eSports

Esports Entertainment Leader Joins Forces with Leading Esports Training and Development Pioneers To Take Teen Esports Events To A Global Audience

Published

4 years ago

November 2, 2021

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Two leaders in the flourishing, multi-faceted market of Esports are joining forces to provide unprecedented access and opportunities to high school esports competitors and enthusiasts.

EsportsTower LLC, the largest amateur training club in North America, has signed an exclusive partnership with ESTV EsportsTV to extend their wildly popular Esports Tower Rumble events to a global audience. First aired in February 2021, Rumble events were streamed on Twitch through a partnership with Boise State University. With the addition of ESTV, weekly events are expected to reach over 150,000 unique viewers weekly per game title. ESTV is the first worldwide 24-7 live, linear video channel dedicated to esports. Launched in May 2019, ESTV provides round-the-clock coverage of esports athletes and gaming franchises from an insider perspective.

Esports Tower branded Rumble events feature amateur high school club players who want to go pro and score college scholarships while playing against top-ranked high school teams. Adding to the excitement, college partners this year have helped build out the mental health and wellness-inspired Esports Tower ApproachTM curriculum and contributed nearly $2-million in scholarship awards. Pro-teams have also started scouting Esports Tower clubs for talent, with team Kungarna announcing a tryout event planned for mid-December as the company launches its newest game – Apex Legends. Esports Tower currently offers club members live training twice weekly, along with weekly events where players test out new skills in action and gain insights from insiders about working in the fast-growing industry of esports. Current games include Rocket League, Valorant, Overwatch, and Fortnite.

“Watching high-ranked players in solo-queue doesn’t tell us much. What we like about Esports Tower is we get to see players in the development phase. We watch their progress in Rumbles from week to week and ultimately their coachability.” said Dr. Chris “Doc” Haskel, Head Coach at Boise State University and 2020 College Esports Coach of the Year (NAECAD), 2020 Esports Director of the Year (NACE).

“What I loved about talking with Esports Tower players last month is they remind me of myself. They’re eager to learn, open to critique, and unafraid to ask questions. And some of their players are better than you’d expect – I watched as one took out top-ranked Tenz when they played at this summer’s BFC Smeag Cup hosted by FaZe BabyBay, it only happened once, but it was unexpected and made for great entertainment!” said Thomas “Trippy” Schappy, FaZe Trippy Head Coach For TheFaZe Valorant Team.

“We are thrilled to partner with Eric and the team at ESTV. Their global platform is found on family-friendly devices and viewable via Roku, Amazon Fire, Sling, and many other providers in over 45 countries,” said David Adams, CEO and founder of Esports Tower. “We strive to do more than any other amateur organization to get our players seen and considered for collegiate and pro-opportunities. Partnering with ESTV is a natural step in helping our Generation-Z athletes expand their personal brand while supporting our college partners seeking to recruit top talent for their varsity teams.”

“We experienced some of the highest tune-in rates when we piloted Esports TowerRumbles last month,” said, Geoff Kowalski, Chief Revenue Officer of ESTV. “Esports Tower’s gameplay is compelling, and their interviews and editorial content provides interesting and entertaining insights of what happens behind the scenes showing what players do to advance both their gameplay and goals to go pro. It will be a great addition to ESTV programming and sponsorships, given it’s appeal to elusive teen viewers and their families.”

ESTV was launched in 2019 to meet the demand for round-the-clock coverage of esports athletes and gaming franchises from an insider perspective. Today, it’s the first dedicated channel for esports and gaming personalities, with programming providing round-the-clock coverage of esports athletes and gaming franchises from an insider perspective.

“ESTV’s mission is to deliver the most innovative esports and gaming programming available everywhere,” said Eric Yoon, Founder and CEO of ESTV. “As ESTV distributes the world’s best esports content on a linear programming schedule, Esports Tower will be a foundational pillar in our mission to provide content for all esports fans, promote opportunities within esports and expand the presence of esports media in homes across the globe.”

The alliance follows new original programming and expanded Rumble titles offered at Esports Tower.

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.