eSports
Three-way title fight in this week’s F1 Esports Series Pro Championship presented by Aramco Grand Final
While the real-world F1 season may have ended on Sunday, we have plenty more racing action for you this week as we head into the Grand Final of the F1 Esports Series Pro Championship presented by Aramco, with just eight points separating the top three drivers. Reigning champion Jarno Opmeer leads the way on 140, with Lucas Blakeley and Frede Rasmussen within touching distance of the Dutchman on 135 and 132 points respectively. It is still all to play for in the Teams’ Championship too with Mercedes on 222 points and Red Bull not far behind on 199, as they fight to get their hands on a share of the $750,000 prize pot.
Drivers will take on the iconic Imola circuit for the first time in an F1 Esports Series event, after it was introduced to the F1 2021 video game this year, before Wednesday’s action finishes up at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. The final Round of the season will take place at Interlagos, where many famous championship battles have been decided in the real world.
The live shows will be streamed online via official Formula 1 channels on Facebook, YouTube, Twitch and Huya, as well as broadcast on television by select international partners including the likes of Sky, ESPN and Fox Sports, whilst Qualifying show content will be streamed exclusively on Twitch, YouTube and Huya.
Please see the table below for the full breakdown of the platform splits so you don’t miss a moment of the action this week:
|
Day |
Session |
Time (GMT) |
Coverage |
|
Wednesday 15 December |
Qualifying Show 1 |
15:30 – 16:45 |
Twitch, YouTube & Huya |
|
Evening Show 1 |
19:30 – 21:00 |
TV & Online |
|
|
Thursday 16 December |
Qualifying Show 2 |
15:30 – 16:45 |
Twitch, YouTube & Huya |
|
Evening Show 2 |
19:30 – 21:00 |
TV & Online |
Ahead of this week’s Grand Final, we spoke with Jarno Opmeer, Lucas Blakeley and Marcel Kiefer, all looking to get their hands on some silverware this week, with all quotes below available for use in editorial:
Jarno Opmeer – Mercedes
“There’s a lot of pressure on the top three going into the final. It’s going to be a battle between me, Frede and Lucas which makes it very exciting, especially with how qualifying works. It can switch around really fast so anything could happen!”
Lucas Blakeley – Aston Martin
“I’ve not been in this position fighting for a championship before so it’s a privilege to even be in this position so I’m grateful I’m able to be doing this in the first place. I’ve been working on the details and making sure I’m prepared to the best level I can be to perform at the final event at the same standard that I have been driving all season. I’m more excited about the final than nervous for it.”
Marcel Kiefer – Red Bull
“Lucas has had a great season and Aston Martin have made a great comeback so we have to give them credit for that. Jarno is probably the smartest guy on the grid when it comes to strategy so he’s always tricky to race against. Frede is the most talented driver and probably sim-racer overall, especially over one lap. His raw pace is incredible. I’m backing our boy Frede for the title and hoping he can secure P1.”
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Zenni Optical, the world’s leading online eyewear retailer, announced a partnership with ESL FACEIT Group (EFG), the leading esports and video game entertainment company. Designed to integrate eye health education with innovative eyewear solutions for the esports community, the partnership will officially launch at DreamHack festival in Dallas, taking place from May 31 to June 2.
This collaboration will showcase a co-branded collection of lifestyle and competitive eyewear and accessories, highlighting Zenni Optical’s commitment to promoting overall eye health, particularly in addressing issues like eye fatigue and strain. Additionally, the initiative will incorporate essential eye health education across various DreamHack Festivals, in alignment with EFG’s broader mission to foster inclusive gaming worlds and engaged, supported communities.
“DreamHack and ESL represent some of the most community-centric and prestigious competitive events in the world. In their own unique ways, they embody esports for everyone. By partnering with these incredible brands across the gaming and esports spaces, we aim to create engaging experiences that combine eye-health education with innovative eyewear solutions for players and fans at all levels,” said Robb Chiarini, Head of Gaming, Sports, & Events at Zenni Optical.
“We are thrilled to partner with Zenni Optical as the Official Eyewear Partner of DreamHack and ESL. The genuine passion that Zenni has for the esports industry is a refreshing sight to see, and a major driving factor for the decision behind our partnership. Zenni’s ongoing commitment to provide eyewear for everyone mirrors our own drive to create worlds beyond gameplay for gamers everywhere,” Craig Levine, Co-CEO at EFG, said.
Bucks Gaming’s Cream City Convergence Esports Tournament has been selected as a Capcom Pro Tour event, becoming one of just three tournaments in North America chosen to be a qualifier for the prestigious Capcom Cup.
The Capcom Cup is an annual Street Fighter 6 competition, hosted by video game developer and esports organizer Capcom, with a $1 million first place prize. Each year, Capcom selects a small number of tournaments worldwide to serve as Capcom Pro Tour events, with the winning players from each event qualifying for the Capcom Cup. As one of the tournaments selected by Capcom for the honor this year, Cream City Convergence will become the first esports event run by an NBA team to work with a major esports organizer.
Top-ranked Street Fighter 6 players will compete at Cream City Convergence when it returns for its second year on Saturday, Aug. 24, at Baird Center. In addition to Street Fighter 6, this year’s tournament will also have brackets for Tekken 8; Super Smash Bros Ultimate; Super Smash Bros Melee; and Guilty Gear: Strive.
The Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) has announced Kambi and Abios, its esports data subsidiary, as new ESIC Anti-Corruption Supporters. This partnership signals the alignment of Kambi’s longstanding commitment to corporate probity and sports integrity with ESIC’s ongoing battle against match-fixing and corruption in esports.
Kambi and Abios join a distinguished class of other Anti-Corruption Supporter stakeholders who have historically worked with ESIC to ensure that attacks against the competitive integrity of esports competition are appropriately reported and dealt with. Anti-Corruption Supporters assist ESIC in investigating suspicious betting activity, supporting ESIC’s broader mission to combat cheating and betting fraud in the esports industry. Kambi and Abios’ entrance into the Anti-Corruption Supporter class will see the entities actively work with ESIC to assist in ESIC’s mission to disrupt, prevent, investigate and prosecute all attempts to compromise competitive integrity in esport competition.
Abios’ Managing Director and Founder, Anton Janér, commented: “Our mission at Abios has always been to enable the sustainable growth of esports. As such, we’re incredibly excited to join ESIC in their mission to future-proof esports through combatting match-fixing and other integrity-related malpractices. Fair play is a crucial component in ensuring the viability of esports as a long-term community and investment and we hope to be able to support the industry together with ESIC going forward.”
Stephen Hanna, ESIC’s Chief Executive Officer, commented: “We are pleased to welcome Kambi and Abios as Anti-Corruption Supporters. Kambi and Abios are well trusted and recognised operators in their respective industries, and their entrance into the Anti-Corruption Supporter class of ESIC membership emphasises their shared commitment to upholding the highest standards of integrity and fair play within the esports industry.”
The post Kambi and Abios Join ESIC as Anti-Corruption Supporters appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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