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
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Craig Levine
Zenni Optical Announces Partnership with ESL FACEIT Group (EFG)
Zenni Optical, the world’s leading online eyewear retailer, announced a partnership with ESL FACEIT Group (EFG), the leading esports and video game entertainment company. Designed to integrate eye health education with innovative eyewear solutions for the esports community, the partnership will officially launch at DreamHack festival in Dallas, taking place from May 31 to June 2.
This collaboration will showcase a co-branded collection of lifestyle and competitive eyewear and accessories, highlighting Zenni Optical’s commitment to promoting overall eye health, particularly in addressing issues like eye fatigue and strain. Additionally, the initiative will incorporate essential eye health education across various DreamHack Festivals, in alignment with EFG’s broader mission to foster inclusive gaming worlds and engaged, supported communities.
“DreamHack and ESL represent some of the most community-centric and prestigious competitive events in the world. In their own unique ways, they embody esports for everyone. By partnering with these incredible brands across the gaming and esports spaces, we aim to create engaging experiences that combine eye-health education with innovative eyewear solutions for players and fans at all levels,” said Robb Chiarini, Head of Gaming, Sports, & Events at Zenni Optical.
“We are thrilled to partner with Zenni Optical as the Official Eyewear Partner of DreamHack and ESL. The genuine passion that Zenni has for the esports industry is a refreshing sight to see, and a major driving factor for the decision behind our partnership. Zenni’s ongoing commitment to provide eyewear for everyone mirrors our own drive to create worlds beyond gameplay for gamers everywhere,” Craig Levine, Co-CEO at EFG, said.
Bucks Gaming
CREAM CITY CONVERGENCE ESPORTS TOURNAMENT SELECTED AS CAPCOM PRO TOUR EVENT
Bucks Gaming’s Cream City Convergence Esports Tournament has been selected as a Capcom Pro Tour event, becoming one of just three tournaments in North America chosen to be a qualifier for the prestigious Capcom Cup.
The Capcom Cup is an annual Street Fighter 6 competition, hosted by video game developer and esports organizer Capcom, with a $1 million first place prize. Each year, Capcom selects a small number of tournaments worldwide to serve as Capcom Pro Tour events, with the winning players from each event qualifying for the Capcom Cup. As one of the tournaments selected by Capcom for the honor this year, Cream City Convergence will become the first esports event run by an NBA team to work with a major esports organizer.
Top-ranked Street Fighter 6 players will compete at Cream City Convergence when it returns for its second year on Saturday, Aug. 24, at Baird Center. In addition to Street Fighter 6, this year’s tournament will also have brackets for Tekken 8; Super Smash Bros Ultimate; Super Smash Bros Melee; and Guilty Gear: Strive.
eSports
Kambi and Abios Join ESIC as Anti-Corruption Supporters
The Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) has announced Kambi and Abios, its esports data subsidiary, as new ESIC Anti-Corruption Supporters. This partnership signals the alignment of Kambi’s longstanding commitment to corporate probity and sports integrity with ESIC’s ongoing battle against match-fixing and corruption in esports.
Kambi and Abios join a distinguished class of other Anti-Corruption Supporter stakeholders who have historically worked with ESIC to ensure that attacks against the competitive integrity of esports competition are appropriately reported and dealt with. Anti-Corruption Supporters assist ESIC in investigating suspicious betting activity, supporting ESIC’s broader mission to combat cheating and betting fraud in the esports industry. Kambi and Abios’ entrance into the Anti-Corruption Supporter class will see the entities actively work with ESIC to assist in ESIC’s mission to disrupt, prevent, investigate and prosecute all attempts to compromise competitive integrity in esport competition.
Abios’ Managing Director and Founder, Anton Janér, commented: “Our mission at Abios has always been to enable the sustainable growth of esports. As such, we’re incredibly excited to join ESIC in their mission to future-proof esports through combatting match-fixing and other integrity-related malpractices. Fair play is a crucial component in ensuring the viability of esports as a long-term community and investment and we hope to be able to support the industry together with ESIC going forward.”
Stephen Hanna, ESIC’s Chief Executive Officer, commented: “We are pleased to welcome Kambi and Abios as Anti-Corruption Supporters. Kambi and Abios are well trusted and recognised operators in their respective industries, and their entrance into the Anti-Corruption Supporter class of ESIC membership emphasises their shared commitment to upholding the highest standards of integrity and fair play within the esports industry.”
The post Kambi and Abios Join ESIC as Anti-Corruption Supporters appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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