eSports

WePlay Esports invests in One True King company

Published

4 years ago

June 8, 2022

Reading Time: 2 minutes

WePlay Esports, the flagship company of WePlay Holding, has invested in the OTK (One True King) influencer network and media company. Per the agreement, WePlay Esports becomes OTK’s strategic partner. By combining WePlay Esports’ expertise in esportainment production and OTK’s content creation experience, the two organizations will create more engaging material for gaming fans and develop the industry further.

On June 7, 2022, WePlay Esports and OTK announced their partnership during a stream from the WePlay Esports Arena L.A. This is the first-ever external event held in the U.S. WePlay venue that marks the start of the arena’s vigorous activity.

OTK is known for the amusing shows made by the team, which consists of eleven content creators, each a dedicated gaming enthusiast focused on developing the media production direction within the OTK activities. Founded in 2020, the organization has already become one of the most popular live-streaming brands in the world, according to Dexerto. And recently, on March 12, 2022, OTK won the Best Content Organization Award during The Streamer Awards.

WePlay Esports’ experience in the esports event industry should boost OTK’s initiatives aimed at communicating with the gaming audience in a new, unconventional format. Using AR and VR capabilities integrated with the WePlay Esports Arena L.A. and the technical expertise of the WePlay team will help reach a new level of content production. As for WePlay, this partnership will accelerate its expansion in the U.S. market — a strategic goal of the company.

“We at WePlay Esports have always focused on expanding horizons and partnering with ambitious gaming market members. And we believe that OTK is exactly that.

The whole [OTK] team makes a great contribution to the development of gaming by bringing their original approach to content creation. And since WePlay Esports is known for its unique esports event production techniques, we thought that this partnership would bring about more thrilling projects, launched collaboratively by our teams.

More events, initiatives, and projects are ahead!” shared Yura Lazebnikov, co-founder of WePlay Esports, a flagship company of WePlay Holding, managing partner of the WePlay Holding and TECHIIA Holding.

“The WePlay Esports x OTK partnership is a collaboration between one of the world’s best esports production companies and one of the top experts within the streaming industry. We believe it will open us new and exciting opportunities for co-development and leveling up media content creation in the gaming industry.

We’ve been working for quite some time before finally launching our WePlay Esports Arena L.A. and are happy it was with our OTK partners that we did it. Hopefully, the stream of June 7, 2022, is just the beginning of a series of our joint initiatives held in and out of our U.S. arena”, said Maksym Bilonogov, chief visionary officer and general producer at WePlay Esports.

“The augmented and virtual reality capabilities at WePlay Esports add a whole new dimension to collaborative content creation,” said OTK Сo-founder and Chief Operating Officer Tipsout. “Content that would’ve normally required participants to be in the same physical space is now remotely accessible.”

“We are excited to open the doors of our new home to the OTK community, with plans in store to utilize the space for esports events, live shows, and mixed-reality content”, OTK streamer and professional esports host Rich Campbell stated.

On June 8, 2022, the WePlay Esports Arena L.A. is welcoming the OTK Games Expo, with a demonstration of unreleased games and exclusive interviews with industry professionals. Studios that manage to impress One True King, and the viewers at that, will get $50,000 in developmental grants.

amd

S8UL partners with AMD ahead of Esports World Cup 2026 campaign

Published

11 hours ago

June 22, 2026

Wladimir P.

s8ul-partners-with-amd-ahead-of-esports-world-cup-2026-campaign

AMD Ryzen and Radeon hardware will be used across S8UL’s esports, streaming and creator workflows as the Indian org ramps up its EWC push.

S8UL has signed a strategic partnership with Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) ahead of its Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 campaign, as the Indian esports and gaming content organization targets further international expansion.

Under the agreement, AMD will equip S8UL’s players and creators with AMD Ryzen AI 400 Series processor-based PCs, AMD Ryzen 9000 Series processors, and AMD Radeon RX 9000 Series graphics cards for gaming, streaming, content creation and general productivity.

The deal lands as S8UL prepares for EWC 2026 after being selected for the Esports World Cup Foundation’s Club Partner Program for a second consecutive year. The organization said it has already secured qualification spots in Apex Legends, Chess, Fortnite, Honor of Kings, and Trackmania, while continuing to pursue additional slots in other titles. The partnership also follows S8UL onboarding Campa Energy as the Title Sponsor for its EWC 2026 campaign.

“S8UL has always focused on both competitive success and content creation. As we prepare for the Esports World Cup, AMD’s technology will support our players and creators across competition, streaming and content production. We’re excited to work together as we continue to grow our presence globally,” said Animesh ‘Thug’ Agarwal, Co-Founder and CEO, S8UL.

“India’s gaming ecosystem is expanding beyond competition, with creators playing an increasingly important role in how communities connect and grow,” said Vinay Sinha, Managing Director, Sales, AMD India. “Organizations like S8UL are helping shape that evolution, and we’re excited to support their players and creators with AMD technology as they continue to engage gaming and creators’ communities in India and around the world.”

EWC 2026 is scheduled for July 6 to August 23, with the Esports World Cup organisers stating it will feature more than 2,000 players and 200 clubs from over 100 countries competing for a $75 million prize pool.

The post S8UL partners with AMD ahead of Esports World Cup 2026 campaign appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

eSports

Esports Awards adds player-voted EWC Players’ Choice Award, extends Esports Foundation deal

Published

4 days ago

June 19, 2026

Wladimir P.

esports-awards-adds-player-voted-ewc-players’-choice-award,-extends-esports-foundation-deal

The Esports Awards and the Esports Foundation (EF) on June 18, 2026, announced a three-year extension of their partnership through 2028 and introduced a new player-voted honor, the EWC Players’ Choice Award. The announcement was made in London, with voting tied to Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 in Paris.

The EWC Players’ Choice Award will be decided exclusively by professional esports players. According to the announcement, competitors attending EWC 2026 will vote in person, while a secure digital voting platform hosted by the Esports Awards will allow participation from additional eligible players and clubs.

Eligibility requires players to have competed in at least one qualifying S, A or B-Tier tournament during the official competitive season. Players will not be able to vote for themselves or teammates, with the Esports Awards overseeing the process.

“The talent and innovation of our sector should be getting the exposure it deserves.,” said Michael Ashford, CEO of the Esports Awards. “The Esports Foundation has done an incredible job in generating mainstream attention, and industry exposure outside of the standard circuit. Our partnership has enabled us to expand our operations and footprint and it’s through our continued collaboration that I hope we can bring the Esports Awards to the global community, and provide the industry with better visibility all year round.”

The Esports Awards also confirmed its 2026 ceremony will take place in the United States, starting what it described as a rotating host city model featuring “previously unvisited destinations.” The event previously staged its 2024 awards ceremony and the 2025 Decade Awards in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia as part of the Esports World Cup program.

EWC 2026 is scheduled for Paris from July 06 through August 23, 2026, with more than 2,000 players and 200 Clubs from over 100 countries set to compete in 25 tournaments across 24 games. Voting for the EWC Players’ Choice Award will run from July 1 through August 18, 2026, with the winner to be revealed during the Esports Awards ceremony later this year. The Esports Awards said additional details about its 2026 event will be announced in the coming weeks.

The post Esports Awards adds player-voted EWC Players’ Choice Award, extends Esports Foundation deal appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

chess

ENC 2026 chess qualifiers wrap as 82 nations and territories make the field

Published

5 days ago

June 18, 2026

Wladimir P.

enc-2026-chess-qualifiers-wrap-as-82-nations-and-territories-make-the-field

The Esports Foundation (EF) has completed the online regional qualifiers for the Chess tournament at the Esports Nations Cup 2026 (ENC), scheduled to debut in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from November 2-29, 2026.

EF said the 128-player chess field is now largely set. 64 players from 64 countries and territories received direct invitations via official Champions Chess Tour (CCT) rankings at the end of May, while 61 players qualified through online regional events operated by Chess.com across North America, South America, Africa, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Middle East/India/Central Asia, and East Asia/Southeast Asia/Oceania.

A further slot was awarded to Amani Alazmi (Kuwait) via the Host Region Wildcard as the next highest-placing competitor from the host region. Two Wildcard Solidarity slots for underrepresented regions remain and will be announced at the end of August after all ENC qualifiers are completed. With qualifiers concluded, EF said at least 82 countries and territories will be represented in chess at ENC 2026.

EF highlighted that Jamaica, Paraguay, Singapore, South Africa, Tajikistan, Tunisia, and Turkmenistan each secured two qualifying slots despite not receiving a direct invitation. Honduras, Mexico, El Salvador, Venezuela, Morocco, Nigeria, Algeria, Jordan, Australia, and New Zealand secured one slot each.

The chess competition runs November 2-8. EF said the event will open with a round-robin group stage featuring 16 groups of eight players, before moving to a 64-player single-elimination playoff bracket. The full list of qualified players and nations is available on the ENC website’s chess page.

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