eSports
VALORANT Game Changers EMEA Updates: Stage 3 Finals Venue and New Mixed Tournament Revealed!
2024 has been a great year for VALORANT Game Changers EMEA so far, with Stage 1 concluding in March, and Stage 2 in June – both of which saw G2 Gozen defeat Team Falcons Vega 3-0 in the Grand Finals! Our goal is for the best Game Changers players to find success in other parts of the VCT ecosystem, and we are starting to see some great progress, with G2 Gozen having recently competed in the Challengers DACH promotion/relegation tournament.
Stage 3 is set to begin in September, and will decide whether G2 Gozen claims all three Stages this year, or if another Game Changers EMEA team can dethrone them.
Ahead of the start of Stage 3, we wanted to share a couple of special announcements with you all.
VALORANT Game Changers EMEA: Stage 3 – Grand Finals Location, Format & Where to Watch
We’re super excited to announce that for the first time ever, we’re taking Game Changers EMEA on the road!
On Sunday, October 6, we’re hosting the Stage 3 Grand Finals at the ESA Arena in İstanbul, Türkiye. The ESA Arena will offer visiting fans an excellent viewing experience and an unmatched atmosphere, as we witness all of the action unfold and confirm all of our EMEA representatives for the VALORANT Champions Tour 2024: Game Changers Championship.
As a reminder, the top four teams from the two groups will qualify for the Playoffs, which consists of a double elimination bracket and will all be played online, aside from the Grand Final itself. The Upper Bracket contains three rounds of play to reach the Grand Final, while the Lower Bracket consists of four.
The Upper Bracket Final is a best-of-three (BO3), while the Lower Bracket Final is best-of-five (BO5). The Grand Final will also be BO5.
For those joining us from home, the first two days (September 23 and 24) of Stage 3 Playoffs will be available on twitch.tv/dive_gg. All games from September 25, including the Grand Finals (October 6) will be available to watch on twitch.tv/VALORANT_EMEA
Full ticket information will be shared at a later date – be sure to follow our socials to stay up to date.
VALORANT Game Changers EMEA: VCT OFF//SEASON Spotlight Series – Overview, Grand Finals Location & Format
Alongside this announcement, we are happy to introduce a new tournament – the VCT OFF//SEASON Spotlight Series – a mixed gender tournament that will take place online from Thursday, October 10 to Wednesday, October 16, before concluding at Paris Games Week on Thursday, October 24!
As one of the largest gaming events in Europe, Paris Games Week has been a major event for gaming fans since 2010. The Grand Final will take place on the largest stage, The Main Stage, with capacity for 2000 spectators.
This will be an invitational event, with 14 VCT and Challengers teams who have been actively investing in Game Changers asked to join the competition. Teams will be required to have at least two Game Changers players on their mixed teams, with the choice left to teams on whether to be majority men or women. Teams will also compete for a €30,000 prize pool!
Playoffs will feature a double elimination bracket. Seeding will be decided by previous results, with the top two receiving a first-round bye, whilst the remaining twelve teams compete. From here, teams will continue to compete through the Upper and Lower Bracket, with the Upper Bracket consisting of four rounds of play and the Lower Bracket consisting of six.
“We are extremely excited to bring VALORANT Game Changers on the road for the first time and to introduce a mixed gender tournament to the 2024 VALORANT Esports calendar at Paris Games Week”, said Daniel Ringland, Head of VALORANT Esports EMEA. “Our ambition with Game Changers is to create new opportunities for women in our ecosystem, and we hope these events will help us accelerate towards a future where all players are competing side by side at the highest level.”
Further information on invited teams will be shared closer to the start of the event – follow our socials for future updates!
The post VALORANT Game Changers EMEA Updates: Stage 3 Finals Venue and New Mixed Tournament Revealed! appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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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