eSports
The Esports Awards Reveals Pro & On-Air Talent Finalists
The Esports Awards, the most prestigious night in the esports calendar, is excited to unveil the finalists for this year’s Pro, On-Air Talent, and Journalism categories which include the likes of Fnatic, Amjad “AngryBird” Al-Shalabi, and Yinsu Collins with voting now live. This year’s Esports Awards, taking place across the 29th and 30th of November, will be hosted by the most innovative and technologically advanced nightclub in Las Vegas, Zouk.
The finalists were announced live across the Esports Awards broadcast platforms, including their Twitch.tv channel by American Esports Host Daniel “dGon” Gonzales, Rocket League Caster and Content Creator Elyse “Herculyse” Herrera, Esports Caster Phil “EEVisu” Visu, and Esports Hosting royalty James “Dash” Patterson.
The Esports Awards will also host PWR UP Las Vegas, held at the luxurious Resorts World Las Vegas. PWR UP Las Vegas is the ultimate esports, tech, and gaming conference. Headlining the event is the groundbreaking Esports Awards Open, a golf tournament blending networking and entertainment with top-tier industry executives and celebrities. PWR UP Las Vegas promises to be an electrifying event that defines the future of esports, tech and gaming, powering up passion within the industry.
The full Pro, On-Air Talent and Journalism finalists are as follows:
Pro
Esports Team of the Year
- Team Vitality – CS:GO
- Team Vitality – Rocket League
- Fnatic – VALORANT
- Evil Geniuses – VALORANT
- New York Subliners – Call of Duty
- JD Gaming – League of Legends
- w7m Esports – Rainbow Six Siege
- Echo – ML:BB
- Gaimin Gladiators – DOTA
- TSM – Apex Legends
Esports Organisation of the Year
- Team Vitality
- LOUD
- Team Liquid
- G2 Esports
- Gen.G Esports
- Karmine Corp
- Moist Esports
- 100 Thieves
- Optic Gaming
- NAVI
- NRG
Esports Coach of the Year
- Danny “Zonic” Sørensen
- Victor “Ferra” Francal
- Christine “Potter” Chi
- Ehsan “DREAL” Javed
- Igor “igoorctg” Santos
- Renzo “Renzo” Oemrawsingh
- Jan “Swani” Müller
- Aske “Cy-” Larsen
- Yoon “Homme” Sung-young
Esports Breakthrough Player of the Year
- Alexis “Zen” Bernier
- Max “Demon1” Mazanov
- Thomas “Scrappy” Ernst
- Kim “D0NGHAK” Min-sung
- Kim “Peyz” Su-hwan
- Anders “Vejrgang” Vejrgang
- Martin “Yike” Sundelin
Esports PC Player of the Year
- Nikola “NiKo” Kovač
- Cho “Maru” Seong-ju
- Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut
- Quinn “Quinn” Callahan
- Nemanja “Hunter” Kovač
- Zhuo “Knight” Ding
- Emir “Alfajer” Beder
- Max “Demon1” Mazanov
- Phillip “ImperialHal” Dosen
- Jung “Chovy” Ji-hun
Esports Controller Player of the Year
- Alexis “Zen” Bernier
- Paco “HyDra” Rusiewiez
- Zain “Zain” Naghmi
- Matthew “KiSMET” Tinsley
- Mashita “acola” Hayato
- Amjad “AngryBird” Al-Shalabi
- Finlay “Rise” Ferguson
- Jack “ApparentlyJack” Benton
- Arslan “Arslan Ash” Siddique
- Phillip “ImperialHal” Dosen
Esports Mobile Player of the Year
- Mohamed “Mohamed Light” Tarek
- Frederic “Bennyqt” Gonzales
- Gaku “Gaku” Mukai
- Erik “Joker” Granström
- Burenbayar “TOP” Altangerel
- Tensai “Tensai”
- Peng “Fly” Yunfei
On-Air Talent
Esports Colour Caster of the Year
- Marc “Caedrel” Robert Lamont
- Dan “Gaskin” Gaskin
- Josh “Sideshow” Wilkinson
- John “JohnnyBoi_i” MacDonald
- Mohan “Launders” Govindasamy
- Thomas “Chance” Ashworth
- Ioannis “Fogged” Loucas
- Dominik “Lacoste” Stipić
- Chad “Spunj” Burchill
- Michael “Hypoc” Robins
Esports Desk Analyst of the Year
- Mimi “aEvilCat” Wermcrantz
- Tyler “Tbates” Bates
- Barento “Raz” Mohammed
- Alyssa “Allycxt” Parker
- Anthony “NAMELESS” Wheeler
- Mira “Ephey” Riad
- Alex “Mauisnake” Ellenberg
- Kale “Genome” Morton
- Mathieu “Maniac” Quiquerez
Esports Host of the Year
- Alex “GoldenBoy” Mendez
- Eefje “Sjokz” Depoortere
- Freya “Freya” Spiers
- Sean “Stax” Stackhouse
- Caleb “WavePunk” Simmons
- Yinsu “Yinsu” Collins
- Chris Puckett
- Jorien “Sheever” van der Heijden
- Lottie Van-Praag
- Ana Xisdê
- James “Dash” Patterson
Esports Play by Play Caster of the Year
- Steven “Tasty Steve” Scott
- Alex “Machine” Richardson
- Brennon “Bren” Hook
- Mark “Onset” Hatcher
- Conner “Scrawny” Girvan
- Brandon Smith
- Callum “Shogun” Keir
- Clayton “Captain Flowers” Raines
- Mitch “Uber” Leslie
- Bruno “BrunoClash” Veiga Lopes
- Miles Ross
- Lauren “Pansy” Scott
Esports Journalist of the Year
- Richard Lewis
- Dominic Sacco
- Kevin Hitt
- Alexander Lee
- James Fudge
- Mikhail Klimentov
- Antonio Yuste
- Cecilia D’Anastasio
- Alejandro Gomis
“I’m continually awestruck by the incredible talent present in the esports industry. It’s an absolute joy to gather everyone and create a space where we can acknowledge, celebrate, and foster growth. I’m eagerly anticipating the upcoming night of fun and camaraderie we’ll share in Las Vegas this November.” Michael Ashford, CEO, Esports Awards
The Esports Awards 2023 campaign key dates:
- 13th – 20th November: Turbo voting period–votes are worth double
- 20th November: Voting closes on all categories but 3
- 25th November: Voting closes for Esports PC Player, Esports Organisation and Esports Team of the Year
- 27th & 28th November: Inaugural Scholars
- 29th & 30th November: Esports Awards 2023
The 2023 Esports Awards is brought to you in partnership with Xfinity, Oakley, Amazon Music, Sizzle Creative, and 5GRV.
DATA.BET says turnover from its virtual content grew 168% between Q1 2025 and Q1 2026, with the supplier reporting the product accounted for 39% of total virtual sports turnover and 45% of profits over the period.
The company said the content is developed fully in-house and delivered through automated bot-vs-bot matches that run 24/7 without dependence on real-world fixture schedules. DATA.BET positioned the format as a way to provide continuous events and reduce operational overhead for operators.
Across the same period, DATA.BET reported +299% active users, +129% across clients GGR, +246% events per quarter, and +218% bets placed.
DATA.BET also said the audience profile overlaps with live football bettors, which it believes supports retention during seasonal breaks. The supplier added that the algorithm-driven format “carries no fraud exposure,” supports In-Stream Betting overlays, and provides near-zero latency between broadcast and market updates.
“Over the past year, our bot-vs-bot virtual content has delivered consistent, measurable results across every operator deployment. Building e-Football in-house gives us the flexibility to configure it to what each operator actually needs — whether that is a specific league structure, a particular mix of bot and player content, or a branded competition format,” mentioned Rostyslav Likhtin, Head of Product at DATA.BET.
The post DATA.BET reports 168% turnover growth from virtual content in Q1 2025–Q1 2026 appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Multi-year deal adds Laboratoires Gilbert’s new brand to jerseys across CS2, VALORANT, Rocket League and LoL teams ahead of a September 2026 launch.
Team Vitality has signed a multi-year partnership with FYZIO, naming the brand its new official sports nutrition and energy drinks supplier. FYZIO is a sports nutrition and hydration brand developed by Laboratoires Gilbert, a French healthcare company established in 1904.
The partnership will put FYZIO branding on the left sleeve of Team Vitality’s official jerseys for several flagship rosters, including CS2, VALORANT (VCT), Rocket League, and League of Legends teams across the LEC, LFL, and Rising Bees. FYZIO will also support Team Vitality teams competing in Teamfight Tactics, Tekken, and Trackmania.
FYZIO is scheduled to launch in September 2026. Team Vitality said the brand will supply products intended to support areas including hydration, fatigue and stress reduction, concentration and memory, and sleep quality.
“We are delighted to announce this partnership with FYZIO and proud to support the launch of this ambitious new brand from the French group, Laboratoires Gilbert. By integrating its specialised nutrition products into our teams’ routines, we are further strengthening our commitment to high-performance excellence,” comments Vas Roberts, Co-CEO of Team Vitality.
“For more than 120 years, Laboratoires Gilbert has been developing solutions dedicated to health and well-being. With FYZIO, we are bringing this expertise to a new ambition: helping everyone achieve their goals, whatever they may be, through a modern, accessible, and responsible approach to sports nutrition. Our partnership with Team Vitality reflects this shared vision of progress, high standards, and sustainable performance. Your performance, our nature“, explains Cédric Batteur, Chairman & CEO, Laboratoires Gilbert.
The post Team Vitality names FYZIO official sports nutrition and energy drinks supplier appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
McDonald’s Germany has partnered with G2 as presenting partner of G2 NORD, the organisation’s League of Legends academy team competing in Germany’s Prime League. The deal also includes support for the return of G2 Hel, G2’s women’s League of Legends team.
Under the agreement, McDonald’s Germany branding, including the “ich liebe es” (I’m lovin’ it) tagline, will appear on G2 NORD and G2 Hel jerseys. The partners also plan a year-long content programme focused on player storytelling and behind-the-scenes access, including a series featuring team president Niklot “Tolkin” Stüber.
G2 positioned the partnership around its regional development pathway. G2 NORD was formed earlier this year through a collaboration between G2 and NORD Esports, and the organisation said the roster has already won the Prime League Winter Snowdown and reached the playoffs in its first EMEA Masters run.
The company said McDonald’s Germany’s backing enables G2 Hel’s return, with the team set to compete in the upcoming Game Changers circuit. “This partnership goes beyond traditional sponsorship, it’s a shared commitment to pushing the boundaries of talent development and creating meaningful opportunities within the space,” said Alban Dechelotte, CEO of G2. Stijn Mentrop-Huliselan, CMO of McDonald’s Germany, added: “We’re proud to support G2 Nord and to celebrate the return of G2 Hel – a strong signal for equity, visibility and inclusion in esports.”
To launch the collaboration, McDonald’s and G2 released an announcement video featuring Jankos, Sola, Tolkin, Team Nord and Caltys, produced in-house by G2. McDonald’s Germany said its lead agency Scholz & Friends supported the development and execution of the partnership.
The post McDonald’s Germany signs on as presenting partner for G2 NORD and G2 Hel appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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