eSports
Hawks Talon GC Beats Grizz Gaming To Earn Second Win of Season

KEL (Mykel Wilson) Leads Team To Victory Against His Former Team Grizz Gaming
In front of an international viewing audience, Hawks Talon Gaming Club, the official NBA 2K League affiliate of the Atlanta Hawks, beat Grizz Gaming twice in a best-of-three series. As a result, Hawks Talon earned their second victory of the 2020 NBA 2K League regular season. The outcome of each game was 74-63, 54-60 and 75-57.
“Our team showed their resilience in each of our games against Grizz Gaming,” Hawks Talon GC’s Team Manager and Head Coach Wesley Acuff said. “In this series against KEL’s former team, our team rallied behind his composure and leadership, and we are proud of everyone’s contributions which helped us come away with a win.”
In the first game, Atlanta’s own KEL (Mykel Wilson) led the team with a personal season-best 27 points, highlighted by shooting 11-for-14, to go along with three assists and one steal. After playing for Grizz Gaming last season, Hawks Talon drafted KEL in the second round of the 2020 NBA 2K League Draft. Hawks Talon’s BP (Michael Diaz-Cruz) finished with 17 points, one rebound and three assists while MRSTYLEZ (Andrew Valle) tied his season-best with 12 points to go along with two steals. LEE (Lee Lamb) contributed with nine points and 12 rebounds and a game-high five blocks while FOLLOWTHEGOD (Kwan Larry Niblack Jr.) also added nine points shooting three-for-three from three-point range and added two rebounds, one assist and one steal.
In the second game, Hawks Talon’s BP totaled a team-high 17 points to go along with seven assists and three rebounds. LEE, the team’s 2020 first-round pick, added 11 points and 12 rebounds to record his third double-double of the season. He also added a career-high four blocks and two steals. Hawks Talon’s FOLLOWTHEGOD added nine points and four rebounds while KEL added nine points and two steals. Rounding out the group was MRSTLYEZ who added eight points, four rebounds, four assists and one block.
In the third game, Hawks Talon’s BP totaled a game-high 34 points to go along with a season-high six steals and five assists. With this performance, BP has hit the 30-point scoring mark in each match-up this season. KEL added 22 points and two assists while LEE scored eight points to go along with 11 rebounds, four assists and three blocks. MRSTYLEZ finished with a career-high seven steals, five points, three rebounds and two assists. Hawks Talon’s FOLLOWTHEGOD totaled four points, two assists and a season-high two blocks.
Hawks Talon will continue its regular season competition as part of six weeks of remote gameplay. The club’s next match will take place at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 15 against Pacers Gaming. These games will be livestreamed on the league’s Twitch and YouTube channels.
Powered by WPeMatico
eSports
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.
The post PlayVS Announces Multi-year Partnership with Zenni Optical appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
eSports
Genius Sports Signs Partnerships with Bayes Esports and GRID

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

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.”
The post DACH CS Joins as Member of Esports Integrity Commission appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
-
Caesars Entertainment4 days ago
Caesars Entertainment Debuts its First Live Dealer Studio Inside One of its Caesars Rewards Destinations
-
Latest News3 days ago
DreamPlay consolidates its status as a global player in the iGaming industry and opens an office and campus in Cyprus
-
Amusnet6 days ago
Amusnet to Participate in the Third Edition of SiGMA Americas
-
Australia6 days ago
Changes to Tipping Off Offence Came into Effect in Australia
-
Carlos Gomez7 days ago
Estadio Gana Launches in Mexico
-
Australia6 days ago
Vanguard Overwatch Announces New Partnership Deal with McAtamney & Advisors
-
Latest News6 days ago
BMM INNOVATION GROUP TO SHOWCASE ITS WORLD-LEADING TESTING SERVICES FOR BRAZIL’S FAST-GROWING GAMING MARKET AT BIS SIGMA AMERICAS SUMMIT APRIL 7–10
-
Africa6 days ago
Play’n GO announces landmark South African partnership with Hollywoodbets