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 wins Madrid’s heart during a historic weekend for European esports

Published

7 hours ago

April 28, 2025

George Miller

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Reading Time: 2 minutes

Global esports organisation GIANTX has come away from Madrid with a landmark victory, outstanding performances, and the affection of thousands of fans, after the Spanish capital turned into the European hub for esports over the weekend. The LEC Roadtrip, hosted by Movistar KOI — the organisation led by Ibai Llanos — proved to be a resounding success in terms of attendance and organisation. GIANTX, with roots in London and Málaga, played a starring role. Only a narrow defeat against the hosts prevented a perfect weekend. Now, the focus shifts back to Berlin, where GIANTX will fight for a place in the playoffs of the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC), the continent’s premier esports league.

For the first time, the LEC temporarily moved its competition from Berlin to Madrid. The Spanish capital once again demonstrated the strength and passion of its esports community, particularly in League of Legends. Around 10,000 spectators filled the Madrid Arena over two days, witnessing four thrilling matches — all decided on the final map — alongside fan activities and community events. The success of the Roadtrip has reignited calls for more international esports events to be hosted in Spain.

GIANTX approached the weekend with two objectives: to improve their standings by securing key victories and to reaffirm their status as one of Europe’s most historic esports organisations, with more than 15 years of tradition and success. The support for GIANTX was immense, with fans travelling from across the country to gather in Madrid. While the team fell just short of a perfect weekend, they earned the respect and affection of the entire arena.

On the competitive front, GIANTX made a strong start by defeating G2 Esports, the historic powerhouse of European League of Legends. It was GIANTX’s first-ever victory over G2, following a tense three-map series that also played out heavily on social media. In the first game, Lot and Jackies led the charge with standout performances on Jax and Yone. Although GIANTX faltered in the second map after a promising early game, they pulled off an unforgettable comeback in the decisive third map, overcoming a formidable performance from G2’s superstar Caps.

Later on Sunday, GIANTX faced KOI in another fiercely contested series. After a standout performance with Tristana in the second game, GIANTX forced a third map but could not maintain their momentum. KOI, who had defeated Fnatic the day before, emerged victorious and closed out the weekend as Roadtrip champions. Fnatic, meanwhile, secured a win over G2 to salvage their weekend.

GIANTX proved itself a top-level contender at the Madrid Arena, but earlier inconsistencies during the Spring Split now weigh heavily in the standings. To qualify for the LEC playoffs, GIANTX must defeat Team BDS next weekend and Team Heretics the following one. The team currently holds a 2-5 record — results that do not fully reflect the positive performances seen in Madrid.

The post GIANTX wins Madrid’s heart during a historic weekend for European esports appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Daily Fantasy Sports

Assessing the esports DFS opportunity in the US

Published

8 hours ago

April 28, 2025

GamingAmericas.com

assessing-the-esports-dfs-opportunity-in-the-us

Oliver Niner, Head of B2B says that DFS remains a compelling vertical with huge growth potential especially if operators expand their offering into esports

The roll out of legal online and mobile sports betting across US states has presented a significant opportunity for operators, but the market has proved harder to crack than many anticipated.

The cost of customer acquisition is skyrocketing, building brand equity is taking much longer than expected, and there’s been a slowdown in new states embracing regulation and licensing.

This has led to a run of operators exiting the market as the numbers simply don’t add up.

But while this is happening, the daily fantasy sports space continues to thrive and remains a compelling opportunity for operators.

DFS has a unique legal standing in many states where sports betting is still restricted, allowing operators to reach audiences they otherwise couldn’t.

It also fosters deeper engagement with those who play – players aren’t just betting on outcomes; they’re actively managing lineups and pitting their knowledge and skills against others.

This is the perfect combination for retention and loyalty – something sportsbooks struggle to achieve with players easily swayed to join another brand simply because of a generous free bets offer.

There’s also an untapped opportunity in bringing the worlds of esports and daily fantasy sports together, allowing operators to connect with an entirely new audience.

Until now, traditional DFS brands have focused on the major sports, but the younger, digital-native audiences are more interested in esports such as CS2 and LoL than the NFL.

Why the DFS model works:

Before discussing how operators can get in on the esports DFS action, it’s important to understand why the DFS model works so well in the US, especially for those looking to diversify their offering.

The first is regulatory accessibility. DFS is legal in more states than traditional sports betting, allowing operators to enter markets where sportsbook licensing is unavailable or complex.

DFS has much lower acquisition costs while serving as a gateway to paid gaming. It often attracts a younger, more engaged audience at a lower CPA compared to traditional sports betting.

Strong user retention is another upside. Unlike one-off bets, DFS players return regularly to manage lineups, track stats and compete in contests, driving retention rates way beyond sports betting.

It’s also esports ready. Esports fans are highly engaged with player performance stats, making DFS a natural fit. It can then serve as an introduction to real-money esports betting when regulations allow.

The esports DFS opportunity to be explored:

DFS is an established and thriving vertical and while some operators offer esports within their proposition, it often lacks depth, innovation and mainstream adoption.

Esports fans are naturally engaged with stats, player performance metrics and in-game analytics, so easily segue into the DFS format.

Titles like LoL, CS2, Dota 2 and Valorant offer rich data sets that allow for creative and competitive fantasy formats, but most operators are yet to really get into it.

This leaves a major gap in the market and a huge opportunity for those who put together a compelling esports DFS product, especially as the popularity of esports betting grows.

What a compelling esports DFS product looks like:

The foundation of any esports DFS product is reliable, real-time data and the ability to provide a range of engaging contest formats.

This is where companies such as PandaScore come in. We provide operators with comprehensive esports data including player and team stats across all the major disciplines.

We supplement this with accurate odds and DFS pricing models, helping operators to set accurate and competitive odds – both our data and odds feeds are integrated seamlessly via API.

We also provide unrivalled market expertise; the team has years of experience powering esports betting which we leverage to ensure our partners can succeed with esports DFS.

In addition to markets and odds, players need to be able to access deep performance metrics so they can make informed decisions.

It’s also important for the operator to provide a smooth and intuitive experience via a seamless UX and mobile first approach to site and app navigation.

The diversity of the contests offered needs to be considered, too. This includes classic salary cap formats as well as pick’em games and more.

It goes without saying that social interaction needs to be baked into the experience through features such as leaderboards, private leagues and head-to-head challenges.

Operators need to get ahead in a rapidly evolving market:

The US sports betting and iCasino market is fast moving with the landscape constantly changing – just look at the conversation around sweepstakes casinos.

For me, DFS and especially esports DFS remain an underutilised growth channel that operators need to take advantage of.

As esports betting gains traction – PandaScore recently surpassed €1bn in bets through its platform – DFS serves as a vital entry point through which operators can build brand recognition and engage a digital-first audience primed and ready to play.

This audience might not be familiar with real-money betting today, but by providing them with an experience they are familiar and comfortable with, they can become the bettors of tomorrow.

At PandaScore, we are here to help operators capitalise on this opportunity with best-in-class data, pricing models and strategic support.

For operators, this means the numbers will always add up when it comes to esports daily fantasy sports.

The post Assessing the esports DFS opportunity in the US appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.

Asia

Hero Esports Announces Venues for ACL Grand Finals 2025

Published

3 days ago

April 25, 2025

Niji Narayan

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Reading Time: < 1 minute

Hero Esports, an industry leader and the largest esports company in Asia, has announced its championship venues for the Asian Champions League (ACL) Grand Finals 2025 taking place May 16-18 in Shanghai. The landmark event will transform three of the city’s most iconic venues into battlegrounds for nine premier esports titles, cementing Shanghai’s status as the global esports capital.

The tournament is expected to attract 80,000+ live attendees across three venues, with global broadcasts reaching millions via Twitch, YouTube and TikTok. Participating teams will be competing for a total prize pool of $2 million. Selected ACL winners will earn direct entry to the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia—the largest esports event in history due to take place from July to August.

“Shanghai’s selection as our host city reflects its unmatched esports infrastructure and passionate community. By combining elite competition with DreamHack’s festival energy, we’re creating a new blueprint for global esports events,” said Jonny Wang, CEO of ACL.

“This is Hero Esports’ most ambitious project to date. The ACL bridges Asian talents with the world stage while delivering unforgettable fan experiences through cutting-edge production,” said Danny Tang, Co-Founder & CEO of Hero Esports.

The post Hero Esports Announces Venues for ACL Grand Finals 2025 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.