eSports
LAMBORGHINI PRESENTS ITS FIRST EVER ESPORTS TEAM FOR VIRTUAL RACING AND ANNOUNCES THE THREE OFFICIAL SIM DRIVERS
Strengthening its commitment to the Esports scene with a factory team, Lamborghini has unveiled the three sim drivers who will represent the brand during the 2022 season in international sim racing competitions.
Lamborghini decided to create its own official team to build on the valuable experience gained with The Real Race, the virtual one-make championship that debuted in 2020. The Esports Team represents a further opportunity to expand the brand’s presence in a sector that is constantly developing, highly competitive, and offers the chance to experience emotions comparable to those of a real race.
The three sim drivers chosen to represent the brand in the major international Esports competitions are Jordan Sherrat, Gianfranco Giglioli and Giorgio Simonini.
Sherrat, who was born in South Africa in 1999, earned his place on the Lamborghini Esports team thanks to his success in the latest edition of The Real Race, winning fifteen out of seventeen races and taking nine out of ten pole positions. The dominator of the second edition of the Lamborghini Esports championship for the EMEA region, who gained attention after his third place finish in 2020, is the perfect standard bearer for the team, both for the skills he has demonstrated in competition over the past two seasons and for being a huge fan of the Lamborghini brand.
“Being chosen by Lamborghini to be the Official Sim driver still feels like a dream,” commented Sherrat. “All the hard work and sacrifice I have put in behind the scenes have been recognised and I finally get to live my dream! I want to thank Lamborghini for putting their trust in me to represent their prestigious Brand.”
The second talent selected is Gianfranco Giglioli, a 24-year-old Italian-Venezuelan driver already well-established in the sim racing world. He was one of the first virtual drivers to take part in the Formula 1 Esports Series, finishing eighth in the inaugural season. In 2020 Giglioli placed fifth in the first edition of The Real Race, and that same year he won the Porsche Esports Carrera Cup Italia.
Completing the line-up is 22-year-old Italian sim driver Giorgio Simonini. His list of achievements includes first place in the Sim Grid World Cup 2020 and fourth place in the SRO Esports 2020 championship, results that make him one of the most promising drivers in virtual racing.
Sherrat and Giglioli will compete together in the GT World Challenge Esports Sprint Series Europe, and Simonini will join the pair to form the crew for the 2022 Intercontinental GT Challenge Esports Endurance Championship.
The Sprint calendar consists of five races and starts on April 6th with the Misano race. The last appointment is set for August 3rd, with the grand finale scheduled in the virtual version of the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza.
The Intercontinental GT Challenge Esports series kicks off on April 16th with the 12 Hours of Bathurst, the famous Australian endurance race. Here too there are five rounds on the calendar, with the competition concluding on August 27th with the 9 Hours of Kyalami.
Sherrat, Giglioli and Simonini have already started training to prepare for the first events on the calendar, sharing important information on driving and setup. The three sim drivers will be supported during the season by the Squadra Corse staff, who are dedicating a team principal, driver coach and engineers to the project to offer their expertise in the development and analysis of telemetry data, from the track to the virtual simulation.
Automobili Lamborghini’s Head of Motorsport Giorgio Sanna expressed his satisfaction with the launch of this exciting new project: “Sim racing is an important platform in today’s motorsport scene. Video games were born to allow those who didn’t have opportunities for real-life racing to impersonate the professional drivers. Now, after several decades of development in the industry, simulated racing is getting closer and closer to its real-life counterpart and now has nothing to envy from professional motorsport. Moreover, sim racing is an additional tool for us to develop some of the fundamental aspects of real racing, such as car setups and software applications that will play an important role in the future of our brand.”
Lamborghini has also confirmed the return of The Real Race for 2022. The dates of the third edition of the one-make Lamborghini Esports series will be announced in the coming weeks.
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anime
G2 drops limited-edition One Piece streetwear capsule on June 25
The esports organisation’s second anime apparel collaboration will be sold exclusively via g2esports.com/shop.
G2 is launching a limited-edition G2 | One Piece capsule collection on June 25, with the drop available exclusively through the organisation’s online store at g2esports.com/shop.
The collection is inspired by One Piece’s Gear 5 Monkey D. Luffy and includes hoodies, zip-ups, t-shirts, caps, sleeves, and tote bags. According to G2, the items use a black-and-white palette and feature a minimalist embroidered logo alongside a custom G2 | One Piece Jolly Roger that combines the G2 samurai emblem with Luffy’s straw hat.
“At G2, we’re continuing to push the culture and fashion of esports beyond competition alone, and this One Piece collection is a natural extension of that,” says Sabrina Ratih, COO of G2 Esports. “We wanted to create a capsule that continues to elevate the esports fashion space – understated, premium, and stylish enough for everyday wear, while still carrying the spirit of adventure, ambition, and individuality that defines One Piece and G2 alike. Every piece is designed to bridge the gap between fandom and everyday style, and continuing our mission to redefine what esports fashion can be.”
G2 described the drop as its second anime collaboration, following a previous apparel collaboration with Solo Leveling. The company positioned the release as part of its broader effort to connect esports, anime, and streetwear.
One Piece debuted in 1999 and remains one of the largest anime franchises globally. G2 cited over 600 million manga copies sold and more than 1,160 episodes for the series.
The post G2 drops limited-edition One Piece streetwear capsule on June 25 appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
eSports
Study: 400m Gen Z esports fans say brand activations drive purchases
EFG, Hero Esports and Niko Partners survey 8,000 fans across eight markets; 74% report ads and brand presence influence buying.
ESL FACEIT Group (EFG), Hero Esports and Niko Partners have released a multi-country Gen Z esports study claiming around 400 million Gen Z consumers (20%) regularly engage with esports. The findings were published on 25th June 2026 in Cannes, France, in a white paper titled The Esports Generation: Who They Are & Why They Spend.
The report is based on survey data from 8,000 Gen Z esports fans aged 13-30 across eight markets. It positions esports as a high-attention channel for brands: 85% of respondents said they notice branding in esports, while 74% self-reported that advertising and brand participation in gaming spaces influences their purchasing behaviour. The study also reports that 66% have bought a product following a collaboration or co-branding partnership with an esports team, game or player.
On consumption and fandom touchpoints, the study found 71% regularly watch gaming content, including 66% who watch gaming livestreams and 33% who watch or listen to gaming podcasts. It also points to offline reach: 21% said they regularly attend gaming conventions and esports events, with the average respondent attending at least one in-person event in the past nine months.
The white paper also breaks out claimed purchase categories linked to esports collaborations over the past year, led by food and beverage (33%), electronics (33%) and fashion (32%). Beyond core categories, it reports 28% bought esports-related collectibles, 17% purchased makeup, beauty, or skincare products, and 10% bought from partnered brands in other categories.
Niccolo Maisto, CEO at ESL FACEIT Group said: “Esports has evolved into one of the most effective channels for companies looking to connect with Gen Z audiences at scale. What makes it unique is not just its reach, but the depth of engagement and trust that exists between fans, players, teams, and events. This research shows that esports fans are highly invested participants, not passive viewers, creating an opportunity for brands that show up authentically and build meaningful and lasting connections with this key audience.”
Danny Tang, Co-Founder and CEO of Hero Esports said: “This whitepaper confirms what we at Hero Esports have long believed: esports has evolved into a global cultural and economic force. The data shows an audience that is young, diverse, and deeply engaged. For brands, the message is clear—esports is no longer a niche market; it is the premier platform to connect with the next generation of consumers. We are proud to partner with Niko Partners and EFG to provide this blueprint for understanding and succeeding in this dynamic industry.”
Lisa Hanson, CEO at Niko Partners said: “Our data shows that, much like fans of other sports, Gen Z esports fans are incredibly passionate and have formed strong bonds within their communities. However, their media and consumer affinities extend well beyond gaming and esports, with our research revealing naturally connected interest areas that create valuable overlapping opportunities for brands and partners that show up authentically in this ecosystem.”
The post Study: 400m Gen Z esports fans say brand activations drive purchases appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
eSports
How Not to Tilt When Facing Challenges: NAVI Performance Coach Urszula Klimczak and GG.BET Have Released a Special Project about Mental Health
NAVI Performance Coach Urszula Klimczak and NAVI’s title sponsor GG.BET have unveiled Tilt Management, a special project dedicated to mental health. The initiative consists of three in-depth articles covering demotivation, burnout, and dealing with hate – some of the most common mental health challenges faced not only by esports players, but also by their fans. The project places a strong emphasis on practical value, featuring real-life esports cases, proven advice and everyday practices, as well as self-support exercises readers can apply on their own.
Mental health is becoming increasingly relevant year after year, regardless of profession or lifestyle. Many of the challenges professional players experience are familiar to millions of people in their everyday lives. These include loss of purpose, poor work-life balance, conflicts within teams, vulnerability to criticism, and more. While esports professionals can rely on performance coaches and team staff for support, people outside the industry often have to seek professional help on their own – something that does not always happen. One of the key goals of the project is to support people who may not have access to professional guidance by explaining how different issues manifest themselves, offering practical tools for self-care and recovery, and highlighting when it is important to seek help from specialists.
The first article focuses on demotivation. It explains how to recognize its early signs, how to distinguish it from simple exhaustion, and what NAVI does to prevent players from reaching this state. Particular attention is paid to techniques that help regain focus, manage daily routines, and gradually restore energy.
The second article explores burnout both within and beyond esports. Readers can assess themselves using descriptions of the five stages of burnout and their symptoms, learn about NAVI’s approach to maintaining performance under a demanding schedule, and discover why variety in everyday life and taking smaller, more frequent breaks are essential elements of burnout prevention.
The final chapter of the project addresses hate and negativity. It explains why hatred and aggression ultimately say more about the hater than the target, how to establish healthy boundaries, and how to avoid being consumed by criticism – especially self-criticism. NAVI’s strategy for dealing with hate, combined with practical exercises, can help readers to challenge negative thoughts and distinguish constructive feedback from a stream of harmful negativity.
All articles from the Tilt Management special project are available on EGamersWorld.
The post How Not to Tilt When Facing Challenges: NAVI Performance Coach Urszula Klimczak and GG.BET Have Released a Special Project about Mental Health appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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