eSports
Guild Esports Plc Enters VALORANT and Announces Full Team Line-Up
Guild Esports Plc (Guild), the global esports team organisation headquartered in London, today announces its entry into Valorant, a competitive 5v5 multiplayer tactical first-person shooter, with the signing of a top-flight roster of professional players who will compete in the upcoming First Strike tournament, Riot Games’ debut esports tournament for Valorant.
Guild’s Valorant team has been acquired from the top-ranked Swedish team Bonk, one of Europe’s most successful Valorant teams. The team was carefully chosen following a rigorous selection process and is comprised of five sought-after players: Yacine Laghmari ‘Yacine’, Malkolm Rench ‘bonkar’, Leo Janneson ‘Leo’, William Sundin ‘draken’, and Filip Gauffin ‘Goffe’. The team’s inaugural competition under the Guild banner will take place at the start of First Strike in early November.
The team has already achieved success, finishing in the top two in the recent Ignition Series and Mandatory.gg Cup tournaments and the players are excited to take the next step and emerge as champions under Guild.
Yacine is a top-tier former CS:GO player who has made waves early on in his Valorant career.
bonkar was Sweden’s first professional Valorant player. He is a former Paladins professional player and has won two Paladins World Championships. He is regarded as one of the best players in the game and is known for producing impressive results.
Leo, aged 16 is a talented emerging player known as “The Young Gun”. He has achieved professional success at a young age.
draken is a tier-one former CS:GO professional player and well known star player with a significant following.
Goffe is a former top CS:GO professional player and Valorant amateur who is widely regarded as an industry “one-to-watch” and is now ready to compete at a professional level.
The finalised Valorant roster marks Guild’s first step into hardcore PC-based esports, following its launch into the cross-platform Rocket League and EA Sports FIFA titles earlier this year.
Guild is developing a talent pipeline in the UK based on the traditional academy model which will see the most able players such as Valorant amateurs scouted by Guild’s talent scout network and coached by industry leaders in order to attain the skillset required to win and take their careers to the next level.
Valorant is a fast-growing esports title published by Riot Games, the renowned developer behind League of Legends. Valorant is followed by a large audience with recent tournaments reported to have recorded over one million viewers.
Carleton Curtis, Executive Chairman at Guild, commented: “Joining the Valorant community is a perfect step for Guild and we are delighted to expand into the new exciting and emerging esports space. Valorant is destined to become a major esport with global reach and deep fan bases and it benefits from the prestige of being developed by best-in-class publisher Riot Games. With these signings, Guild has established itself as a multi-disciplinary esports business and we are looking forward to fielding rosters in new games as we continue to scale and invest in our business utilising the war chest we raised in our IPO.
Valorant is an exciting esport and since its launch this year has already made a big impact on the competitive gaming ecosystem, winning over top pros from established games like Overwatch. We have high ambitions for our top-calibre team in the upcoming First Strike tournament. We are proud to welcome the players to our Guild family where we will coach and support them to become world champions.”
Yacine Laghmari ‘Yacine’, Professional Valorant Player at Guild, commented: “Valorant is one of the most dynamic esports out there and being in Guild’s first Valorant roster is an exciting opportunity. I’m looking forward to playing my part in the future of Guild and the team.
Guild is an organisation with big ambition that is on a path to achieve great things and I’m proud to be a part of that. I’ve always been an ambitious player and want to create a legacy that will last.
Our team has already proved itself at a top level and now the goal is to become world champions.”
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Partnership to drive EWC’s expansion in China, leveraging Tencent E-sports’ networks and expertise to connect Chinese esports with EWC’s global ecosystem
The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) announced a partnership with Tencent, making Tencent E-sports the EWCF’s strategic partner in China to drive the expansion of the Esports World Cup’s presence in the region. This partnership marks a significant milestone in the EWCF’s purpose to unite global esports fans under one competitive umbrella and underscores its commitment to integrating the world’s most important and rapidly growing esports market into the Esports World Cup platform. The agreement was formalized at the Empower Esports Worldwide Series – The Esports Operation and Technology Session in Shenzhen, China.
The collaboration will establish a dedicated Development Team to enhance EWC’s visibility, engagement, and industry collaboration in China, while leveraging EWC’s and Tencent E-sports’ networks and expertise to connect Chinese esports with EWC’s global ecosystem. Tencent E-sports will provide marketing expertise, strategic consulting, and operational support to deliver diverse content and experiences.
“The Esports World Cup has created a global stage for competitive gaming, demonstrating its influence not only in China but across the world,” said Mars Hou, Vice President of Tencent Games and General Manager of Tencent E-sports. “Through this partnership, we are committed to elevating EWC’s presence in China and integrating our esports industry with the world’s largest competitive gaming event. We look forward to deepening our collaboration with EWCF to push esports forward on a global scale.”
“The Esports World Cup’s purpose is to create a global platform for esports and gaming fans worldwide, and investing in key growth markets for esports is a core pillar of our mission,” said Thamer Al Shuaibi, Chief of Staff at the Esports World Cup Foundation. “China plays a critical role in this vision, and Tencent’s leadership in gaming and esports positions it as an essential partner. By combining our expertise, we will continue to strengthen esports as an industry, providing new opportunities for Chinese players and Clubs, and bringing the best of the Esports World Cup to Chinese fans.”
Esports World Cup 2025 will once again unite gaming and esports communities in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for a global competition that will crown the next Esports World Cup Champion. The tournament’s unique cross-game format will reward Clubs and players competing for a life-changing prize pool in a mix of platforms and genres, bringing together esports’ best players, Clubs and games under one banner in the largest-ever celebration of esports.
The post Esports World Cup Foundation Announces Strategic Partnership with Tencent appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
The Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) implemented its comprehensive anti-doping testing program at IEM Katowice 2025, organised by ESL FACEIT Group (EFG). Conducted at EFG’s request, this initiative reinforced the commitment of both organisations to maintaining the highest standards of competitive integrity in esports.
ESIC’s anti-doping procedures, carried out in accordance with the ESIC Anti-Doping Code, ensured that all participating competitors at IEM Katowice adhered to globally recognised best practices. The programme featured advanced testing protocols, thorough monitoring and rigorous enforcement measures, all designed to uphold fair competition.
“At ESIC, our mission is to protect the integrity of the esports ecosystem. By deploying our anti-doping testing at IEM Katowice 2025, we reaffirmed our dedication to supporting event organizers like EFG in hosting competitions where athletes compete responsibly and ethically,” Stephen Hanna, Chief Executive Officer of ESIC, said.
Over the past few years, ESIC has administered more than 700 anti-doping tests at major esports events, including those hosted by EFG. This extensive experience further cements ESIC’s reputation for providing industry-leading services that prioritise player welfare, competitive fairness and a culture of transparency.
“Protecting integrity is paramount for esports, which is why EFG and ESIC are constantly working together to ensure fair competition. ESIC have proven themselves to have the experience, as well as an advanced system that provides the credibility and peace of mind needed at one of our biggest and most prestigious events, IEM Katowice,” Carsten Kramer, Director of Tournament Management at EFG, said.
The post ESIC Implemented its Anti-doping Testing Programme at IEM Katowice 2025 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
New partnership will see Kambi’s Esports division deliver its full suite of esports products, including odds via Kambi’s Odds Feed+ API, to Kindred’s in-house sportsbook
Abios, a leading esports data and odds provider and part of Kambi Group, is pleased to announce a multi-year partnership with Kindred Group, one of the world’s leading online betting and gaming operators, to provide its full range of best-in-class esports betting solutions.
Abios will supply its complete esports package, including odds, data, widgets and always-on content, to Kindred’s Unibet and 32Red brands, providing the operator’s in-house sportsbook with unrivalled esports betting experiences.
Leveraging Kambi’s Odds Feed+ API, Abios will deliver its high-uptime odds feed which includes comprehensive esoccer and ebasketball coverage, as well as leading esports titles such as Counter-Strike 2, League of Legends, Dota 2 and VALORANT. Utilising automated modelling, Abios’ low latency odds feed utilises official tournament data to power leading features such as bet builder and player props.
The new agreement is in addition to the Esports odds service Abios currently provides to Kindred as part of Kambi’s Turnkey Sportsbook service.
Anton Janér, Managing Director and Co-founder of Abios, said: “We are delighted to strengthen our partnership with Unibet and the wider Kindred Group, a leader in the global sports betting and gaming market. This agreement showcases the value of Abios’ full esports odds packages and our ability to deliver innovative solutions that meet the evolving needs of operators and enables them to reach new audiences through the growth of esports.”
Ben Colley, Sportsbook Director of Kindred Group, added: “Esports continues to grow in popularity, and it’s essential that we offer our customers the best possible experience in this exciting category. Extending our partnership with Abios via Kambi’s Odds Feed+ API and leveraging their deep expertise and esports odds solutions ensures we remain at the forefront of esports betting, delivering unparalleled products and services to our players.”
The post Abios partners with Kindred Group to provide full esports betting solutions appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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