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
Esports World Cup Foundation Renews Partnership with Albaik

The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) has announced the renewal of its partnership with Albaik for a second consecutive year, aimed at enriching the experience of both visitors and players participating in the Esports World Cup (EWC). With a deep-rooted history in Saudi Arabia since 1974, Albaik will continue supporting the Kingdom’s gaming and esports sector through this prestigious partnership, aligned with its broader mission to empower youth and foster local talent in line with Saudi Vision 2030.
This partnership is built on a shared commitment to the future – bringing diverse entertainment offerings to the largest esports and gaming event in history. With audiences attending from across the globe, EWC 2025 offers visitors an exciting mix of competitive matches, immersive experiences and cultural programming.
Albaik’s continued involvement in EWC 2025 reflects its long-standing commitment to social, sporting and economic development in the Kingdom. It also reinforces the company’s belief that meaningful community impact is a core part of doing business – a principle that shapes its contributions to national development and youth empowerment.
Returning to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from July 7 to August 24, 2025, the Esports World Cup will unite global gaming communities for a celebration of esports culture. With 25 tournaments across 24 games, 2000 elite players and 200 Clubs from over 100 countries, the EWC will feature the largest prize pool in esports history, over $70 million. Fans can expect exclusive experiences, from high-stakes competition to live music, anime cafes, retro arcades, cosplay and more, drawing millions of fans online and in person.
The post Esports World Cup Foundation Renews Partnership with Albaik appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
eSports
Esports World Cup Foundation and Lenovo™ Partner to Power the Next Generation of Esports Champions

Lenovo’s Legion premium gaming brand joins the world’s largest esports event to fuel elite performance and elevate the fan experience through world-class hardware
The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) and Lenovo, announced a partnership to make Lenovo’s Legion brand of gaming devices the Official PC & Gaming Hardware partner of the Esports World Cup 2025 (EWC). Lenovo Legion is the one of the world’s leading gaming ecosystem brands, and will be bring its relentless commitment to innovation and performance to the global stage, empowering EWC athletes to compete at their highest level.
From training rooms to tournament zones, EWC athletes will be equipped with Lenovo Legion Towers, Lenovo Legion laptops, and peripherals – built for elite esports play with advanced thermal systems, high-performance silicon, high refresh-rate displays and low latency keyboards and mice that meet the demands of top-level competition.
Key models such as the Legion Tower 7i and Legion Tower 5i will feature across the event’s player infrastructure, delivering the reliability and power needed to perform under the intense pressure of elite competition. Designed for esports, both towers offer expansive I/O for a complete gaming setup and Legion Coldfront: Liquid cooling thermal solutions. The Legion Tower 7i boasts advanced cooling and an NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 5080 Desktop GPU for the extreme performance that top-tier esports athletes rely on, while the Legion Tower 5i pairs intelligent cooling with the RTX 5070 Ti Desktop GPU to deliver focused, winning gameplay.
EWC will also feature Legion Pro 7i laptops to give attendees the full Lenovo Legion experience. Legion laptops untether elite-level gaming experiences from the desk, allowing gamers to win anywhere they find themselves in competition for the top spot with up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop GPUs and Legion Coldfront: Vapor thermal systems, allowing the laptop to deliver up to 250W TDP that brings the most demanding games to life on the 16” PureSight OLED display.
“We’re building the Esports World Cup to set a new global standard — in both competition and the technology behind it,” said Mohammed Al Nimer, Chief Commercial Officer at Esports World Cup Foundation. “Lenovo’s Legion brand understands what elite players need: speed, efficiency, and reliability under pressure. These machines deliver the competitive edge required on the world’s biggest stage, and together we’re pushing the limits of performance — while delivering an experience that meets the expectations of athletes, fans, and the future of global esports.”
“Lenovo Legion equips gamers around the world with outstanding devices to help them achieve their goals and reach their impossible,” said Volker Düring, VP, PC Gaming Business, Lenovo. “The Esports World Cup is the ultimate forum for the world’s best gamers to showcase their mettle and emerge at the top of the world leaderboards, and when the best gamers compete on Lenovo Legion devices, anything is possible.”
As part of the partnership, Lenovo’s Legion branding will appear across EWC’s global broadcast, digital content, and onsite experiences, including fully equipped festival zones with PCs, gear, and laptops available for attendees to play on-site, helping drive deeper engagement with fans while highlighting the ecosystem that supports world-class gaming.
Fans can expect exclusive content, player-focused storytelling, and digital activations across Lenovo Legion’s social channels, offering an inside look at the road to victory – and the technology that powers it.
Returning to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from July 7 to August 24, 2025, the Esports World Cup will unite global gaming communities for a celebration of esports culture. With 25 tournaments across 24 games, 2,000 elite players, and 200 Clubs from over 100 countries, the EWC will feature the largest prize pool in esports history, over $70 million. Fans can expect exclusive experiences, from high-stakes competition to live music, anime cafes, retro arcades, cosplay, and more, drawing millions of fans online and in person.
The post Esports World Cup Foundation and Lenovo™ Partner to Power the Next Generation of Esports Champions appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
eSports
BETBY REDEFINES CHESS BETTING WITH EXPANDED MARKET OFFERING AHEAD OF ESPORTS WORLD CUP DEBUT

BETBY, the innovative sportsbook supplier, is redefining how chess is experienced in the betting world, launching an innovative suite of markets designed to deepen engagement and bring fresh energy to one of the world’s oldest strategy games.
Marking a new chapter for chess within the iGaming space, BETBY’s upgraded betting content portfolio goes far beyond traditional markets like outright winner or total moves. Bettors can now engage with detailed, event-specific outcomes including the first move made, the first piece captured, number of checks, castlings, and whether a game will feature a pawn promotion, an en passant, or end in stalemate. Several markets also focus on the timing of critical moments, such as whether a checkmate will occur before a certain move, offering more dynamic, real-time decision-making for players.
This launch follows six months of dedicated product development across BETBY’s chess vertical and reflects the company’s long-term vision for the game as a core part of its sportsbook strategy. With chess now officially included in the Esports World Cup, the timing marks a natural convergence of two verticals where BETBY continues to strengthen its position: esports and traditional chess.
As part of this expansion, BETBY is also introducing another exclusive: live betting on the Top Chess Engine Championship (TCEC), a prestigious AI-based tournament. While the event follows a defined schedule, it opens up a new betting experience through intense matchups between powerful engines, enriching the overall chess offering.
Currently, BETBY offers pre-match coverage for around 20 chess tournaments per month, totaling approximately 400 matches. The addition of these expanded markets marks a strategic leap forward in delivering a modern, high-engagement chess product to sportsbook partners and players.
“Chess has always been a passion of ours, and today we’re proud to announce the launch of a truly comprehensive chess offering,” said Kirill Nekrasov, Head of Sportsbook Product at BETBY. “By expanding our market depth and introducing innovative tournaments, including both traditional and AI-driven formats, we’re giving our partners and players a completely new way to engage with the game. Our vision is ambitious: we want chess and betting to become synonymous, to the point where no modern sportsbook feels complete without chess markets. We’ve already done this with Betby.Games and esports, now it’s time to do the same with chess.”
BETBY’s long-term global brand ambassador, five-time world chess champion Magnus Carlsen, will represent Team Liquid at the Esports World Cup. His participation in the tournament, which begins on July 7th, reinforces chess’s growing presence in global esports and its potential as a premium betting vertical.
The post BETBY REDEFINES CHESS BETTING WITH EXPANDED MARKET OFFERING AHEAD OF ESPORTS WORLD CUP DEBUT appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
-
Baltics5 days ago
Lithuania Implements New Restrictions on Gambling Advertising
-
Compliance Updates6 days ago
MGM Yonkers Submits Commercial Casino License Application in New York
-
Central Europe5 days ago
FC Bayern and Betano Sign Partnership Agreement
-
Baltics6 days ago
HIPTHER Community Voices: Interview with the CEO and co-founder of Nordcurrent Victoria Trofimova
-
Australia4 days ago
Konami Promotes Tom Jingoli to President and COO
-
Africa6 days ago
SOFTSWISS Report: South Africa’s Gambling Revenue to Hit €3.63 Billion by 2025
-
Central Europe6 days ago
GGL Publishes its 2024 Activity Report
-
Chile6 days ago
Zenith partners with Paraguay’s Jugamax to expand ONEAPI Game Aggregation across LatAm