eSports
EXCEL ESPORTS introduces The Power of Better into major brand update
The leading British competitive gaming brand unveils ambitious manifesto and vision of The Power of Better, incorporating purpose into its brand identity to help improve the gaming and esports industry and looking beyond the esports “lifestyle brand”
EXCEL ESPORTS, the leading British competitive gaming culture brand, with teams participating in the two biggest global video games, Fortnite and League of Legends, has today unveiled a significant brand update, a bold and unique visual identity in esports that will see EXCEL evolve into a professional team that adds purpose to its passion for gaming. The update signifies the next stage of EXCEL’s expansion, growth and its unique vision of The Power of Better; a commitment to improve in everything it does and to use its platform to have a positive impact on the wider gaming and esports community.
Since its inception six years ago, EXCEL has become the most prolific British esports team, making significant strides to represent, support and develop the esports ecosystem.
EXCEL now looks to the future and what it means to be a professional esports team, steering beyond the over-used “lifestyle” esports brand and carving out a new unique path in esports that will see it driven by performance and incorporating purpose, striving to be better and enacting positive change in esports and gaming through its vision of The Power of Better. Centered around two core principles, The Power of Better is the belief that improvement never stops – whether you’re part of an organisation or as an individual, you can be better tomorrow than you are today – and aims to challenge the status quo in the world of esports. It is a commitment by EXCEL to constantly review how it operates, continuously looking inwards and onwards.
EXCEL began its journey of improvement by creating the Performance Playbook, which focuses on the holistic development of its players both physiologically and psychologically as well as the Pyramid of Success, a philosophy for engineering improved levels of performance that is underpinned by its core values and beliefs of trust, respect, dedication, discipline and creating good habits. The Power of Better looks to go further than performance with EXCEL looking to be an inspiration for the wider gaming community by having a positive impact on everything it does.
To start, EXCEL has revealed the launch of the ‘Gaming for Better’ whitepaper series for gamers everywhere, with the first one created by EXCEL’s Head of Performance and sports psychology expert Fabian Broich. The whitepaper, published today, explores the common injuries experienced by gamers and provides advice on how to improve individual performance and become healthier by focusing on physical activity, lifestyle balance, and creating positive habits.
To illustrate its new ambitions and The Power of Better vision, EXCEL has unveiled a completely new visual identity with a new logo, colour palette, website and merchandise line. The logo will retain the ‘X’ and ‘L’ widely used and recognised by EXCEL fans. The design has been simplified to ensure it is easily identifiable and the forward arrow in the X embodies the brands forward thinking approach as well as the dynamic world of gaming. The new diverse and flexible colour palette allows for creativity, fluidity and change, reflecting EXCEL’s ambitions to forge its own path and allowing the brand to evolve as it continues its journey of improvement. The new website will act as a digital destination for fans, the centerpoint where the community can stay up to date with the latest EXCEL news. It will also incorporate a shop with new merch ranges.
“Over the last six years, EXCEL ESPORTS has seen immense growth, transforming from a bedroom hobby into a professional competitive gaming brand with players competing in the world’s biggest esports. When EXCEL was founded we wanted our identity to be motivational, competitive, and allow people to easily support us in-game with the XL tag. As we head into this next phase of our journey, it’s great to be able to showcase our roots and initial passion, whilst developing our brand so that it is fit for our future ambitions”, said Kieran Holmes-Darby, Co-Founder and Chief Gaming Officer, EXCEL ESPORTS.
“At EXCEL we have unlimited ambitions in the games we compete in, what we want to become as a team and as a brand. It’s now time for us to take our next step to grow as a globally recognised, respected and loved competitive gaming brand from Britain. This step is more than just a visual update, it’s our belief in our vision for ourselves, our talent, our community and our culture. We believe that too many try to copy each other, vying to be competitive or lifestyle without further meaning. Today, we will start our journey of The Power of Better with passion, professionalism, performance and purpose. This is more than just a brand update, it is EXCEL’s promise to be better every day and make our contribution to the future of competitive gaming,” said Wouter Sleijffers, CEO, EXCEL ESPORTS.
Powered by WPeMatico
eSports
Esports Awards 2026 Returns for Global Honors
The Esports Awards is set to return in 2026, bringing together the global esports community for its annual celebration of excellence.
Scheduled to take place in North America later this year, the awards will honor the top players, teams, creators, and innovators who defined the past year in competitive gaming. Exact dates and venues will be revealed in the coming months.
Last year marked a major milestone for the Esports Awards, celebrating 10 years of esports achievements at the HyperX Arena in Las Vegas. The ceremony recognized industry icons such as Mathieu “Zywoo” Herbaut, iShowSpeed, and Animesh “Thug” Agarwal, while inducting six new members into the Lifetime Achievement in Esports: Class of 2025. Earlier in 2025, the Esports Awards hosted the one-off Decade Awards, which drew a global audience of 36.25 million live viewers.
For the 2026 edition, fan-favorite categories such as Esports Game of the Year, Esports Personality of the Year, Streamer of the Year, and Esports Team of the Year will return, giving fans a direct voice in recognizing the standout moments and figures in esports over the past year. Winners will be determined through a combination of community voting and input from the Esports Awards Panel, which includes seasoned industry veterans, broadcasters, creators, and professional players, ensuring both credibility and integrity.
In addition to the main ceremony, the Esports Awards Golf Invitational will make a comeback, offering a day of networking and friendly competition for industry leaders, creators, and esports competitors ahead of the awards.
Michael Ashford, CEO of the Esports Awards, said: “The Esports Awards continues to shine a spotlight on the very best in esports and gaming, and we’re pleased to return for 2026. Following the success of the Decade Awards and our 10th anniversary celebrations, we look forward to recognizing the individuals, teams, and moments that defined the past year in esports.”
Fans are encouraged to follow the Esports Awards’ official X account for updates on venues, dates, nominees, and voting.
The post Esports Awards 2026 Returns for Global Honors appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
eSports
THE ESPORTS AWARDS RETURNS IN 2026 FOR A CELEBRATION OF ESPORTS EXCELLENCE
- The Esports Awards will return later this year for its 2026 edition, taking place in North America and honouring the outstanding players, teams, creators and innovators of the past year in esports
- Last year marked a major milestone for the Esports Awards, celebrating 10 years of excellence at the HyperX Arena, alongside the one-off Decade Awards, which reached 36.25M live views globally
- The Esports Awards Golf Invitational will also return, bringing together industry leaders, creators and competitors for a day of networking and competition ahead of the main ceremony
- Full details on the venue, date, nominees and voting will be revealed in the coming months
The Esports Awards has announced the return of its annual ceremony for 2026. Bringing together the global esports community under one roof, the Esports Awards will once again recognise the players, teams, creators and innovators who have defined the past year. The ceremony will take place in North America later this year, with exact dates and venue to be revealed in the coming months.
Last year’s edition of the Esports Awards marked a significant milestone, celebrating 10 years of esports excellence at the HyperX Arena in Las Vegas. The ceremony honoured some of the industry’s most recognised figures, including Mathieu “Zywoo” Herbaut, iShowSpeed and Animesh “Thug” Agarwal, while welcoming six new inductees into the Lifetime Achievement in Esports: Class of 2025 award. Earlier in the year, the Esports Awards also hosted the one-off Decade Awards in August, presented by Trevor “Quickshot” Henry, Jessica “JessGOAT” Bolden and Barney Banks, reaching 36.25M live views globally.
For the 2026 edition, fan-favourite categories including Esports Game of the Year, Esports Personality of the Year, Streamer of the Year and Esports Team of the Year will return, giving the community a voice in recognising the moments and individuals that shaped the past year in esports.
Winners will be determined through a combination of community voting and input from the Esports Awards Panel, a group of industry veterans, broadcasters, creators and players, ensuring the integrity and credibility of the awards.
In addition to the main ceremony, the Esports Awards Golf Invitational will return, bringing together industry leaders, creators and competitors for a day of networking and competition ahead of the awards.
“The Esports Awards continues to shine a spotlight on the very best in esports and gaming, and we’re pleased to return for 2026” said Michael Ashford, CEO of the Esports Awards. “Following the success of the Decade Awards and our 10th anniversary celebrations, we look forward to recognising the individuals, teams and moments that defined the past year in esports.”
Further updates regarding the venue, date, nominees and voting will be announced in the coming months. Fans are encouraged to follow the Esports Awards’ X account for the latest updates.
The post THE ESPORTS AWARDS RETURNS IN 2026 FOR A CELEBRATION OF ESPORTS EXCELLENCE appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
eSports
HERA WINS RED BULL WOLOLO: LONDINIUM AGE OF EMPIRES II
Team Vitality celebrated its first Age of Empires II LAN victory as Hamzah “Hera” El-Baher triumphed in the Red Bull Wololo: Londinium final, defeating teammate Kai “Liereyy” Kallinger 5-4. Held at London’s iconic Royal Albert Hall, the event drew a packed live audience and thousands of online viewers, transforming the historic venue into a competitive arena for the world’s best players.
Hera dominated the tournament, following up his recent win at the T90 Titans League 5: Platinum League, consolidating his status as one of the top players globally. Team Vitality’s depth was evident, with Liereyy finishing second and Hernan “Hearttt” Pizarro placing sixth.
“Winning at our first LAN on Age of Empires II, and at the Royal Albert Hall no less, is incredible,” said Danny Engels, Team Vitality’s Corporate Director of Global Operations. “A first and second place for our roster reflects our dedication, training, and the support of our fans worldwide.”
This win marks Team Vitality’s successful entry into Age of Empires II, strengthening the French club’s presence in competitive esports. The team will continue its momentum by co-hosting The Garrison 2026 LAN in Hamburg, Germany, from November 25–29, 2026, expected to draw up to 1,000 spectators and become a major fixture on the AoE2 circuit.
The post HERA WINS RED BULL WOLOLO: LONDINIUM AGE OF EMPIRES II appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
-
Booming Games6 days agoBooming Games releases Ultra Buffalo Hold and Win
-
Baroness Fiona Twycross7 days agoBGC AGM 2026 Discussed About Surging Illegal Gambling Black Market
-
Big Time Gaming6 days agoBTG brings iconic board game action to the reels with MONOPOLY MEGAPOTS™
-
Latest News5 days agoELA Games Contributes to Discussions on Scalable iGaming Ecosystems and Studio Innovation at HIPTHER Prague Summit
-
Brazil6 days agoBrazil advances integrity agenda amid strong market growth
-
Brasil6 days agoBrasil impulsa su agenda de integridad en un contexto de fuerte crecimiento del mercado
-
Brazil5 days agoBrazil advances integrity agenda amid strong market growth
-
BGaming6 days agoAscend With the Gods in BGaming’s Gates of Power



