eSports
ZywOo holograms appear around Paris as Team Vitality signs landmark five-year contract extension
A historic first for the organisation as they cement their commitment to working alongside the undisputed best player in the world, Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut, to build their CS:GO legacy.
Holograms of ZywOo were spotted across Paris as the announcement was marked with an evening of celebration and illumination
Leading global esports organisation, Team Vitality is pleased to announce that it has signed a five-year contract extension with CS:GO superstar Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut. The contract was signed at the beginning of 2020 and will end on December 31st 2024 signifying a five-year commitment. At only 20-years-old, ZywOo is unrivalled as the best player in the world having been ranked the number one player on HLTV at the end of 2019. The long term partnership represents Team Vitality’s commitment to nurturing the best talent in esports and fostering a culture of exceptional performance.
In celebration of the ground breaking announcement, Paris was illuminated with holograms of ZywOo across the city. ZywOo was spotted on monuments and buildings including the Pantheon, Trocadero, Near Arc de Triomphe and Montmartre. The stunt showcases Team Vitality growing cultural impact within France and how its players have become national icons.
At only 17-year-old, ZywOo first joined Vitality in 2018 where he made his instant emergence on the CS:GO scene and was quickly labelled as a player destined for greatness. Since ZywOo’s signing, Team Vitality has been crowned winners at the ECS Season 7 finals and EPICENTER 2019, as well as runners-up at both ESL One: Cologne and DreamHack Master Malmö.
During this first year of professional play, ZywOo also became a record holder by earning the most MVP titles. ZywOo was awarded a staggering five awards in 2019 including cs_summit MVP, ESL One Cologne MVP, ECS S7 Finals MVP, DreamHack Masters Malmö MVP and EPICENTER MVP. He also made history when he was announced as the youngest and only French player to be crowned 2019 HLTV Player of The Year.
Team Vitality’s CS:GO team has seen massive growth in 2020 with the signing of 17-year-old prodigy Kévin “misutaaa” Rabier and the introduction of a six-man roster with superstar Nabil “Nivera” Benrlitom. The team’s most recent accolades include a win at Intel Extreme Masters Beijing where they became the first team to win a major tournament with a six-man competing roster and back-to-back BLAST Premier championships. The team currently sits at number one on the coveted HLTV World Rankings.
“We are delighted that ZywOo has chosen to commit to being a member of Team Vitality for the next five years. A player like ZywOo comes along once in a generation and we couldn’t be happier to have him competing with us. Together with our performance team, we are committed to ensuring that ZywOo has the tools and infrastructure to continue reaching his full potential” said Fabien “Neo” Devide, President & Co-Founder, Team Vitality
“Being a member of Team Vitality has always been such a natural fit for me. 2020 was a crazy year and I know that having Team Vitality and my teammates support me was one of the main reasons I excelled. I am really excited to make this commitment and wear the Team Vitality shirt for another five years.” said Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut
Powered by WPeMatico
Eight creators compete across five timed stages with eliminations, broadcast on Red Bull’s Twitch and YouTube channels.
Red Bull will stage a one-day Balatro speedrun competition, Red Bull Boss Rush, on April 17, 2026. The event brings together eight creators for timed runs in the roguelike deckbuilder, with viewers able to follow via individual creator POV streams and a central hub broadcast.
The competitor lineup includes Red Bull Player Ludwig, plus The Spiffing Brit, FrostPrime, Feinberg, Adef, Yahiamice, mbtyugioh and dreads. Red Bull said live commentary will be provided by esports host Yinsu ‘Yinsu’ Collins, card-game specialist Blake ‘Rarran’ Eram, and DrSpectered.
Boss Rush is structured as five 30-minute stages, with players ranked by completion time. Red Bull said the opening three stages use a shared random seed with unlimited resets, and points are awarded by placement each stage; the bottom four are eliminated after stage 3. Stage 4 determines the finalists, followed by a final winner-takes-all matchup.
The event also includes a downloadable Red Bull Boss Rush mod featuring a custom-branded deck and new Red Bull-themed Jokers, Bosses and Skip Tags. Red Bull highlighted additions including ‘Witch’, ‘Princess and Frog’, ‘Zebra’, Old Dog, ‘Pirate’, ‘Genie’, ‘Prince Charming’, and ‘Jester’, each designed to alter scoring or run economics.
Red Bull Boss Rush will stream on twitch.tv/redbull and Red Bull’s YouTube Gaming channel. Scan is supplying gaming PCs for the competition, according to the company.
Relevant data as follows:
- Red Bull Gaming on Twitch; https://www.twitch.tv/redbull Primary broadcast destination for the event.
- Red Bull Gaming on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/redbullgaming Secondary broadcast destination cited in the release.
- Red Bull Gaming: https://www.redbull.com/ Official Red Bull site for event context and confirmation.
- Balatro on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2379780/Balatro/ Authoritative reference for the game featured in the competition.
- Scan Computers: https://www.scan.co.uk/ PC supplier mentioned as providing systems for the event.
The post Red Bull runs one-day Balatro speedrun event, Boss Rush, on April 17 appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
The CIS-based EMEA lineup brings past EWC experience and titles including PUBG Global Series 8 as S8UL targets Riyadh qualification.
S8UL has signed the Team Question Mark (QM) roster to represent the organisation in PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS on PC ahead of the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026. The deal was announced April 16 from Mumbai as S8UL prepares for the tournament in Riyadh, scheduled for July 21 to 26.
The CIS-based EMEA lineup includes:
- captain Roman Zinovev (ADOUZ1E),
- Andrey Ionov (Bestoloch),
- Mansur Tsimpaev (f1lfirst),
- Nikita Odobesku (Molodoct),
- and coach Yermek Torebekov (Ermaak).
S8UL said the roster will compete through the qualification pathway for a place in the 24-team event, which has a $2 million prize pool.
S8UL is adding a roster with a proven record in top-tier PUBG competition, including wins at PUBG Continental Series 7 Europe 2022 and PUBG Global Series 8 in 2025. The team has also posted a Top 3 finish at PUBG Global Series 2 in 2023 and a Top 7 finish at PUBG Global Championship 2022. The organisation said the roster has competed at both previous editions of the EWC in 2024 and 2025 and has amassed approximately $713,000 in total prize winnings.
Commenting on the move, Naman Mathur, Co-founder, S8UL said, “Signing the QM roster is a significant step for us as we continue to strengthen our presence in global esports. PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS is one of the most competitive titles in the world, and this team has consistently proven itself against the very best. At a broader level, this move reflects the direction S8UL is heading in. Over the past year, we have focused on building depth across our rosters and competing consistently at the highest level. As we prepare for the Esports World Cup 2026, we are committed to providing the team with the right support and resources as they aim to make a strong impact in the qualifiers as well as on the global stage.”
Roman Zinovev aka ADOUZ1E added, “Becoming part of S8UL is a big opportunity for us as a team. As a team, we’ve always believed in our ability to compete with the best in the world, and having the backing of a global organisation allows us to push even further. With the Esports World Cup coming up, we’re focused on working through the qualifiers and making sure we deliver performances that match our potential.,”
S8UL said the announcement follows its selection as a Club Partner by the Esports Foundation (EF), placing it among 40 global organisations. The organisation has also listed 13 titles it plans to enter for EWC 2026, including PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS, Apex Legends, Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), Call of Duty: Warzone, Chess, EA Sports FC, FATAL Fury, Fortnite, Honor of Kings, MOBA Legends 5V5, Street Fighter 6, TEKKEN 8, and Trackmania.
Relevant data as follows:
- S8UL Esports: https://s8ul.gg/ Official organisation site for roster and announcement verification.
- PUBG Esports (PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS competitive updates): https://pubgesports.com/ Authoritative source for PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS esports circuits, event results, and qualifiers.
- Esports World Cup (official site): https://esportsworldcup.com/ Event organiser site for EWC 2026 schedule, formats, and prize pool confirmation.
The post S8UL signs Team Question Mark roster for PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS ahead of EWC 2026 appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
The ex-Wasserman and former Excel Esports partnerships lead joins the London-based group behind the Esports Awards and MOBIES.
The Mobile, Esports and Gaming Alliance (MEGA) has appointed Patrick Collins as Vice President of Growth, the company said on April 15, 2026. Collins will lead growth strategy, including commercial partnerships and new business development, from London.
Collins joins from boutique agency Leapfox, which he founded in early 2022. Prior to that, he led commercial partnerships at UK esports organisation Excel Esports, securing deals with brands including BT, Sony, JD Sports, Neosurf and Chupa Chups, alongside partners such as HyperX, Anda Seat, Belong Gaming Arenas and Chillblast PCs.
Earlier in his career, Collins worked at sports marketing agency Wasserman, where MEGA said he helped secure EE’s six-year partnership with Wembley Stadium and advised brands including American Express, Vodafone and PepsiCo. The company also cited experience working with Premier League football clubs and brands including Barclays, Santander, Under Armour and Puma.
“I’m pleased to officially join MEGA at such an important time for esports and gaming,” said Patrick Collins, VP of Growth at MEGA. “Having worked across traditional sport, esports, and commercial partnerships, and founding Leapfox to bridge these worlds and guide my clients, I’m looking forward to applying my experience to support MEGA and our properties as we continue to grow.”
“We’re delighted to welcome Patrick to MEGA as our new Vice President of Growth,” said Michael Ashford, Co-Founder of MEGA. “His extensive experience, including founding Leapfox, uniquely positions him to shape the future of our company. With Patrick on board, MEGA is determined to accelerate our growth, embark on transformative partnerships, and deliver world-class experiences that will define the next era of esports entertainment.”
Relevant data as follows:
- MEGA (Mobile, Esports and Gaming Alliance): https://themega.global/ Official company site to support the appointment and provide background on MEGA.
- Esports Awards: https://esportsawards.com/ Official site for one of the properties referenced in connection with MEGA.
- MOBIES: https://mobies.com/ Official site for the Mobile Gaming Awards referenced alongside MEGA.
The post MEGA hires Leapfox founder Patrick Collins as VP of Growth appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
-
Caesars Digital6 days agoRubyPlay partners with Caesars Entertainment in Ontario to advance North American expansion
-
Amazons’ Wonders5 days ago
SYNOT Games Enters into Partnership with Bulgarian Operator BETVAM
-
Africa6 days ago
TaDa Gaming joins inaugural iGaming AFRIKA Summit in Nairobi
-
Aviator6 days ago
SPRIBE Wins Interim Injunction in Brazil – Court Orders Betnacional to Immediately Cease Unauthorized Use of “AVIATOR”
-
Blueprint Gaming6 days ago
Blueprint Gaming adds pots mechanic to Cash Strike with Triple Action Cash Strike
-
bingo5 days ago
The Swedish Bingo Association Receives a Reprimand for Lack of Information in Bingo Halls
-
Caesars Digital6 days ago
RubyPlay partners with Caesars Entertainment in Ontario to advance North American expansion
-
Argentina5 days ago
Same providers, different games: Blask uncovers hidden patterns in LATAM casino lobbies
