Press Releases
2020 NBA 2K League APAC Invitational: Recap
The NBA 2K League APAC Invitational has been run and won for another year, and a new MVP was crowned and subsequently established himself as a serious NBA 2K League draft candidate.
The tournament of course established in part to identify regional talent did just that, as 20 of the very best players from the region put on a show of extremely high level NBA 2K basketball befitting of the end-goal, a chance to impress team management and talent evaluators alike and be drafted onto a NBA2K League team.
Seoul, South Korea was the venue, a fitting backdrop for a rapidly growing esports venture in the NBA 2K League. The event was a double header in that the League made a special announcement by officially unveiling and welcoming the Gen.G Tigers of Shanghai as the 23rd franchise.
Enough of the formalities however. It is time to look at how the tournament played out. I thought it would be interesting to provide some overarching thoughts on how the tournament played out including any outstanding individual efforts.
Michael ‘BearDaBeast’ Key from T-Wolves Gaming said it best in his pre-tournament interview with Jeff Eisenband – “The competition is great. I’m not gonna lie to you. I tell you the truth (sic). I didn’t think these guys could play on the level we play on, so that has shocked me the most”.
The standard of play at the APAC Invitational has been extremely high considering players are thrown together in a short space of time and expected to perform underneath the bright lights of the stage and broadcast cameras which is exactly the type of crucible which forges strong willed players who find a way to win.
The Chinese and South Korean playing contingent impressed me with their overall skill and knowledge of the game. Their task made all the more difficult with language barriers and limited experience on the retail version of NBA 2K. Zhang ‘Cherry_Zi’ Wenxuan on a lock build and Haoyu ‘Ironman’ Li particularly impressed, Cherry_Zi was everywhere on defence and set the tone, perhaps didn’t stuff the stats but snuffed out actions before they happened and Ironman blew game two wide open with some impressive sharp shooting. An honorable mention to Poon Shing Ki ‘TR-Gobert-AP’ George of whom has potential, perhaps didn’t have the best outing but was active, engaged and in the right spots to contribute.
As expected the tournament was a hard-fought battle between ball-handlers and lockdown builds as every game turned into a point guard dual to create space and scoring opportunities. Lockdown builds as expected had a huge say in each game in particular in trying to keep a lid of their matchup.
It was difficult to select a ‘first-team lockdown’ with a three-way battle between xMonaa-, iAmMarioXXIII and Cherry_zi. All three set the tone defensively for their teams by disrupting the point guard play as best they could, blowing up screen-and-roll-actions and jumping passing lanes. However, it was Eugene ‘iAmMarioXXIII’ Pillai who rose above and took first team honours, managing to give a much needed scoring boost to the team with transition buckets and flying around the court on defence picking up the opposing point guard full court.
The story of the tournament was the extreme proficiency, scoring and shot creation shown by Jordan ‘JaeDubb’ Walden at point guard on ‘Team L5’ leading them to a tournament victory and in the process – collecting a much deserved and unanimous Most Valuable Player Trophy and really announcing himself on the world NBA 2K stage. Jaedubb is well known to the NBA 2K community in Australasia for point guard play. Jaesubb’s performance across both games were complete all round ‘floor general’ performances – setting the table for teammates and scoring at will dropping 34 points and 11 assists in the final.
JaeDubb moves into the draft pool for the upcoming season three NBA 2K League and undoubtedly skyrockets up the draft boards as teams are still searching for franchise cornerstone ball handlers. Season two champions T-Wolves Gaming BearDaBeast showed just how important it is to build around dynamic point-guard-play.
It’s time to nominate this writer’s All-Tournament-First and Second teams. In the interest of fairness, players were selected by position only. There is no fluidity however I’m aware many players are skilled at many positions.
Please note the following is the opinion of the author and not that of the NBA 2K League.
First Team
PG Jordan ‘JaeDubb’ Walden – MVP.
SG Eugene ‘iAmMarioXXIII’ Pillai
SF Lynard Clark ‘PBE_Clark’ Banzon
PF Li ‘Ironman’ Haoyu
C Meason ‘Milo’ Camille
Second Team
PG Aiden ‘TheGoldenDunk-’ Fleming
SG Zhang ‘Cherry_zi’ Wenxuan
SF Aminolah Jr. ‘PBE_Rial’ Polog
PF Benjamin ‘iki-ll_illuminati’ Teitzel.
C Poon Shing Ki ‘TR-Gobert-AP’ George
Team ‘L5’ are your 2020 APAC Invitational champions. Their starting line-up included:
1. Jordan ‘JaeDubb’ Walden – MVP.
2. Zhang ‘Cherry_zi’ Wenxuan
3. Aminolah Jr ‘PBE_Rial’ Polog
4. Benjamin ‘iki-ll_illuminati’ Teitzel.
5. Hu ‘Lucky_yi_Wesely’ Yi
There are many extremely talented players in the region. What is undeniable is the appetite for NBA 2K basketball in the Asia-Pacific region. The local scene is growing year over year both in regard to localized tournaments and active participants on the five versus five Pro-Am game mode. The establishment of the Gen.G Tigers of Shanghai is an incredibly important milestone in the league’s trajectory and for global expansion coupled with the APAC Invitational which is a fitting capstone event that brings all the Asia-Pacific countries together to compete for all the marbles – glory on the virtual hardwood and spots in the NBA 2K League draft pool.
Latest News
Blueprint Gaming upgrades Super Graphics Upside Down for Lottomart exclusive
The updated slot launches on Lottomart for UK players on 23rd July with a new bonus wheel and higher max win.
Blueprint Gaming is releasing an upgraded version of Super Graphics Upside Down exclusively on Lottomart from 23rd July, giving Lottomart’s UK players early access to the title.
Originally launched in 2021, Super Graphics Upside Down is being re-released with a new bonus wheel feature and an increased max win potential, rising from 250X to 3000X, according to the companies.
Chris Ruddock, Commercial Director at Lottomart, said:
“Securing an early release exclusive on the new Super Graphics Upside Down is another exciting milestone for Lottomart. Blueprint Gaming has upgraded a fantastic game with engaging new features and bigger win potential, and we’re delighted to offer this game exclusively to our UK players.”
Elliott Kyne, Account Manager at Blueprint Gaming, said:
“We’re delighted to support Lottomart with the exclusive UK launch of Super Graphics Upside Down. It’s also pleasing to see our partnership continue to go from strength to strength, and Lottomart’s impressive growth and UK focus has made them a match made in heaven for Blueprint’s content. We’re SUPER excited to bring this latest release to their players.”
The companies said the launch is part of their ongoing partnership, with Blueprint Gaming providing exclusive content as Lottomart expands its UK presence.
The post Blueprint Gaming upgrades Super Graphics Upside Down for Lottomart exclusive appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
app analytics
AppsFlyer: UK app activity spikes on every goal during England knockout games
Data tracks the semi-final loss to Argentina and third-place win over France, showing rising spend even on goals against England.
AppsFlyer on July 22, 2026 published new UK app activity data tied to England’s knockout-stage matches in 2026’s biggest global football tournament: a 1-2 semi-final loss to Argentina and a 6-4 win over France in the third-place match.
The company said the UK stood out in its seven-market study as the only market to show app activity spikes in response to its own team scoring during the knockout stage. “England fans lived two entirely different matches on their phones within a week. In the semi-final, activity spiked when England scored, the only time we saw a market react to its own team’s goal in the knockout stage, but the mood shifted fast once Argentina hit back, with fans clearly cooling as the game slipped away. In the third-place match, mobile surged and dipped with every goal in a high-scoring game, keeping engagement elevated throughout. Same fans, same phones, two completely different stories,” said Lex Nakad, GM, EMEA West, AppsFlyer.
AppsFlyer reported that Gordon’s opener in the semi-final drove app activity 21% above normal. Engagement peaked at half-time at 47% above normal, then Argentina’s equalizer triggered a 19% spike. By the time Argentina scored a stoppage-time winner, the reaction had dropped to 6%, which AppsFlyer said indicated deflating interest as the match turned.
In the third-place match, AppsFlyer said activity “surged and dipped with every goal” throughout the ten-goal game, including a 37% spike at the hydration break and a 25% lift “across the goals,” which it attributed to the volume of match action rather than a single moment.
On monetisation, AppsFlyer said purchases increased in both matches: up 31% in the semi-final and 59% in the third-place match. Per-app spend peaked at half-time (19%) in the semi-final and spiked again on Argentina’s late goals (18% to 20% on the equalizer, and 15% on the winner). Streaming was the top-performing category, up 183%. The company also said food delivery behaviour diverged by kickoff time, with activity up 11% pre-kickoff and peaking at 17% at half-time for the 8pm semi-final, but dropping 39% during the 10pm third-place match.
AppsFlyer said the analysis spans seven markets (US, Mexico, Canada, UK, France, Spain, Argentina) and 18 app categories, comparing match-day activity with a matched regular-day baseline at the same local-clock minute. The company noted the underlying app-market data is the United Kingdom (not an “England-only” cut), and that it is not quoting revenue or order size due to outliers.
The post AppsFlyer: UK app activity spikes on every goal during England knockout games appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Contributors Program
Gamblers Connect names Gali Hartuv as seventh 2026 Contributors Program voice
The Playa strategic advisor will publish on VIP operations, segmentation and retention, starting with an anonymous VIP Operations Survey 2026.
Gamblers Connect has confirmed Gali Hartuv, Strategic Advisor at The Playa, as the seventh voice to join its 2026 Contributors Program.
The independent B2B iGaming media platform said the programme will reveal one senior industry voice per month throughout 2026, with contributors publishing under the Gamblers Connect Contributor Editorial Code.
Gamblers Connect said Hartuv has more than 15 years’ experience in VIP management, including designing and optimising VIP programmes across more than 50 operator brands, and training “hundreds of professionals” now working in VIP roles across the industry.
Hartuv will publish across four areas: building VIP programmes that drive long-term value; AI-powered VIP identification and player segmentation; hyper-personalisation and retention strategy; and scaling VIP operations across different markets and cultures. His first contribution is a VIP Operations Survey 2026, an anonymous survey intended to benchmark how VIP teams work across iGaming operators, including portfolio sizing, tools, qualification thresholds, workflow standards and where time is spent during the week.
Partnerships and Operations Lead, Luka Dimitrijevic, said: “VIP management is where a great deal of an operator’s value is won or lost, and very few people can speak to it with Gali’s depth. He has spent his career turning high value player relationships into a discipline rather than guesswork, and he is refreshingly candid about what works and what does not. Through the Contributors Program he will share practical insight on VIP strategy, retention, and the smart use of AI, with content grounded in real results rather than recycled best practices.”
The post Gamblers Connect names Gali Hartuv as seventh 2026 Contributors Program voice appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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