eSports
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.
Global esports organisation GIANTX has come away from Madrid with a landmark victory, outstanding performances, and the affection of thousands of fans, after the Spanish capital turned into the European hub for esports over the weekend. The LEC Roadtrip, hosted by Movistar KOI — the organisation led by Ibai Llanos — proved to be a resounding success in terms of attendance and organisation. GIANTX, with roots in London and Málaga, played a starring role. Only a narrow defeat against the hosts prevented a perfect weekend. Now, the focus shifts back to Berlin, where GIANTX will fight for a place in the playoffs of the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC), the continent’s premier esports league.
For the first time, the LEC temporarily moved its competition from Berlin to Madrid. The Spanish capital once again demonstrated the strength and passion of its esports community, particularly in League of Legends. Around 10,000 spectators filled the Madrid Arena over two days, witnessing four thrilling matches — all decided on the final map — alongside fan activities and community events. The success of the Roadtrip has reignited calls for more international esports events to be hosted in Spain.
GIANTX approached the weekend with two objectives: to improve their standings by securing key victories and to reaffirm their status as one of Europe’s most historic esports organisations, with more than 15 years of tradition and success. The support for GIANTX was immense, with fans travelling from across the country to gather in Madrid. While the team fell just short of a perfect weekend, they earned the respect and affection of the entire arena.
On the competitive front, GIANTX made a strong start by defeating G2 Esports, the historic powerhouse of European League of Legends. It was GIANTX’s first-ever victory over G2, following a tense three-map series that also played out heavily on social media. In the first game, Lot and Jackies led the charge with standout performances on Jax and Yone. Although GIANTX faltered in the second map after a promising early game, they pulled off an unforgettable comeback in the decisive third map, overcoming a formidable performance from G2’s superstar Caps.
Later on Sunday, GIANTX faced KOI in another fiercely contested series. After a standout performance with Tristana in the second game, GIANTX forced a third map but could not maintain their momentum. KOI, who had defeated Fnatic the day before, emerged victorious and closed out the weekend as Roadtrip champions. Fnatic, meanwhile, secured a win over G2 to salvage their weekend.
GIANTX proved itself a top-level contender at the Madrid Arena, but earlier inconsistencies during the Spring Split now weigh heavily in the standings. To qualify for the LEC playoffs, GIANTX must defeat Team BDS next weekend and Team Heretics the following one. The team currently holds a 2-5 record — results that do not fully reflect the positive performances seen in Madrid.
The post GIANTX wins Madrid’s heart during a historic weekend for European esports appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Oliver Niner, Head of B2B says that DFS remains a compelling vertical with huge growth potential especially if operators expand their offering into esports
The roll out of legal online and mobile sports betting across US states has presented a significant opportunity for operators, but the market has proved harder to crack than many anticipated.
The cost of customer acquisition is skyrocketing, building brand equity is taking much longer than expected, and there’s been a slowdown in new states embracing regulation and licensing.
This has led to a run of operators exiting the market as the numbers simply don’t add up.
But while this is happening, the daily fantasy sports space continues to thrive and remains a compelling opportunity for operators.
DFS has a unique legal standing in many states where sports betting is still restricted, allowing operators to reach audiences they otherwise couldn’t.
It also fosters deeper engagement with those who play – players aren’t just betting on outcomes; they’re actively managing lineups and pitting their knowledge and skills against others.
This is the perfect combination for retention and loyalty – something sportsbooks struggle to achieve with players easily swayed to join another brand simply because of a generous free bets offer.
There’s also an untapped opportunity in bringing the worlds of esports and daily fantasy sports together, allowing operators to connect with an entirely new audience.
Until now, traditional DFS brands have focused on the major sports, but the younger, digital-native audiences are more interested in esports such as CS2 and LoL than the NFL.
Why the DFS model works:
Before discussing how operators can get in on the esports DFS action, it’s important to understand why the DFS model works so well in the US, especially for those looking to diversify their offering.
The first is regulatory accessibility. DFS is legal in more states than traditional sports betting, allowing operators to enter markets where sportsbook licensing is unavailable or complex.
DFS has much lower acquisition costs while serving as a gateway to paid gaming. It often attracts a younger, more engaged audience at a lower CPA compared to traditional sports betting.
Strong user retention is another upside. Unlike one-off bets, DFS players return regularly to manage lineups, track stats and compete in contests, driving retention rates way beyond sports betting.
It’s also esports ready. Esports fans are highly engaged with player performance stats, making DFS a natural fit. It can then serve as an introduction to real-money esports betting when regulations allow.
The esports DFS opportunity to be explored:
DFS is an established and thriving vertical and while some operators offer esports within their proposition, it often lacks depth, innovation and mainstream adoption.
Esports fans are naturally engaged with stats, player performance metrics and in-game analytics, so easily segue into the DFS format.
Titles like LoL, CS2, Dota 2 and Valorant offer rich data sets that allow for creative and competitive fantasy formats, but most operators are yet to really get into it.
This leaves a major gap in the market and a huge opportunity for those who put together a compelling esports DFS product, especially as the popularity of esports betting grows.
What a compelling esports DFS product looks like:
The foundation of any esports DFS product is reliable, real-time data and the ability to provide a range of engaging contest formats.
This is where companies such as PandaScore come in. We provide operators with comprehensive esports data including player and team stats across all the major disciplines.
We supplement this with accurate odds and DFS pricing models, helping operators to set accurate and competitive odds – both our data and odds feeds are integrated seamlessly via API.
We also provide unrivalled market expertise; the team has years of experience powering esports betting which we leverage to ensure our partners can succeed with esports DFS.
In addition to markets and odds, players need to be able to access deep performance metrics so they can make informed decisions.
It’s also important for the operator to provide a smooth and intuitive experience via a seamless UX and mobile first approach to site and app navigation.
The diversity of the contests offered needs to be considered, too. This includes classic salary cap formats as well as pick’em games and more.
It goes without saying that social interaction needs to be baked into the experience through features such as leaderboards, private leagues and head-to-head challenges.
Operators need to get ahead in a rapidly evolving market:
The US sports betting and iCasino market is fast moving with the landscape constantly changing – just look at the conversation around sweepstakes casinos.
For me, DFS and especially esports DFS remain an underutilised growth channel that operators need to take advantage of.
As esports betting gains traction – PandaScore recently surpassed €1bn in bets through its platform – DFS serves as a vital entry point through which operators can build brand recognition and engage a digital-first audience primed and ready to play.
This audience might not be familiar with real-money betting today, but by providing them with an experience they are familiar and comfortable with, they can become the bettors of tomorrow.
At PandaScore, we are here to help operators capitalise on this opportunity with best-in-class data, pricing models and strategic support.
For operators, this means the numbers will always add up when it comes to esports daily fantasy sports.
The post Assessing the esports DFS opportunity in the US appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
Hero Esports, an industry leader and the largest esports company in Asia, has announced its championship venues for the Asian Champions League (ACL) Grand Finals 2025 taking place May 16-18 in Shanghai. The landmark event will transform three of the city’s most iconic venues into battlegrounds for nine premier esports titles, cementing Shanghai’s status as the global esports capital.
The tournament is expected to attract 80,000+ live attendees across three venues, with global broadcasts reaching millions via Twitch, YouTube and TikTok. Participating teams will be competing for a total prize pool of $2 million. Selected ACL winners will earn direct entry to the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia—the largest esports event in history due to take place from July to August.
“Shanghai’s selection as our host city reflects its unmatched esports infrastructure and passionate community. By combining elite competition with DreamHack’s festival energy, we’re creating a new blueprint for global esports events,” said Jonny Wang, CEO of ACL.
“This is Hero Esports’ most ambitious project to date. The ACL bridges Asian talents with the world stage while delivering unforgettable fan experiences through cutting-edge production,” said Danny Tang, Co-Founder & CEO of Hero Esports.
The post Hero Esports Announces Venues for ACL Grand Finals 2025 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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