eSports
Record-breaking participation in F1® Esports Series qualification as new campaign begins with Pro Exhibition
Following the huge success F1® Esports has had over the last year with the Virtual Grands Prix and 2020 F1® Esports Series, Formula 1® has announced over 494k people attempted to qualify for this year’s 2021 F1® Esports Series – an increase of 108% from 2020.
There were more ways to qualify than ever before for this year’s F1® Esports Series, as drivers contested for spots in the event across the F1® Esports Series Challengers, the DHL Time Trial, the China Championship and the inaugural Women’s Wildcard.
The 2021 season officially starts with the Pro Exhibition, an online combine that will see the 30 drivers who progressed from these four qualification routes showcase their talents in a series of in-game assessments, testing their abilities for the life-changing opportunity to be potentially selected by one of the ten F1® Esports teams for their Pro Championship rosters. While the participants continue to compete on the official F1® 2020 video game developed by Codemasters, the new Pro Championship season, which begins in the autumn, will see drivers battle it out on the hugely anticipated 2021 version of the game, the first since EA acquired the long-time developers of the title, which will be released on Friday 16 July.
Highlights from the Pro Exhibition, hosted by F1® Esports regulars, Tom Deacon, Matt Gallagher and Nic Hamilton, will feature exclusive interviews from Romain Grosjean, F2 driver Guanyu Zhou and W Series driver Jessica Hawkins, and will be broadcast from the Gfinity Arena in London at 19:00 BST on Thursday 27 May on the official Formula 1® YouTube, Facebook, Twitch, Huya (China) channels.
The Pro Exhibition kicks off the new era for the F1® Esports Series, with the Pro Championship, formerly known as the Pro Series, starting later this year. The F1® Esports Series is once again presented by Aramco, Global Energy Partner of F1®, who will remain Presenting Partner as part of an extended agreement following the success of last year’s F1® Esports Series, which achieved over 11m digital live views. DHL, a founding partner of the F1® Esports Series, has been renewed as Official Sponsor and will be a key part of the Pro Championship through the DHL Fastest Lap award and associated championship point, mirroring real world racing. Fanatec also continues to be a crucial partner to the F1® Esports Series, as it has been since 2018, and will supply hardware for all drivers in the Pro Championship once rosters are confirmed after the Pro Exhibition.
Julian Tan, Head of Digital Business Initiatives and Esports at Formula 1®, said:
“We’re delighted to see so many people enjoying and engaging with the F1 game, as The F1 Esports Series continues to shatter records, with nearly half a million qualifiers for this year’s campaign. We can’t wait to see the talent on show in the Pro Exhibition and look forward to the Pro Championship later in the year, which could be the most exciting yet! As ever, we are thankful for the continued support from our partners Aramco, DHL and Fanatec as we strive to make the F1 Esports Series bigger and better every year.”
Frank Sagnier, CEO at Codemasters, said:
“We continue to be overwhelmed and thrilled with the success of the F1 Esports Series. With more ways to qualify, as shown by the recent China Championship, our players are rising to the challenge in the hope of joining one of the 10 official F1 Esports teams. We’re incredibly proud to introduce the Women’s Wildcard, and we hope we will see a significant increase in women engaging with the F1 game at a grassroots level and challenging at the top of the leaderboard.”
John Clarke, CEO at Gfinity, said:
“The Pro Exhibition is yet another fantastic example of how Formula 1 continues to innovate and expand, uniting the different F1 Esports Series qualification events in a way that hasn’t been done before. Gfinity is proud to continue our work with Formula 1, utilising our tech IP and world-class production to deepen engagement with existing and younger F1 fans around the globe.”
Powered by WPeMatico
Reading Time: 3 minutes
S8UL Esports, a global name in esports and gaming content, has onboarded high-performance smartphone brand iQOO as the Title Sponsor for its Pokémon UNITE and MOBA Legends 5v5 rosters. With this strengthened alliance, iQOO deepens its commitment to supporting India’s top esports talent while S8UL further accelerates its multi-title expansion ahead of a landmark competitive season.
iQOO has supported the growth of Indian esports for several years, working closely with top teams and major tournaments. Its continued association with iQOO SOUL, one of India’s leading BGMI rosters, has contributed to the team’s strong performances, including its recent win at the Chennai Esports Global Championship 2025.
Extending this support to S8UL’s newly signed rosters, the brand will equip athletes with its powerful, gaming-optimized smartphones to enhance their training and tournament preparation. As part of the partnership, the iQOO logo will feature prominently on the front of the team jerseys, and both rosters will now compete under the names iQOO S8UL Pokémon UNITE and iQOO S8UL MOBA Legends 5v5.
“iQOO has been with S8UL for a long time, starting with our BGMI team, and their support has played an important role in our journey. Extending this partnership to our Pokémon UNITE and MOBA Legends 5v5 teams is a natural next step as we grow across more titles. Our focus at S8UL is to build strong, well-prepared rosters in every game we enter, and working with a partner like iQOO helps us give our players the tools they need to compete with confidence in India and internationally.,” said Animesh Agarwal, Co-founder and CEO of S8UL Esports.
S8UL’s Pokémon UNITE team, led by captain Manmohan Singh (AllMight) and comprising Rahul Sharad Lavhate (Kyurem), Deep Patel (Snowyy), Adnan Badshah (Badshahh), and Rudra Narayan Nayak (ReX), is widely regarded as the top roster in the South Asia region. The team has claimed three regional championships in the last three years and has consistently represented India on the international stage at the Pokémon UNITE World Championship.
The organization’s newly signed MOBA Legends 5v5 roster arrives with a wealth of experience and an impressive track record across India’s community-led tournaments. The team includes in-game leader Mohammad Saad (Apex), Abhijeet Katkar (Abhi), Mehta Jay (J), Chirag Singh (Radium), Debasish Sana (Anti) and Anush N (Fear). Apex notably competed at the MLBB Mid Season Cup 2024 at the Esports World Cup, which featured a staggering USD 3 million (approx. INR 26.7 crore) prize pool.
The enhanced partnership with iQOO comes at a time when S8UL is rapidly scaling its multi-title presence. Earlier this year, S8UL became the first and only Indian organisation selected for the prestigious Club Partner Program of the Esports World Cup 2025, placing it among the world’s elite esports organisations.
On the content front, the organization recently won the ‘Esports Content Group of the Year’ for the fourth time in a row, while Co-Founder Animesh “8Bit Thug” Agarwal earned the title of ‘Esports Personality of the Year’ at the Esports Awards 2025, underlining the organisation’s unmatched influence across both esports and creator ecosystems.
By bringing two high-potential rosters under the iQOO S8UL banner, the organisation reinforces its drive to build winning line-ups across every title it enters. The newly branded iQOO S8UL Pokémon UNITE roster will be the first to step into action, competing at the Pokémon UNITE Asia Champions League 2026 – India from November 29.
The post S8UL Esports Secures iQOO as Title Sponsor for its Pokémon UNITE and MOBA Legends 5v5 Rosters appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Reading Time: 2 minutes
Chess.com, MOONTON Games, and SNK join the ENC alongside Electronic Arts, Krafton, Tencent, and Ubisoft, to strengthen the foundation of the world’s first international, nation-based competition at this scale
The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) announced the addition of Chess.com, MOONTON Games and SNK for the inaugural Esports Nations Cup (ENC), a landmark tournament where the best esports players in the world will compete for the honor of representing their countries. The ENC introduces national pride to the global esports stage in a recurring format and is the first event of its kind at this scale.
Chess.com, MOONTON Games and SNK join as Official Publishers, alongside Founding Publishers and video game companies EA, Krafton, Tencent, and Ubisoft – the core partners developing the foundational structure of the ENC – bringing with them their iconic titles, global reach, and player communities to enhance the first Esports Nations Cup.
The three new publishers and all forthcoming Official Publishers will co-design qualification paths and competition formats for their respective titles — ensuring integrity, competitive relevance, and a consistent global structure.
The EWCF and its Founding Publishers continue to co-develop the ENC to establish the tournament’s foundational framework, structure, and format from inception, representing a deeper level of strategic partnership and commitment than other publishers.
“By partnering closely with publishers, we can make the Esports Nations Cup truly player-centric, and give players the opportunity to represent their country in the games that define their careers,” said Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation. “With the seven partners announced so far as close collaborators, we can activate players worldwide and deliver a Nations Cup that feels earned for players and real for fans, and build a stage that national teams can aspire to for years to come.”
As the newest addition to the EWCF portfolio, the Esports Nations Cup builds on the momentum of the Esports World Cup — the world’s largest multi-title esports event — and extends its mission to a new layer of global competition. While the Esports World Cup unites the best clubs, the ENC unlocks a new frontier powered by national identity and regional representation.
The ENC will feature national teams from all major regions – including North America, South America, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia and Oceania – competing in both team-based and solo-player formats. A multi-layered qualification model will balance competitiveness and inclusivity: combining global rankings, regional qualifiers, and wildcard entries, including solidarity placements, to ensure a broad and representative competitive stage in every game.
The Esports Nations Cup will debut in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in November 2026, before moving to a rotating host model, bringing national esports teams to fans and cultures worldwide. Held every two years, the ENC will provide a dependable structure for players and esports organisations, encouraging long-term investment in national team programmes.
Additional information about the Esports Nations Cup will be released in the coming weeks.
The post Esports Nations Cup Confirms New Official Publishing Partners appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Reading Time: < 1 minute
The Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) is pleased to announce that Stake has joined as an Official Tier 1 Anti-Corruption Partner.
As a global entertainment and technology brand, Stake’s collaboration with ESIC underscores a shared commitment to strengthening integrity frameworks and supporting fair competition across the esports ecosystem.
ESIC’s Anti-Corruption Supporter program brings together key industry stakeholders who contribute directly to the detection, analysis, and investigation of suspicious betting activity. Through data sharing, operational cooperation, and collaborative monitoring, the program enhances ESIC’s capacity to identify and address potential issues in real time.
As part of Stake’s Anti-Corruption Partner role, Stake will contribute to ESIC’s integrity monitoring network, helping advance the Commission’s efforts to ensure transparency, accountability, and sustainability within the global esports industry. This collaboration reinforces both organisations’ commitment to safeguarding the credibility and long-term development of competitive gaming worldwide.
Stephen Hanna, CEO of ESIC, commented: “The addition of Stake to ESIC’s Anti-Corruption Supporter network reinforces the sentiment that integrity is a shared responsibility. ESIC’s Anti-Corruption Supporter program relies on the active collaboration of partners like Stake, whose operational insights contribute directly to our ability to identify and mitigate integrity threats. Together, we are building a stronger foundation of trust and accountability that supports the sustainable growth of esports worldwide.”
Jarrod Febbraio, Director of Stake, commented: “This partnership formalizes Stake’s commitment to protecting integrity and transparency across the global esports ecosystem. As the world’s leading online-first betting operator, supporting the industry is central to our strategy and our scale makes this collaboration with ESIC essential to safeguarding its integrity. Together, we’re ensuring the ecosystem remains fair, transparent, and trusted by fans and participants worldwide.”
The post Stake joins ESIC as official anti-corruption partner appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
-
BGaming6 days agoWeek 47/2025 slot games releases
-
Australia6 days ago
VGCCC: EGM Application Improvements Consultation
-
Anthony Dalla-Giacoma7 days ago
Swintt serve up a new holiday slot with all the trimmings in Extra Win X Thanksgiving
-
Balkans6 days ago
EGT to reveal advanced Supreme cabinets and multigame mixes at BEGE Expo 2025
-
8MBets6 days ago
Himalayan Harmony Group Unveils Partnership with Some of Nepal’s Most Trusted Online Casino Brands
-
Compliance Updates6 days ago
“Get Your Life Back, Stop Gambling” Campaign Wins Bronze Effie Worldwide Award
-
Latest News7 days agoThe Golden Boomerang League winners, sports traffic tournament from Boomerang Partners shared their impressions
-
Latest News6 days ago
N1 Partners at Affiliate World Asia 2025: The Place Where Top Deals Come True
