eSports

Galaxy Racer’s AboFlah raises US $1M for charity in record-smashing 28 hour livestream

Published

4 years ago

November 2, 2021

Reading Time: 3 minutes

The “Warm Their Hearts” stream was held to celebrate AboFlah reaching 20 million followers globally and the US$1M raised for UNHCR will help refugees this winter

Galaxy Racer (GXR), the biggest esports, gaming and lifestyle organisation, headquartered in Dubai, has announced that its content creator, Hassan ‘AboFlah’ Suleiman has successfully raised US$1M in a charity stream for UNHCR, The UN Refugee Agency.

AboFlah started live streaming on his YouTube channel on Friday 29th October 2021, which lasted for 28 hours until he successfully hit the target of US$1M, with donations pouring in from all over the world. His live stream was a record-breaker, it reached over 588K peak concurrent views and over 28 million total views, smashing multiple streaming records regionally, including being the Top 5 Global content creator on YouTube for peak concurrent views.

AboFlah decided to honour his 20 million subscribers milestone by partnering with UNHCR to help refugees this winter and launch the Warm Their Hearts campaign and live stream on his YouTube channel. He pledged to stream until he reached his US $1M goal to provide for over 5,600 families (that’s more than 17,000 people) with urgent winter aid that will secure shelter, warm food and clothing, fuel for heating, as well as medicine. While the refugee crisis continues across the region, the harsh winter season presents itself again, forcing already vulnerable families into further hardship, insecurity and suffering.

This positive impact initiative follows a string of impressive charity streams AboFlah has conducted when hitting previous milestones, including raising money to build a hospital, a well in Africa for those without access to drinking water, a mosque, houses for refugees in Syria as well as organising thousands of cataract surgeries.

Galaxy Racer’s Content Creator and YouTube sensation, AboFlah commented: “After hitting another major milestone on my channel with 20M subscribers, I am truly honoured and grateful to share that we’ve hit the US$1M target with UNHCR’s charity fundraising live stream for refugees and displaced families in the region. I wouldn’t have been able to do these charity streams and give back to the community without the incredible support from my fans. Thank you to everyone who has supported me so far and look forward to speaking to you all on the stream!”

Galaxy Racer’s CEO, Paul Roy commented: “This record-breaking remarkable achievement shows the true spirit of the esports and gaming community united as one, and we are at an epitome of a cultural phenomenon that is taking place rapidly across the globe. AboFlah’s good nature of wanting to give back to the community is a testament of Galaxy Racer’s core values in our content creators and we are looking forward to more record-breaking positive impact initiatives in the future!”

UNHCR’s Chief of Private Sector Partnerships in MENA, Houssam Chahine commented: “With the winter season fast approaching, many refugees and internally displaced families rely on UNHCR’s assistance to be able to afford to keep safe and warm and provide their children with shelter, food and medicine. The cold season brings with it additional costs of heating, home insulation, warm clothes, and/or medical expenses, for families already facing difficulty meeting their basic needs.

“With many being forced to make difficult choices in order to keep their families warm. We are grateful to generous individuals like AboFlah, who use their platform, reach and influence for good. We hope AboFlah and Galaxy Racer’s determination to mobilize their community for a good cause is a shining example and inspiration for youth in the region to take action to support refugees and internally displaced people and encourage an increase in responsibility-sharing and support from the private sector as well in addressing the needs of displaced communities.”

Launching his YouTube channel in 2017, AboFlah began posting gaming content of him playing FIFA17 before creating content on Fall Guys and Fortnite. AboFlah went on to join Galaxy Racer’s content creator team earlier this year, which already boasts some of the biggest content creators in the MENA and Southeast Asia region including fellow YouTube sensation Noor Stars. The organisation now carries over 100 content creators, with a total reach of over 500 million followers across all platforms and more than two billion views.

Galaxy Racer launched in 2019 and has already become one of the biggest esports, gaming, and lifestyle organisations globally. The organisation has five separate business offerings; Esports Teams, Content Creators, Tournament Management, Merchandising and Lifestyle and GXR Records, a newly established record label that already carries two signed artists from the MENA region and are looking to expand globally.

chess

Team Vitality re-signs Javokhir Sindarov for 2026–2027 chess roster

Published

3 days ago

April 23, 2026

Wladimir P.

team-vitality-re-signs-javokhir-sindarov-for-2026–2027-chess-roster

Team Vitality has re-signed chess player Javokhir Sindarov to its Chess roster for 2026 and 2027, bringing the 2025 FIDE World Cup winner back to the organisation.

The club said Sindarov is coming off a win at the 2026 Candidates Tournament, positioning him for a potential world title match against reigning champion Gukesh Dommaraju.

“We are incredibly proud to welcome Javokhir back to Team Vitality. He represents the new generation of chess: bold, ambitious, and unafraid to make big moves. His trajectory speaks for itself, and we know he has everything it takes to become the next World Champion,” said Danny Engels, Chief International Officer at Team Vitality. “This signing is a natural step in our ambition to be at the forefront of chess and esports, and to bring the game to new audiences around the world.”

Team Vitality also pointed to Sindarov’s interest in gaming—specifically Counter-Strike—as a fit with the organisation’s esports positioning. His next scheduled appearance under Team Vitality is the Chess.com Open, running April 23–26.

The post Team Vitality re-signs Javokhir Sindarov for 2026–2027 chess roster appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

creator-economy

Red Bull runs one-day Balatro speedrun event, Boss Rush, on April 17

Published

1 week ago

April 17, 2026

Wladimir P.

red-bull-runs-one-day-balatro-speedrun-event,-boss-rush,-on-april-17

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.

Asia

S8UL signs Team Question Mark roster for PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS ahead of EWC 2026

Published

1 week ago

April 16, 2026

Wladimir P.

s8ul-signs-team-question-mark-roster-for-pubg:-battlegrounds-ahead-of-ewc-2026

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.