eSports

Interactive Gaming Group enters Formula 1 eSports racing with several streamer partnerships

Published

5 years ago

November 19, 2021

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Interactive Gaming Group (“IGG”) announced its continued growth within the virtual racing market, adding four new Twitch streamers to its portfolio; Dickens Junior Ngoma (‘durkchocolate’), Darren Johnson (‘eye’_dj), Michael Vince (‘datguyvince’), Samuel González (‘unponymagico’) and Frederik Vesti (‘FrederikVesti1’).

Dickens Junior Ngoma is an established member of the Twitch Formula 1 community and regularly streams educational videos that focus on the history of famous Formula 1 circuits. He is partnered with established development houses EA and Codemasters, and broadcasts to a community of 17,000 followers.

Darren Johnson is both a DJ and content creator who regularly explores his passion for the racing world with broadcasts to his 13,800 followers on Twitch.

Michael Vince, AKA ‘DatGuyVince’ has grown his community of 6,100 followers through his love of competitive racing and, as a self-confessed petrolhead, he is extremely serious in his passion for the sport.

Samual González a 26 year old streamer has been playing racing games his whole life but only began streaming in April 2020. He values his audience’s feedback and their objectivity.

Frederik Vesti completes the new roster, and is a Danish Mercedes F1 AMG Junior driver racing in FIA Formula 3. His interest in racing uniquely transcends both the physical and virtual spaces, giving him a unique insight that he broadcasts to his 5,500 followers.

Commenting on his new partnership with IGG, Dickens said: “It is fantastic that IGG have chosen to support me and, as the channel continues to grow, I hope I can keep on sharing my love of motorsport, the community can continue to grow and I can aim on improving my skills as a streamer and content creator.”

With over 1,000 creators and 250 brands worldwide, IGG, whose vision is to inspire the world to play, has made it the company’s focus to support up and coming creators to help them monetise their talent. IGG’s experience in building some of the most successful gaming-focused Twitch channels in the world is now being turned to connecting growing gaming and eSports creators with brands via the company’s platform.

Commenting on the partnership, CEO of Interactive Gaming group Cristina Niculae commented: “Formula1 is a relatively recent eSport launched in 2017. Over 60,000 gamers participated in the inaugural series, watched by 123 countries around the world and generating over 20 million impressions on social media. F1 has always been an eSport that interested us at IGG and it is amazing to see talented creators in this space, turning what used to be a mainly TV or “at race track” experience into a virtual thrilling race and into growing virtual engaged communities.We are thrilled to partner with these F1 eSports creators, a major milestone on our mission of connecting talented upcoming creators with viewers and brands through our interactive platform”.

Interactive Gaming Group is a leading digital entertainment and media technology company, connecting creators, viewers and brands on a global scale. Founded in 2017 and operating out of Malta and Spain, Interactive Gaming Group vision is ‘To inspire the world to play’ and to bring great streaming entertainment to people around the world.

BLAST

BLAST partners with MATCH on premium fan travel for 2026-27 events

Published

14 hours ago

June 11, 2026

Wladimir P.

blast-partners-with-match-on-premium-fan-travel-for-2026-27-events

Deal covers travel and hospitality packages across BLAST’s event slate, starting with BLAST Premier Hong Kong Rivals in November.

BLAST has signed a one-year partnership with MATCH to develop premium fan travel experiences and related commercial opportunities across BLAST events in 2026 and 2027, including the BLAST Premier Hong Kong Rivals 2026. The companies said the work will start immediately, with an initial focus on the BLAST Premier Hong Kong Rivals event in November.

BLAST VP of Destinations and Market Development James Woollard said: “We’re thrilled to partner with MATCH, a company with an unrivalled track record in delivering top-tier fan travel experiences at the biggest sporting events in the world. As BLAST continues to grow globally and attract growing numbers of travelling fans, this partnership represents an exciting opportunity to further elevate the live event experience for fans and audiences across esports.”

MATCH is best known for hospitality and accommodation programmes at major sports events, including four consecutive FIFA World Cups from 2010 to 2022, as well as Ryder Cup tournaments, Formula 1 Grands Prix and ATP tennis tournaments. MATCH Director of UK Events and Business Strategy Richard Parker said: “Esports is one of the most exciting growth frontiers in live entertainment, and BLAST stands out as a world-class platform with incredible potential. At MATCH, we see a tremendous opportunity to bring our expertise in creating premium fan experiences into the esports arena. We are very enthusiastic about the possibility of working together with BLAST to deliver innovative, unforgettable experiences for esports fans worldwide.”

BLAST said MATCH will also bring its network of clients, sponsors, federations, agents and media partners to support international attendance and partner activation, alongside MATCH’s technology and operational infrastructure. The announcement follows BLAST’s 2025 live events activity, where the organiser said it delivered 15 arena shows across 10 countries spanning five titles and sold 194,421 tickets.

The post BLAST partners with MATCH on premium fan travel for 2026-27 events appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Counter-strike

Team Vitality opens V.Hub fan zone for IEM Cologne Major

Published

18 hours ago

June 11, 2026

Wladimir P.

team-vitality-opens-v.hub-fan-zone-for-iem-cologne-major

Team Vitality is launching an official fan zone, V.Hub, to coincide with the 2026 IEM Cologne Major. The venue will run June 18-21 at KWB im Stadtpalais, a short walk from the LANXESS Arena.

Access to V.Hub will be free for fans who sign up, with limited availability. Team Vitality said the space is intended to bring together its community, partners and Counter-Strike fans attending the event.

The fan zone will include dedicated areas hosted by Team Vitality and partners Skin.Club, ASUS ROG, EVNIA and Blacklyte. The club said activations will include hands-on experiences and opportunities to play bespoke Counter-Strike maps.

Team Vitality also plans match watch parties, a pop-up shop for official merchandise and giveaways, including an ASUS ROG x Team Vitality co-branded mousepad. During the playoff stage, the club said V.Hub will be set up for trophy photo opportunities with its Major trophies.

Food and drink will be available on site throughout the event, including vegetarian options.

The post Team Vitality opens V.Hub fan zone for IEM Cologne Major appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

eSports

Esports World Cup 2026 Opens Registration for Last Chance Qualifiers

Published

3 days ago

June 9, 2026

Wladimir P.

esports-world-cup-2026-opens-registration-for-last-chance-qualifiers

The Esports Foundation (EF) announced the official lineup and details for the Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ) tournaments that will award the final spots in eight different competitions at this year’s Esports World Cup, set to be hosted in Paris, France, from July 6 through August 23.

The programme forms the final stage of qualification for EWC 2026, concluding a global Road to EWC that spans more than 230 tournaments and qualification events worldwide and is expected to engage more than 350,000 competitors across publisher ecosystems, regional leagues and official circuits.

The Last Chance Qualifier series consists of eight open tournaments across Counter-Strike 2, EA FC, Rocket League, TEKKEN 8, Chess, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves and Street Fighter 6.

Held in Paris between July 5 and August 10, the events will award the final qualification spots for 37 solo competitors and six Clubs at the Esports World Cup 2026, including four Clubs in Counter-Strike 2 and one Club each in Rocket League and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. EA FC qualifiers will advance to the Play-Ins stage, while all other LCQ winners will qualify directly for the main event.

LCQ Schedule and Qualification Slots

• Street Fighter 6 (July 5): 4 players qualify

• Chess (July 9-11): 14 players qualify

• EA FC (July 24-26): 6 players qualify for Play-Ins

• TEKKEN 8 (July 31-August 2): 4 players qualify

• Rocket League (July 31-August 2): 1 Club qualifies

• FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves (August 4-6): 4 players qualify

• Counter-Strike 2 (August 7-9): 4 Clubs qualify

• Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 (August 8-10): 1 Club qualifies

Some of the most remarkable moments in EWC’s history have come as a result of the LCQ. In 2024, EA FC pro João “JafonsogV” Vasconcellos battled through the LCQ before going on to claim the championship, etching his name into esports history. His performance inspired the creation of the Jafonso Award, which is awarded to teams or players that win an EWC championship after qualifying through the LCQ.

In 2025, Team Falcons’ Overwatch roster pulled off that feat to not only claim the first Jafonso Award and the OWCS Midseason Championship, but win what would turn out to be a crucial tournament victory that cemented Falcons’ second straight Club Championship. In the same year, Chess Grandmasters Nihal Sarin and Levon Aronian both reached the playoffs after qualifying for the first EWC Chess main event through the LCQ.

The Esports World Cup 2026 will be hosted at Paris Expo Port de Versailles, in Paris, France, from July 6 through August 23, bringing together more than 2000 players and 200 Clubs from over 100 countries across 25 tournaments and 24 games for a record-breaking $75 million+ prize pool.

The post Esports World Cup 2026 Opens Registration for Last Chance Qualifiers appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.