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AyoRichie emerges victorious at Red Bull Golden Letters after incredible upsets against Tekken’s biggest stars

Published

4 years ago

March 28, 2022

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Richie “AyoRichie” Olusanya has been crowned Red Bull Golden Letters champion, overcoming Joey Fury in the Grand Final after a weekend of tense Tekken 7 action at the Red Bull Gaming Sphere in London.

AyoRichie won out at the new Tekken 7 LAN event, which was broadcast live from the Red Bull Gaming Sphere in London, staking a claim as one of the UK’s rising stars in Tekken as a series of outstanding performances saw them rise to the top of 100 aspiring and professional players.

The Brit proved a force to be reckoned with throughout the weekend, pulling off an unbelievable series of upsets over some of Tekken’s biggest stars to set up a tense Grand Final against Loser’s Bracket winner Joey Fury.

The Grand Final started as a tense affair where Joey Fury’s experience could stand out, as the American pulled off a clean sweep to take the first game and, despite signs of a recovering AyoRichie, shortly after took home the second, scoring a ‘Perfect’ in the process. The third was a closer affair but a confident Joey Fury capitalised to pull off a clean sweep in the set and confirm a Grand Final Reset with everything to play for.

In the second set, AyoRichie immediately took the advantage and displayed the incredible form he’d shown throughout the tournament, scoring a clutch ‘Great’ score that saw him gain enough momentum to take game one. The second game went all the way as the pair traded blows, and while AyoRichie’s momentum scooped him game two to put him within reach of the Championship, Joey Fury proved clutch in game three to take it to a pulse-racing fourth game.

With another game ramping up the tension, AyoRichie pressed his advantage in a brilliant display, securing a clean sweep to win the set and the Red Bull Golden Letters trophy.

The Championship Sunday played host to a series of epic matchups, after the Saturday had whittled down the field of 96 players to the four best players and saw Tekken 7 stars including Anakin, Super Akouma, Joey Fury & Chickenmaru entering the fray.

Despite the star-studded field of competitors, AyoRichie was the story of the tournament, battling through from Open Qualifiers with some excellent performances to reach the top eight. He reached another level on Championship Sunday as the Rize Gaming player pulled off surprise upsets against Super Akouma, Joey Fury and home-favourite Anakin to set up a Grand Final against Loser’s Bracket winner Joey Fury.

Following his amazing performance in the Grand Final, newly-crowned Red Bull Golden Letters Champion Richie “AyoRichie” Olusanya said: “I can’t describe the feeling of coming away with the win, I’ve been working so hard at the game and it’s finally paid off so I’m just excited to see what’s going to happen next.

“The [Golden Letters] format brings so much hype to it, the scoring can work against you but it’s sick and so great to watch and play in. It was unbelievable playing here in front of a live audience – with people cheering you on there’s nothing like it at all and that atmosphere definitely inspired some of the performances today.”

Red Bull Golden Letters pioneers a unique format that offers a fresh and scintillating twist to the classic Tekken 7 formula. In best of five sets, players who can carry out dominant wins or clutch plays and earn ‘Perfect’ or ‘Great’ scores – Tekken’s iconic golden letters – will reap the rewards with automatic wins.

The format helped inspire some unforgettable matches and mouth-watering moments as some of the best Tekken 7 pros showed off their poise under pressure, with a total of 14 Golden Letters victories throughout the competition..

Red Bull Golden Letters host Hassan “Spag” Farooq, commented after the Grand Final: “It’s great to see a UK player put in this kind of amazing performance on home turf at Red Bull Golden Letters. When he started out during the pandemic everyone in the UK could see he had potential for greatness but he’s proved it now with a huge breakout performance.

“Nothing like the Golden Letters format had been done before and it’s been a huge success, genuinely adding to the viewing experience and building up the hype even more for fans with some unforgettable moments, and we’re already hearing people want another one.”

As the Official Hardware Partner The ‘Legion by Lenovo: Beat the Pro’ challenge saw players compete against the best of the best for a chance to win exclusive Legion by Lenovo prizes, with five challengers taking a win against Tekken stars Anakin, Super Akouma, Joey Fury and Chickenmaru to take home exclusive Lenovo headsets. Tekken fans were also treated to additional mouth-watering clashes ahead of the Grand Final as continents collided in UK vs EU and UK vs The World special exhibition matches.

Tekken icon Hassan “Spag” Farooq was front and centre of yet another blockbuster Tekken event as the live broadcast host, supported by an all-star casting team of Rasheed “Bubsy” Jenkins, Hussain “Gosain” Shah and Kobi “K-Wiss” Scarlett. As one of the first major Tekken 7 LAN events of the year, the broadcast garnered over 18,000 concurrent viewers across all channels.

Red Bull Golden Letters was delivered in partnership with Lenovo Legion, official hardware partner of The Red Bull Gaming Sphere.

eSports

Esports Foundation names Faker Game Ambassador for EWC and ENC through 2028

Published

7 hours ago

July 15, 2026

Wladimir P.

esports-foundation-names-faker-game-ambassador-for-ewc-and-enc-through-2028

Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok joins Cristiano Ronaldo and Magnus Carlsen in the Esports Foundation’s Ambassador Program.

The Esports Foundation (EF) has appointed Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok as a Game Ambassador for the Esports World Cup (EWC) and Esports Nations Cup (ENC) through 2028, the organization said on July 15, 2026 in a statement issued from Riyadh and Paris.

EF said Faker joins Cristiano Ronaldo, listed as the Foundation’s Global Ambassador, and Magnus Carlsen as part of the Esports Foundation Ambassador Program. The Foundation said Faker will represent “the perspective of esports players” across its international events, athlete initiatives, media engagements and leadership forums.

“You can’t talk about esports without mentioning Faker. He is the defining athlete of competitive gaming: a champion whose excellence, discipline and longevity have inspired an entire generation,” said Ralf Reichert, Chief Executive Officer of the Esports Foundation. “As our Game Ambassador, Faker represents something fundamental to the Ambassador Program: esports creates its own global sporting icons. Across EWC, ENC and NGSC, he will help ensure that the players who built this sport have a voice in shaping where it goes next.”

Faker said: “Competition has shaped my life, and I am proud to join the Esports Foundation as Game Ambassador. I want to continue competing for the biggest titles with T1 while representing the players and fans who have helped esports grow worldwide. Through the Esports World Cup, Esports Nations Cup and the Foundation’s wider platforms, I hope to inspire the next generation to pursue excellence, remain resilient and believe in how far competitive gaming can take them. There is still much more to achieve.”

EF highlighted Faker’s competitive record, describing him as a six-time League of Legends World Champion, EWC 2024 winner, two-time MSI champion and ten-time domestic champion with T1. The Foundation also said Faker became the first esports athlete to receive the Blue Dragon Medal in 2026, describing it as the Republic of Korea’s highest sporting honor awarded by President Lee Jae-myung.

The post Esports Foundation names Faker Game Ambassador for EWC and ENC through 2028 appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Brand Partnerships

Midnite signs as Middlesbrough FC principal partner for 2026/27 season

Published

14 hours ago

July 15, 2026

Wladimir P.

midnite-signs-as-middlesbrough-fc-principal-partner-for-2026/27-season

Midnite has agreed a partnership with Middlesbrough FC that will see the UK bookmaker become the club’s principal partner and front-of-shirt sponsor for the 2026/27 campaign, which Middlesbrough describes as its landmark 150th season.

The companies announced the deal alongside a fan activation at Riverside Stadium on Thursday, July 9, branded “This Season’s On Us”. The initiative offered supporters prizes including 2026/27 season tickets, 2026/27 shirts, match tickets, or a £25 club shop voucher, with fans required to answer Middlesbrough trivia and complete a football challenge.

Middlesbrough former players Craig Hignett and David Wheater attended the event, and, according to the company, took bonus attempts on behalf of participants who missed out.

Andrew Mook, Midnite’s Head of Brand Marketing, said:

“Middlesbrough have a storied history and we’re delighted to announce this partnership during such a monumental year with the club celebrating their 150th anniversary.

“It was great to see so many Middlesbrough fans at the “This Season’s On Us” activation, we hope they enjoyed taking part and meeting club legends, with David Wheater hitting top bins on several occasions and allowing fans to win big with season tickets.

“We can’t wait to get to Riverside Stadium in August to kick-off a new season and we’re excited to say that we have plenty of new and captivating campaigns planned.”

Lee Fryett, Middlesbrough FC Chief Commercial Officer, added:

“We’re delighted to welcome Midnite as our new Principal Partner.

“We’re looking forward to working closely with Midnite to develop engaging campaigns, content and unique experiences that bring our fans even closer to the club.

“We’re confident this partnership will provide real value for our supporters while supporting our ambitions both on and off the pitch.”

The post Midnite signs as Middlesbrough FC principal partner for 2026/27 season appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

AGCO

ThrillTech secures AGCO supplier licence for Ontario launch

Published

14 hours ago

July 15, 2026

Wladimir P.

thrilltech-secures-agco-supplier-licence-for-ontario-launch

ThrillTech has been awarded a Gaming-Related Supplier licence by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), clearing the company to launch in Ontario’s regulated market.

The licence allows ThrillTech to deploy its opt-in side bet jackpots technology with regulated online casino, sports betting and lottery operators across the province.

Benjamin Bradtke, Co-Founder of ThrillTech, said: “Securing our AGCO licence is a major step in our mission to transform how jackpots are delivered at scale across regulated markets. This latest certification is testament to our robust technology and trusted compliance frameworks, allowing us to continue our global growth trajectory. We are thrilled to bring our proven, compliant jackpot technology to Ontario, empowering locally licensed operators to uplift revenue without cannibalising existing spend.”

The company said its “ThrillPots” mechanics sit as an independent, player-funded side bet and do not alter the underlying game’s return-to-player mathematics.

ThrillTech said the Ontario approval enables its existing multinational partners that also operate in the province to launch its side bet jackpots locally, while it also holds talks with potential new operator partners. The company lists its regulated footprint as including the United Kingdom, Sweden, the Netherlands, Romania, Malta, Gibraltar, Brazil and Peru.

The post ThrillTech secures AGCO supplier licence for Ontario launch appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.