID has operated an internal integrity department pioneering official data-driven solutions for esports. This makes GRID one of the first companies to monitor tournament and data integrity in the competitive sports sector and actively flag and report suspicious behavior, enabling it to collect a large database of integrity reports and insights.
IBIA is a not-for-profit body that protects regulated sports betting markets from match-fixing. It represents over 50 of the world’s leading betting companies which operate over 125 sports betting brands. IBIA’s global monitoring network is a highly effective anti-corruption tool, detecting and reporting suspicious activity in regulated betting markets using transactional activity linked to individual customer accounts.
Under the partnership, GRID and IBIA will share information relating to suspicious esports betting and potential match manipulation from their respective monitoring and intelligence platforms. IBIA members will also benefit from free access to wider integrity-focused resources supplied by GRID.
Moritz Maurer, CEO of GRID, commented: “Integrity is at the heart of GRID’s mission. By joining IBIA as an Associate Member, we are taking a definitive step toward establishing esports as a trusted and credible industry. This partnership enables us to further our efforts in promoting transparency, reducing risks associated with esports betting, and strengthening operational practices across the ecosystem.’’
Khalid Ali, CEO of IBIA, said: “We are delighted to welcome GRID as an Associate Member of IBIA. This partnership is a landmark for the esports sector and reflects our commitment to expanding our integrity initiatives into new markets. GRID’s expertise in esports data monitoring and integrity standards is an invaluable asset in our shared mission to combat betting corruption globally.”
The post GRID Joins IBIA as an Associate Member, Strengthening Esports Integrity appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
eSports
ComeOn Group and Astralis unite to drive esports engagement in the Nordics
ComeOn Group announced a sponsorship partnership between its flagship brand ComeOn! and Denmark based Astralis, one of the most esteemed esports organisations globally. As a global leader in esports, Astralis is providing a vibrant and engaging esports experience that is aligned with ComeOn!’s brand experience and is further enhanced by its focus in providing a leading esports betting destination.
As the official sponsor of Astralis, ComeOn! will be prominently featured across all of their platforms, including social media, team events, and competitive gaming content, boosting their brand exposure in key global markets with a focus on the Nordics. ComeOn! is already known as a vibrant brand in the Nordics and with the increased brand visibility it will be put at the heart of the fast-growing esports scene.
ComeOn Group continues to invest in its Sportsbook product experience that is powered by its proprietary sportsbook platform, where esports holds an important strategic market opportunity with its ever growing demand.
Juergen Reutter, Chief Executive Officer at ComeOn Group, said: “We are very excited to team up with Astralis as this collaboration not only allows us to showcase our innovative Sportsbook platform but also strengthens our ties to the esports community. This partnership is very much in the heart of one of the fastest growing betting markets globally. Esports has seen great demand by our audiences, and we want to provide the best betting experience for our customers. This partnership is also a testament to our localisation and personalisation focus and by working together with Astralis, we can deliver unique experiences that resonate with our players and elevate the entertainment experience around competitive gaming.”
Mads Rasmussen, Commercial Director at Astralis, said: ”We are proud to present ComeOn Group as our new global partner. This partnership holds great significance for Astralis both as an organization and as a business, and we look forward to bringing the agreement to life, benefiting the vast majority of our fanbase – who are adults. We have undergone a long and very positive process with ComeOn, and the fact that they are European-based with licenses in all our key markets, including Denmark, has been a decisive factor in our decision. Astralis fans, both in Denmark and internationally, can look forward to an innovative new digital activation, which promises to deliver an exciting and engaging experience.”
The post ComeOn Group and Astralis unite to drive esports engagement in the Nordics appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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