eSports

Who will be crowned 2020/21 ePremier League champion?

Published

4 years ago

March 22, 2021

Reading Time: 3 minutes

The ePremier League (ePL) 2020/21 Online Finals take place from Tuesday 23 March, as some of the world’s finest EA SPORTS FIFA 21 players compete for the chance to become ePL Champion.

The ePL is the only tournament to give players based in the United Kingdom the opportunity to compete as and represent their favourite Premier League football club in formal competitive gaming entertainment.

After the 20 Premier League clubs hosted thrilling ePL Playoffs, 40 competitors have advanced to the Online Finals, which begin with the Xbox One Group Stages and Quarter-finals on Tuesday 23 March (2-8pm). The PlayStation 4® Group Stages and Quarter-finals take place on Wednesday 24 March (2-8pm), with the eight best players making it through to Friday’s Finals Day (6-10pm). They will compete for the coveted ePL trophy, a prize pool of £40,000 and all-important seats in the EA SPORTS FIFA 21 Global Series European Playoffs this summer.

European Gaming Congress 2024 (Warsaw, Poland)

The ePL Finals are being hosted from the Gfinity Arena in London, with all gameplay taking place remotely. Fans in the UK can watch on Sky Sports, BT Sport, BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport online. The Finals will also be shown on Premier League channels (premierleague.com, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube) and http://twitch.tv/EASPORTSFIFA, as well as being made available to viewers around the world by international licensees. Over the last two seasons, the ePL Finals reached more than 22 million fans.

Among those to advance to the Online Finals are last year’s winner Thomas ‘Hashtag Tom’ Leese, representing Tottenham Hotspur, and inaugural ePL champion Donovan ‘Fnatic Tekkz’ Hunt, who is once again playing on behalf of Liverpool.

Hashtag Tom said: “I would love to retain my ePremier League trophy as I think the best players are the ones who can do it consistently and win numerous honours. If I could win back-to-back ePL titles, it would be a big statement and secure my place as one of the top players in EA SPORTS FIFA.

“I am a massive Spurs fan and I’m buzzing to represent them. It would be great to defend my title on behalf of the club I support, so I’m very happy to be able to represent them.”

Last season’s surprise ePL runner-up Marc Marley is once again through to the finals, this time representing Brighton & Hove Albion. Other established names from the EA SPORTS FIFA Global Series who will be competing include Spencer ‘HUGE GORILLA’ Ealing (Sheffield United), Diogo ‘Falcons Diogo’ Mendes (Chelsea), Tunahan ‘Bundled Unsal’ Ünsal (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Damian ‘Damie’ Augustyniak (Fulham), Olle ‘Ollelito’ Arbin (Leeds United) and Manchester City duo Ryan ‘MCFC Ryan’ Pessoa and Shaun ‘Shellzz’ Springette.

Premier League Commercial Director Will Brass said: “We are looking forward to the third ePremier League Finals, with some of the highest-ranked EA SPORTS FIFA players going head to head on behalf of Premier League clubs. It’s great to see familiar faces from previous years returning to fight for the title, alongside some new challengers.

“Sadly, we are unable to host the finalists at a venue for the second year running due to Covid-19 but, thanks to EA SPORTS and our broadcast partners, fans in the UK and around the world will be able to tune in live as the matches take place remotely with expert commentary and analysis from the live studio.

“There will be plenty of thrilling action on the way to finding out who will become this season’s ePremier League Champion, and I look forward to seeing who is going to be the latest star to get their hands on the trophy.”

The ePL 2020/21 Online Finals will consist of three tournament stages: a double-elimination group stage featuring 20 players per console, a single-elimination playoff bracket with the top eight players per console from the group stage, and the cross-console final which pits the top player from each platform against each other for the ultimate honour of ePL Champion and a £20,000 first prize.

Brent Koning, Group Director & Commissioner, FIFA Competitive Gaming said: “The Premier League is the most popular football league in the world and the ePremier League featuring the most-played sports game on the planet shows the unrivalled ability of EA SPORTS FIFA to connect fans to football at scale through esports.

“We believe competitive gaming entertainment is the number-one opportunity for growing the love of sports. The ePL and the involvement of all 20 world-renowned clubs illustrates just how much EA SPORTS FIFA is integrated into the future of football.”

eSports

GRID Launches GRID Insights: Real-Time AI Context for Esports Tournaments

Published

5 days ago

June 12, 2025

Niji Narayan

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Reading Time: < 1 minute

GRID, an in-game data infrastructure platform trusted by the leading game publishers and sportsbooks, has unveiled GRID Insights — a new AI-driven product delivering real-time, predictive context to live esports broadcasts and betting experiences.

GRID Insights transforms raw gameplay data into dynamic, predictive insights in milliseconds — surfacing real-time narratives like player streaks, weapon stats and record chases, all tailored to the stream’s brand and audience.

“With GRID Insights, we’re building the storytelling engine of live esports, powered entirely by official data. We use official in-game data and real-time pipelines to generate predictions, contextual stats, and behavioral patterns that previously required an analyst team. Now it’s automated and scalable, enabling our partners to create more immersive, informative, and engaging experiences that today’s digital-native audiences expect,” said Moritz Maurer, CEO of GRID.

Thanks to GRID’s deep partnerships with top game publishers and tournament organisers, Insights is built on structured, official data, enhanced by large language models (LLMs) and available via plug-and-play SDKs or APIs. The product supports major esports titles including CS2, Dota 2, League of Legends and VALORANT, with full customisation across branding and output formats.

GRID Insights made its live debut during the Champion of Champions Tour Season 3 (CS2), with broader adoption already underway. Among early adopters is the European Pro League (EPL), now integrating GRID Insights into its tournament broadcasts.

“GRID Insights is a game-changer for how fans engage with the action. At EPL, we’re always looking for new ways to elevate the viewer experience—and with GRID Insights, the instant, story-driven context keeps fans both informed and immersed. Whether you’re a dedicated follower or a casual viewer, it makes every moment more exciting,” said Oleksii Krasnikov, CEO of EPL.

The post GRID Launches GRID Insights: Real-Time AI Context for Esports Tournaments appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Ana Carolina Luna Maçães

Esportes Gaming Brasil unveils Ana Carolina Luna Maçães as Compliance Manager to reinforce regulatory commitment

Published

5 days ago

June 11, 2025

GamingAmericas.com

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Esportes Gaming Brasil, the owner of Onabet and Esportes da Sorte, has unveiled Ana Carolina Luna Maçães as its new Compliance Manager. The hire reinforces the company’s commitment to transparency, integrity, and good governance in Brazil’s evolving betting market.

Esportes Gaming Brasil’s new Head of Compliance, Ana Carolina Luna Maçães, commented: “Esportes Gaming Brasil has set a high standard in Brazil’s betting market with its total commitment to integrity, governance, and responsible gaming. It’s a privilege to join this exceptional team as Compliance Manager. My role is to reinforce our culture of compliance, navigating us through complex regulatory frameworks across multiple jurisdictions with as little friction as possible. Our mission is to deliver secure, transparent, and competitive services for our partners and clients.”

A seasoned legal and compliance professional who has spent time at NSX Brasil, Maçães joins with expertise in financial crime prevention, responsible gambling, and corporate ethics. She has earned a CPC-A certification from LEC (Legal, Ethics & Compliance), and she significantly strengthens the group’s in-house compliance work.

Esportes Gaming Brasil CEO Darwin Filho, added: “It’s more than just complying with and supporting regulations. Esportes Gaming Brasil has been actively leading the process of maturing the betting sector in the country. Our commitment to governance has been an essential part of our business model since the beginning. The arrival of Ana Carolina represents a strategic reinforcement, further strengthening the culture of compliance that has always guided the company.”

Esportes Gaming Brasil is proud to be one of the Brazilian-licensed operators under the SPA/MF framework and is renowned for impactful responsible gambling measures, including self-exclusion tools, behaviour monitoring, and an addiction support network.

With deep relationships to national sport and culture through major football sponsorships and experiential collaborations, and a growing digital presence via Onabet, the group is committed to shaping a safe, sustainable, and responsible future for Brazil’s gaming sector.

The post Esportes Gaming Brasil unveils Ana Carolina Luna Maçães as Compliance Manager to reinforce regulatory commitment appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.

eSports

Gamercraft Fully Adopts ESIC Integrity Codes and Joins Commission to Elevate Global Esports Standards

Published

6 days ago

June 11, 2025

Niji Narayan

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Reading Time: < 1 minute

The Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) announced that Gamercraft has joined ESIC as a Platform Tournament Organiser Member, formally embedding ESIC’s Integrity Codes into its Terms & Conditions and Terms of Use.

As part of its membership, Gamercraft will:

• Integrate ESIC’s Anti-Corruption, Anti-Cheating and Player Conduct Codes directly into every user agreement.

• Work hand-in-hand with ESIC to manage integrity-related complaints and appeals, including reviews of platform bans, to ensure transparent and independent resolution.

As an esports tournaments platform, Gamercraft delivers skill-based competitive experiences powered by proprietary tournament formats and performance-driven systems. With its integration into ESIC, Gamercraft solidifies its commitment to competitive integrity by adopting the ESIC Integrity Programme across all its operations.

Gamercraft joins a growing list of distinguished international tournament organisers and stakeholders who rely on ESIC’s Integrity Programme to form the foundation for competitive integrity within their operations.

Stephen Hanna, CEO of ESIC, said: “We are pleased to welcome Gamercraft, Inc. into ESIC membership. As a tournament organiser operating in the fast-evolving space of platform-based esports competition, their adoption of the ESIC Integrity Program is a meaningful step toward upholding fairness and ethical conduct across online tournaments. We look forward to supporting Gamercraft as they continue to scale their efforts with integrity at the core.”

JJ Garcia-Rovira, CEO of Gamercraft, said: “At Gamercraft, integrity forms the foundation of fair competition. Joining ESIC formalizes our commitment to maintaining the highest standards across our tournament ecosystem. As we pioneer new formats in skill-based competition and esports, this partnership ensures our community can compete with complete confidence in the fairness and transparency of our platform. We’re excited to work alongside ESIC in elevating integrity standards throughout the competitive gaming ecosystem.”

The post Gamercraft Fully Adopts ESIC Integrity Codes and Joins Commission to Elevate Global Esports Standards appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.