eSports

The Global Esports Federation turns two, and what an epic ride it has been

Published

3 years ago

December 17, 2021

Reading Time: 4 minutes

When the Global Esports Federation (GEF) was launched in 2019, one of its goals was to marry the fast-growing esports world with values often tied to traditional sport.

Esports was already the fastest growing sport in 2019, with revenue over US$1 billion and a worldwide reach of close to 500 million. With its massive reach and widespread appeal among the young, esports is seen as a gateway to connecting with the youth of the world.

What then, could a new esports organization bring? As it turns out, plenty.

European Gaming Congress 2024 (Warsaw, Poland)

For starters, the GEF celebrates its second anniversary just as the inaugural edition of the Global Esports Games (GEG), its flagship event, prepares for a highly-anticipated opening in Singapore.

The GEF’s journey over the past two years has also seen it expand the reach of esports globally while championing causes often overlooked by the larger esports world.

Promoting diversity

Female representation has long been an issue in esports. The lack of opportunities for women to play at major events and an overwhelmingly male-dominated executive workforce both at esports global companies and international bodies often meant that the interest of women in esports was often overlooked.

But the GEF made sure to address this.

For its inaugural edition of the GEG, the GEF set the tone of its flagship event by ensuring that it had a women’s category. Teams Paraguay, Mongolia and Great Britain emerged through regional qualifiers to earn the right to battle it out for Dota 2 supremacy alongside hosts Singapore. GEG 2021 will also be the first major international tournament to feature an all-women Dota 2 category.

In the boardroom, the GEF has also led the way. In two years, it has increased women representation at the GEF, edging toward 40%.

Said Chris Chan, president of the GEF: “The GEF was founded on the principle that everyone in the gaming world should be considered equals and it is why we have always pushed for an inclusive esports and youth culture.

“The beauty of esports is that color, gender, race and how affluent someone is don’t factor in. When you interact virtually, it doesn’t matter what your background is.

“And that is the culture we want to foster with our #worldconnected movement. Esports is universal, and it should be something everyone can experience and enjoy.”

Championing inclusivity

Central to fostering diversity is the need to be more inclusive. And that is where the GEF has also made significant inroads, especially with promoting esports and events in the Middle East.

While esports had made tremendous strides in the dominant markets of Europe, North America and Asia, elite-level, international events are still in its infancy in the Arab world.

The GEF brought two events to the Middle East in its inaugural Global Esports Tour, which opened in Los Angeles in September 2021, before moving to Riyadh in October and Dubai in November.

Aptly, the United Arab Emirates became the 100th Member Federation to join the GEF in August 2021. To date, the GEF has 105 Member Federations.

For the 18-19 December GEG world finals, which will feature over 100 esports athletes from over 40 countries, the GEF has taken the extra step of assembling a Team #worldconnected — which brings athletes of different backgrounds, including those who represent the refugee community, people with disabilities, wounded servicemen and women, and other underserved communities.

Among the athletes in Team #worldconnected is Roby Hormis, a former refugee from Iraq who is now based in the Netherlands. He will compete in eFootball alongside Brazil-born Yuri “Yuri_FPOLIS” Andrade, who now resides in the United States.

And for the pair, initiatives like Team #worldconnected are what makes the GEF a refreshing addition to the global esports ecosystem.

Said Yuri_FPOLIS: “For me, just inviting people from all around the world, from different backgrounds, is a big step to making esports something the whole world can enjoy. It’s awesome and that is something amazing that the GEF is doing.”

Inclusivity is, however, not confined to the athletes.

As part of the Singapore 2021 GEG, GEFCon will bring together thought leaders in esports, sports, technology, and entertainment to explore topical issues facing the industry such as the role of fintech in esports, the future of entertainment, and how organizations are moving from sponsorship to partnership.

There is also the GEFestival, a two-week virtual celebration of esports in the build-up to GEG 2021. It features community gaming, music and entertainment for the gaming communities of the world.

As with any organization, the formative years are crucial. It is where one builds stability and strong roots to form a firm foundation for growth. With a strong base, already established in its first two years, the global esports community can look to many more initiatives that will excite and positively impact esports.

Among the initiatives on the horizon are the expanding of the GEF’s presence in the metaverse with its partnership with 888 The New World, and an exciting line-up of Global Esports Tour and GEG 2022 as the flagship event moves to Istanbul, Turkey.

Said GEF CEO Paul J. Foster: “Just like the dynamic industry that is esports, the GEF also needs to constantly evolve and innovate to cater to an ever-changing target audience and market.

“But as we look to strengthen and add to the many initiatives and partnerships we had built in our first two years, our ethos of bringing inclusivity and celebrating diversity in esports will always remain central to what we do.”

eSports

GIANTX unveils its team for the Spanish Superliga of League of Legends

Published

1 week ago

December 18, 2024

Wladimir P.

giantx-unveils-its-team-for-the-spanish-superliga-of-league-of-legends

Reading Time: 2 minutes

The global esports organization GIANTX has officially presented the roster for its League of Legends Superliga team, the most prestigious esports competition in Spain, organized by the LVP. The roster includes Feisty (midlaner) and Aetinoth (ADC), who continue for another year after establishing themselves as key players for the organization, and newcomers Badlulu (toplaner), Ferret (jungler), and Lospa (support).

The team, known as GIANTX Pride, will be led by Fearless, a veteran coach who has already won three Superliga titles with GIANTX. After previous stints with teams like Guasones and Rebels, Fearless returns to lead this young and promising roster as they pursue the organization’s long-awaited eighth Superliga trophy, with the season set to begin in January 2025.

The roster was revealed during an event at the Home of GIANTX in Málaga, attended by over 150 fans and supported by Opel, the team’s main partner in the Superliga. The event featured activities, giveaways, and a showmatch against Barça Esports, where fans got a first glimpse of the team in action.

Feisty (South Korea, 2003) and Aetinoth (Turkey, 2005) return for another year, having gained recognition as rising talents with potential for the LEC, Europe’s premier competition in which GIANTX also competes. Badlulu (France, 2002), with prior experience in the Superliga at CASE Esports, joins as the toplaner. Ferret (Turkey, 2001), a promising jungler from the Turkish scene, comes from FUT, while Lospa (South Korea, 2002), a former Iberian Cup champion, joins as support after training in Gen.G Academy.

GIANTX Pride is the most decorated organization in Superliga LVP history, with seven titles to its name. The last victory came in the summer of 2021, and the team is determined to add the elusive eighth trophy to its collection. The Superliga for 2025 will feature ten teams, including Barça Esports, Guasones, Los Heretics, LUA Gaming, Movistar KOI, Ramboot Club, UCAM Esports, VENI VIDI VICI, and ZETA, competing across three splits—winter, spring, and summer.

The LVP, part of Grupo Mediapro, has introduced changes to the Superliga’s format for 2025. The updated calendar will be released soon, setting the stage for another thrilling season.

The post GIANTX unveils its team for the Spanish Superliga of League of Legends appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

eSports

GRID Joins IBIA as an Associate Member, Strengthening Esports Integrity

Published

1 week ago

December 17, 2024

George Miller

grid-joins-ibia-as-an-associate-member,-strengthening-esports-integrity

Reading Time: 2 minutes

GRID, an esports data platform, has officially joined the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) as a first esports-focused Associate Member. This collaboration signifies a pivotal moment for esports integrity, aligning GRID with IBIA and its globally recognized integrity-focused members, who monitor over $300bn in sports bets per annum and have a growing focus on esports betting.

With this partnership, GRID and IBIA are committed to collaboratively addressing any integrity issues in esports, fostering trust across stakeholders, and setting a benchmark for excellence in the ecosystem. GRID has been a certified member of IBIA’s Data Standards program since 2022, actively contributing to the development of tailored esports integrity protocols. This membership further underscores GRID’s dedication to transparency and collaboration in combating betting-related corruption within esports.

Since 2018, GRID has operated an internal integrity department pioneering official data-driven solutions for esports. This makes GRID one of the first companies to monitor tournament and data integrity in the competitive sports sector and actively flag and report suspicious behavior, enabling it to collect a large database of integrity reports and insights.

IBIA is a not-for-profit body that protects regulated sports betting markets from match-fixing. It represents over 50 of the world’s leading betting companies which operate over 125 sports betting brands. IBIA’s global monitoring network is a highly effective anti-corruption tool, detecting and reporting suspicious activity in regulated betting markets using transactional activity linked to individual customer accounts.

Under the partnership, GRID and IBIA will share information relating to suspicious esports betting and potential match manipulation from their respective monitoring and intelligence platforms. IBIA members will also benefit from free access to wider integrity-focused resources supplied by GRID.

Moritz Maurer, CEO of GRID, commented: “Integrity is at the heart of GRID’s mission. By joining IBIA as an Associate Member, we are taking a definitive step toward establishing esports as a trusted and credible industry. This partnership enables us to further our efforts in promoting transparency, reducing risks associated with esports betting, and strengthening operational practices across the ecosystem.’’

Khalid Ali, CEO of IBIA, said: “We are delighted to welcome GRID as an Associate Member of IBIA. This partnership is a landmark for the esports sector and reflects our commitment to expanding our integrity initiatives into new markets. GRID’s expertise in esports data monitoring and integrity standards is an invaluable asset in our shared mission to combat betting corruption globally.”

The post GRID Joins IBIA as an Associate Member, Strengthening Esports Integrity appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

eSports

ComeOn Group and Astralis unite to drive esports engagement in the Nordics

Published

1 week ago

December 17, 2024

George Miller

comeon-group-and-astralis-unite-to-drive-esports-engagement-in-the-nordics

Reading Time: 2 minutes

ComeOn Group announced a sponsorship partnership between its flagship brand ComeOn! and Denmark based Astralis, one of the most esteemed esports organisations globally. As a global leader in esports, Astralis is providing a vibrant and engaging esports experience that is aligned with ComeOn!’s brand experience and is further enhanced by its focus in providing a leading esports betting destination.

As the official sponsor of Astralis, ComeOn! will be prominently featured across all of their platforms, including social media, team events, and competitive gaming content, boosting their brand exposure in key global markets with a focus on the Nordics. ComeOn! is already known as a vibrant brand in the Nordics and with the increased brand visibility it will be put at the heart of the fast-growing esports scene.

ComeOn Group continues to invest in its Sportsbook product experience that is powered by its proprietary sportsbook platform, where esports holds an important strategic market opportunity with its ever growing demand.

Juergen Reutter, Chief Executive Officer at ComeOn Group, said: “We are very excited to team up with Astralis as this collaboration not only allows us to showcase our innovative Sportsbook platform but also strengthens our ties to the esports community. This partnership is very much in the heart of one of the fastest growing betting markets globally. Esports has seen great demand by our audiences, and we want to provide the best betting experience for our customers. This partnership is also a testament to our localisation and personalisation focus and by working together with Astralis, we can deliver unique experiences that resonate with our players and elevate the entertainment experience around competitive gaming.”

Mads Rasmussen, Commercial Director at Astralis, said: ”We are proud to present ComeOn Group as our new global partner. This partnership holds great significance for Astralis both as an organization and as a business, and we look forward to bringing the agreement to life, benefiting the vast majority of our fanbase – who are adults. We have undergone a long and very positive process with ComeOn, and the fact that they are European-based with licenses in all our key markets, including Denmark, has been a decisive factor in our decision. Astralis fans, both in Denmark and internationally, can look forward to an innovative new digital activation, which promises to deliver an exciting and engaging experience.”

The post ComeOn Group and Astralis unite to drive esports engagement in the Nordics appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.