This marks a significant shift as FIFA, traditionally associated with its football simulation games, embraces Rocket League as its new esports platform.

Welcome to #FIFAe, @RLEsports!

The first-ever FIFAe World Cup featuring @RocketLeague

Which nation would you like to see compete? Let us know by commenting with your flag! pic.twitter.com/3tMgwAPWVI

— FIFAe (@FIFAe) June 23, 2024

The move has been well-received by fans and organizations alike, signalling a fresh direction for FIFAe.

The tournament will feature teams from 16 different countries, selected based on their representation in previous RLCS events.

Countries like the USA, Canada, France, Australia, Brazil, and the UK are expected to field strong teams, given their established presence in the Rocket League competitive scene.

However, with only 12 countries represented at the recent London Major and several of those having fewer than three players, there’s ample opportunity for new talent from other nations to emerge.

One of the notable aspects of this announcement is FIFA’s commitment to inclusivity.

Players not affiliated with professional organizations will have opportunities to qualify through national tournaments, accessible via FIFA.gg.

This approach aims to democratize access to esports at a national level, aligning with FIFA’s broader goals of expanding its esports footprint beyond traditional football simulations.

Christian Volk, Director of eFootball and Gaming at FIFA, emphasized the significance of this partnership, stating, “The FIFAe World Cup featuring Rocket League marks a new era for FIFAe, providing a ground-breaking platform for FIFA’s member associations to compete on one of the most relevant esports titles.”

As details continue to unfold throughout the year, including specifics on format and additional participating nations, the Rocket League World Cup under FIFA’s banner promises to be a pivotal event in the esports calendar, bridging football’s global appeal with the exciting dynamics of vehicle soccer.

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After three decades of collaboration, FIFA decided to seek new avenues for its gaming franchise, dissatisfied with EA’s reluctance to meet increased licensing fees.

Reports emerged suggesting FIFA’s intention to collaborate with 2K, a prominent player in the sports video game market, signalling a potential return to the soccer simulation genre.

This move could spark a significant rivalry, reminiscent of the competition between FIFA and Pro Evolution Soccer in the early 2000s.

Amidst speculation, sources hinted at a possible partnership between FIFA and 2K for an officially licensed game, stirring excitement among gaming enthusiasts.

The prospect of 2K entering the soccer simulation arena raised expectations, especially considering the developer’s success with career modes in NBA and WWE games.

2K, a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive, expressed interest in expanding into the sports genre, with FIFA being a prime candidate.

However, the company’s CEO, Strauss Zelnick, clarified in a 2022 interview with IGN that while FIFA’s brand held appeal, there were no immediate plans for collaboration.

Meanwhile, EA’s decision to part ways with FIFA stemmed from a desire for creative freedom and a reluctance to meet the reported US$1 billion licensing fee demanded by FIFA.

This move paved the way for EA Sports FC, a new football gaming series developed independently by EA.

FIFA’s president, Gianni Infantino, hinted at the organization’s intention to launch a rival video game, underscoring its determination to remain a prominent player in the esports landscape.

Infantino’s statement in March 2023 hinted at FIFA’s resolve to compete head-to-head with EA Sports, affirming their commitment to delivering top-quality gaming experiences.

As the gaming community eagerly awaits official announcements, the potential collaboration between FIFA and 2K promises to reshape the soccer simulation genre, setting the stage for an exciting new era in virtual football.

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The Austrian district court of Hermagor stated that the packs violated the country’s gambling laws, after discovering that the contents were randomized and had a value that was potentially more or less than the purchase amount. This branded the products as a form of gambling, and they were to be regulated as “games of chance that require a license”.

Part of the court’s ruling stated that the firms required a gambling license to retain profits from FUT packs like in other regions. This ruling is not yet legally binding and will likely only affect how PlayStation uses its portion of the microtransactions. While PlayStation is not responsible for creating the football game, it is entitled to a cut on every transaction carried out via the PS Store, including the FUT packs.

FUT packs are digital purchases that can be bought via an in-game store and share prizes at random. The game mode has players spend money to buy online card packs that occasionally include virtual footballers. The prizes can be traded for in-game currency, or they can be used in acquiring teams for players to use while competing online.

This method of gambling has been long contested in European countries. Nations like the Netherlands and Belgium have already prohibited the sale of FUT packs as part of the FIFA series’ gameplay.

The court’s ruling comes at the conclusion of a lawsuit against Sony because the company benefited from customers spending hundreds of Euros on FUT packs. Ulrich Salzburg, the plaintiffs’ lawyer, argued that this was a direct breach of the Austrian Gaming Act. He also claimed that the controversial FIFA packs were undoubtedly a form of illegal gambling.

Salzburg opined that the case displayed just how addictive micro-transactions of this nature could be. Loot boxes were also criticized for providing “dopamine bursts” to customers after a purchase.

A portion of the plaintiffs wanted up to €85,000 to be refunded to them, while a larger number of the claims were worth around €800. The court did not mention the exact amount Sony will have to reimburse its customers.

The original report reveals that the lawsuit targeted Sony rather than EA because the company was in charge of processing payments. This move worked in favor of EA by shielding the company; however, the case could cause some issues in its dealings in Austria.

EA also previously denied claims of offering minors gambling products while complying with Belgium and Dutch court decisions to remove the gaming features from both markets.

Sony is expected to appeal the court’s decision. It will likely want to curb any issues the ruling could cause in the future like more disgruntled customers filing lawsuits. If the court’s decision is upheld, other firms like Nintendo and Microsoft that handle FIFA payments could be affected.

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?The headquarters will allow players to compete at the facility while also creating content for their own social media channels and that of the academy. Since its inception in 2018, the academy has gained 150,000 followers across its various social media channels.? ?

The franchise took to its official Twitter page to announce the partnership as its looks forward to creating better video content with the brand:

?”#WELCOMEOMEN?We are happy to announce that we have partnered with @OMENbyHP, HP’s premium gaming brand. Together, we will focus on creating even better video content!? ?Our new HQ features their best PCs and allows us and our talents to take our game to the next level!”

?Team Gullit will continue to maintain its position as one of the world’s largest FIFA academies in 2022. It signed a deal with MLS football club Atlanta United earlier this month to work closely with and develop the club’s squad of FIFA esports players.? ?

The deal sees OMEN strengthen its position in the esports industry. Over the past five years, the brand has consistently extended its partnership with BIG and gone on to expand its agreement with Belong Gaming Arenas.

OMEN joins Team Gullit as the seventh partner member, joining the rich list that includes high-profile brands such as Samsung Electronics, SEIKO Vision, and Robey Sportswear.??

Founder of Team Gullit, Corné Dubelaar described the OMEN deal as a perfectly timed partnership. He also spoke a little about the franchise headquarters, which are scheduled to be unveiled in the near future.

??”For us, the timing of the collaboration is ideal. We will be officially opening our new Team Gullit HQ soon; a unique place that meets all needs of the players and us,” Dubelaar said.?

?”OMEN desktops not only make the room look incredible, they also provide us with the power we need to take our content game to the next level from the launch of FIFA 23.”

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The players of Atlanta United’s FIFA team will get coaching and development support from Team Gullit. In spite of the fact that the alliance was not made public until only recently, Atlanta has been working closely with the Dutch competitive FIFA organization, Team Gullit, over the past two years.

Atlanta United Vice President of Business Operations, Georgia O’Donoghue, spoke about the partnership between the organization and Team Gullit.

“As one of the most successful teams in the FIFA Global Series, Team Gullit will continue to provide our players with some of the most comprehensive coaching in the esports industry.”

Within the realm of FIFA esports, Team Gullit is an interesting franchise, with its founder being Ruud Gullit, a former winner of the Ballon d’Or. The organization’s core is hinged more on identifying and cultivating future talents than it is on winning tournaments.

The objective of the academy is to provide excellent FIFA players the opportunity to break through into the broader international stages without having to be signed by a major professional outfit, be it an esports organization or a regular football club.

On the other hand, Atlanta United made its initial foray into the world of FIFA esports in 2017, and the club has been active in the industry ever since.

Brazilian nationals, Paulo Neto and Vini Leiva are currently listed as players on the franchise roster. Shortly after putting together the team, Atlanta reached out to Team Gullit for help with player development. The two organizations are now officially working together.

The support provided by Team Gullit was extremely beneficial for Atlanta United, which allowed the team to win the eMLS Cup and earn a place in the FIFAe World Cup early in 2022. According to Renzo Oemrawsingh, Head of Development for Team Gullit, the team is excited to take the current degree of cooperation to the next level. According to Oemrawsingh, the initial step in the agreement would involve Team Gullit providing coaching to an Atlanta United player named Paulo Neto as he competes in the next FIFAe World Cup.

Paulo Neto, who was signed to Atlanta United in 2018, won his first eMLS championship on March 14, 2022, in front of a packed crowd at Austin City Limits. He did so by defeating Mohamed “KingCJ0” Diop of D.C. United by a 5-3 record in the final matchup.

On his route to winning the most prestigious soccer competition in North America, Paulo was forced to compete against the best players in the eMLS. In his pursuit of the trophy that he had failed to win in previous years, Paulo did not waste any time. He was finally able to claim the title of eMLS Cup Champion.

Atlantic United is not the only organization that has formed an alliance with Team Gullit. Recently, the academy was successful in securing a partnership with Ninjas in Pyjamas, a well-known esports brand based in Sweden. As a result of this agreement, a new esports team TG.NIP was formed.

Additionally, the franchise has partnerships with Samsung, the energy drink brand Red Bull, and the watch manufacturer Seiko.
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??Chris Suh, the CFO of Electronic Arts, revealed to stakeholders on the fourth-quarter results call that Apex continues to provide overwhelming gains for the organization. Suh went further to verify that the game’s overall earnings had now surpassed $2 billion.

For a game that was released three years ago, the game gets bigger and increases in value at an incredible rate. Suh stated that Apex’s income climbed by 40% year over year, adding that Season 12 marked the game’s most profitable season ever. The company is expected to produce a billion dollars every year in the future, as experts have speculated.??

Shareholders had to make do with a more nebulous metric of success for the game’s latest season, despite CEO of Electronic Art, Andrew Wilson reporting that Season 9 and Season 10 had both set a record for the most active players in the game.

??Still, EA executives remain optimistic about the game’s future, expecting the launch of Apex Legends on mobile later this month to boost revenue for the company and the franchise in the coming fiscal year.

??EA’s Service Categories and Net worth ?Electronic Arts as a company specializes in providing digital interactive entertainment. It develops and publishes gaming titles for a variety of platforms, including mobile devices, internet-connected consoles, PCs, and tablets.?? The company’s services are used by over 300 million individuals around the world.

Electronic Arts has three core divisions: EA Mobile, EA Studios, and Maxis. ??Its first division is tasked with the designing and development of games with an improved user experience built specifically for mobile platforms. The second division assists in the development and launch of interactive games for mobile devices and tablets, with over 20 studios and 6,000 creators. The third, Maxis, is well known for its simulation games, including The Sims, Spore and SimCity. ??

The company’s net worth has risen since the previous year, indicating that it will continue to perform very well. The games being services that are mostly consumed indoors thrived as a result of COVID and global lockdowns. It was one of the few game franchises that did exceptionally well in 2020. ??

EA’s net worth is said to be $34.71 billion (as at April 29, 2022), and one might be curious to wonder how it earns its profits. Because the corporation is predominantly digital, many of its operations revolve around the delivery of digital material. ??The issue with digital products is that they are usually far less expensive to develop than physical items because they do not require the high cost of production. Furthermore, because the corporation has extensive digital distribution capabilities, it can sell its material much more easily.??

EA generates revenues from online sales each year. Consoles are the company’s biggest source of income, and that has been the company’s primary focus since its inception all those years ago. ??Live services, game downloads, and mobile are the three sectors that make up its annual revenue. EA has also managed the field smartly, resulting in a partnership with Disney in which EA will begin distributing all Star Wars games.??

The game publisher had earlier announced it will discontinue the creation of FIFA-branded football games from 2023, ending its partnership with the football governing body. It has, however, stated that it will continue to develop and publish football video games under a new name: EA Sports FC.
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Effortless Dominates Diabotical Fatal1ty Aim Duel

The North American edition of Diabotical Fatal1ty Aim Duel is over, and the results are in. The two-day competition saw the best of North American arena FPS talent duke it out. In the end, Justin “Effortless” Yergeau came out on top, dominating a 72-player field.

Effortless was part of the regular field, qualifying for the playoffs through a grueling group-stage. In the grand finale, he bested prominent American arena FPS player Raul Raygoza, who was one of eight players directly invited to the double-elimination playoffs.

In the final match, Effortless won over Raygoza 15-11 in a thrilling series. Next month, the tournament will go to Europe, with one of its main goals to bring Diabotical to the forefront of the esports scene. Arena FPS games have struggled to raise interest within esports betting circles.

Asia esports news

EVOS Esports & Newzoo Team Up To Study Southeast Asian Market

Esports analytics company Newzoo and Indonesian esports organization EVOS have unveiled a new partnership. In a bid to better penetrate the SEA market, EVOS and Newzoo will be studying the region in great detail.

Newzoo bring considerable expertise to the table as an esports analytics and research firm, and they are equipped to extract valuable information from player data. Meanwhile, EVOS manages 15 teams across five different countries, providing ample amounts of data.

The partnership will see Newzoo leverage the EVOS team, sponsorship, and fan networks to better understand the SEA region. Mobile gaming is a particular focus of the partnership as it holds a significantly larger share of the regional market than PCs and consoles.

Africa esports news

Abu Akhalwaya Wins Africa’s Largest FIFA Tournament

Abu Akhalwaya, team coach for Pirates Esports, has crowned himself champion of the TELKOM VS Gaming eDiski FIFA20 tournament. The competition, played on Xbox, is Africa’s largest competitive FIFA event, with a series of qualifiers taking place throughout October. This culminated in Akhalwaya takes home a cash prize of more than 100,000 South African rand (just over $6,000).

It was a surprising result as Akhalwaya has a solid reputation as a coach, but not as a competitor. In addition, the 35-year-old has been unwell lately, suffering from kidney failure and other ailments.

The final saw Abu defeat bookmaker favorite Kaylan Moodley. The latter was the clear favorite with every major sportsbook, being the #1 ranked player in South Africa. Akhalwaya’s victory was a major upset for African betting sites and TELKOM VS betting in general.

Europe esports news

Mongraal, Mitr0 and TaySon Dominate FNCS Chapter 2 S4 Finale

After weeks of regular qualifiers, four qualifier heats, and a wildcard round, Europe’s Fortnite Champion Series Grand Finale is over. In the end, the winning trio was made up of FaZe Clan’s Mongraal, Team Liquid’s Mitr0, and Eleven Gaming’s TaySon.

The British, Dutch, and Slovenian players prevailed over the French-German trio that took second place. It was made up of xsweeze and Andilex from Team MCES, along with the German JannisZ of Wave Esports.

The winning trio walked away with over US $111,000 in prize money, while the team in second place took home $93,000. The tournament, organized by Fortnite developer Epic Games, saw more than $624,000 in prize money doled out to teams.

South America esports news

Razer Announces New Invitational For LATAM Region

Following the massive success of the Southeast Asian Razer Invitational, the company has announced plans for similar competitions elsewhere. The brand has unveiled the next Razer Invitational tournament, and it’s taking place in Latin America.

The company has asked amateur and pro-esports athletes to sign up and represent their countries. Last July’s SEA Razer Invitational saw participation from over 500 teams, including 3,500 players from 10 countries. Razer will be keen to replicate that success in Latin America.

The tournament would be the largest regional competition in Latin America this year, and it is set to include six countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Games will include CS:GO, League of Legends, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, and PUBG Mobile.

Oceania esports news

Pat Speaks About Wildcard’s Six Invitational 2021 Hopes

Wildcard Gaming’s Patrick “Pat” Wines has spoken up about his team’s upcoming Six Major participation and possible Six Invitational qualification. Wildcard are the only team in the ANZ region that still have a chance of making it to the Invitational.

The team have had an excellent year, winning the Six Masters 2020, the August Oceania Major, and the Oceanic Nationals 2020. Pat says the team feel confident going into the November Major, and he also points out that they have the bracket advantage and the best roster in the ANZ.

If Wildcard dominate the Major, they’ll be sure to qualify for the Six Invitational 2021. The team lost key player Ethan Picard last September but still managed to win the Oceanic Nationals.

Cloud9 And Uconnect Team Up For Collegiate Esports Program

Professional esports organization Cloud9 and marketing sponsorship company Uconnect Esports have unveiled a new collaboration. It’s called the Cloud9 University, a collegiate and university esports outreach program. The platform will be powered by Uconnect Esports.

Uconnect will allow the Cloud9 University to host its own collegiate tournaments through its competitive esports platform. As a result, students to form networks within the industry and develop their skills in a competitive environment.

The initiative is slated to launch its official Discord on November 5. Eight US universities will be early affiliates to the program, getting special access to internships and job postings. Each affiliated university will also get its own collegiate esports mentor.

Asia esports news

Beyond the Summit’s GoDz: “75% of teams in SE Asia are involved” in DOTA 2 matchfixing

Matchfixing continues to be a major concern for the widespread adoption of esports, particularly for bookmakers. Outlets like Liquipedia have recently had to rethink policies in order to curb the incidents of fraud. Now, David ’GoDz’ Parker is adding fuel to the fire.

In an interview with Andrew ’Zyori’ Campbell for Campbell’s podcast, Zyori Plus One, GoDz commented on the issue of matchfixing. For the Beyond the Summit co-founder, it’s a far more common problem than most people realize.

Speaking on Dota 2 matchfixing, GoDz said: “I’ve heard allegations that 75 percent of teams in Southeast Asia are involved”. Parker himself has banned teams from BTS events for similar offenses in the past. These issues make it hard for Asian betting sites and sportsbooks to cover esports events.

Africa esports news

eLaLiga Santander Fan Cup Brings FIFA Tournaments To South Africa

Spain’s eLaLiga Santander is expanding beyond the borders of the European nation and into South Africa. Sponsored by Electronic Arts and La Liga, eLaLiga Santander is opening its doors to South African FIFA 21 players.

Two online tournaments in South Africa will determine the best two FIFA 21 players in the country. These will be 1-on-1 PS4 FIFA 21 competitions. They will qualify for participation in the regional tournament finals, vying for a spot in the Grand Finals.

Other countries participating in the competition include Egypt, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia. The eLaLiga Santander Fan Cup is open to all amateur players, and registration is completely free. The tournaments are set for November 16 and 23.

Europe esports news

Rix.GG Signs Finnish Superstar Mognus For European Rocket League Team

UK-based esports organization Rix.GG has announced a stellar new acquisition. 20-year-old Finnish Rocket League star Joonas ’Mognus’ Salo will be joining Rix.GG’s European RL team. Mognus joins squadmates Lorenzo ’Dead-monster’ Tongiorgi and Dan ’Polar’ Rees.

This iteration of the Rix.GG squad will be participating in the upcoming RLCS X Winter Split. Rix already had considerable home-grown talent by way of Polar and Jack ’Apparentlyjack’ Benton. Now, with Mognus, the team incorporates considerable high-level experience.

Team manager Ibrahim ’Tibbles’ Taylor feels Mognus is the perfect addition to the team. He expects Salo to take Polar and Dead-monster to “new heights.” Meanwhile, Mognus says he wants to bring consistency to the table, asking fans to support him in his new journey.

South America esports news

Azules Esports Parts Ways With Sebastián ‘Cody’ Quispe

Sebastian ‘Cody’ Quispe and Azules Esports are officially parting ways. The University of Chile Club’s esports division had a satisfying fourth-place finish in the LoL LLA’s Closing Tournament. Chilean mid Cody played a big part in that result, finishing as match MVP on five occasions.

The team expressed its gratitude towards Cody for all his hard work, saying he’ll always be part of the family. Cody told fans through Twitter that leaving was a tough decision. He also informed them that he already has a team for the LLA 2021 season.

Azules had a disappointing performance in the 2020 LLA Opening Tournament. However, Cody took the team to soaring heights in the Closing Tournament, making the semifinals. They were eliminated by LLA betting favorite Rainbow7, who went on to win the competition.

Oceania esports news

Mountain Dew League Regular Season Comes To An End With Chiefs Ahead

The Australian division of the Mountain Dew League has come to an end. Chiefs Esports Club have crowned themselves winners, finishing the season as the #1 seed. The Chiefs managed a near-perfect score of 16-1, ahead of Avant-’s 15-2 and Order’s 14-3.

Playoffs are taking place immediately following the end of the regular season. In fact, the quarterfinals already played out, with Chiefs ESC, Paradox Gaming, ORDER and Avant Gaming moving on to semis. Losing quarterfinalists face off against each other in the loser’s bracket.

The Grand Final will take place on November 4. It’s one of the hottest sports betting events in Australian esports.

Los Angeles Lakers’ Dion Waiters Investing In Esports

Dion Waiters helped the LA Lakers take the 2020 NBA Championship in a crowning achievement. Now, the star athlete has announced his intention to move into esports. Dion will be investing a heavy sum to fund American talent through a Miami-based esports organization.

Centric Gaming aims to serve as an esports development hub in the United States, promoting it as a viable career choice. The organization was originally founded in 2016 before having to shut down in 2018. It reactivated last year and currently focuses on Fortnite. They’re open to moving towards competing in other titles, though.

Aiming to give back to American cities—like Waiters’ native Philadelphia—Centric fosters a safe environment for youth. At the same time, it intends to help develop American players and increase the competitiveness of the region.

Asia esports news

Half A Million Stream Gen.G Esports’ Collaboration With K-Pop Star

Baekhyun, vocalist for South Korean superstar boyband EXO, recently joined Gen.G players in a PUBG livestream. It was the professional singer’s first experience with high-level competitive esports. Gen.G and Baekhyun first made contact over Twitter a few months ago.

The livestreamed session—officially supported by PUBG—managed to draw in over half a million viewers. The game was broadcasted through YouTube Live, and an edited version of the stream will be posted to both Gen.G’s and Baekhyun’s YouTube channels.

It’s an interesting collaboration for both parties. Gen.G is one of the top PUBG teams in Korea and tie-ins with high-profile K-pop superstars can greatly boost their brand. As for Baekhyun, he got to train with some of the best PUBG players in the world.

Africa esports news

South Africa’s ACGL Announces Five One-Day Cash Cups

The African Cyber Gaming League has announced plans for five exciting single-day cash cups over rAge weekend. The events will allow South African players to compete for cash prizes. Games will include Rainbow Six Siege, Fortnite, FIFA 21, COD Warzone, and Apex Legends.

The five tournaments are slated for November 7-8 and cashprize pools for each tournament range from R1,500 to R2,500 with no entry fees. ACGL also revealed that these cash cups are only the beginning for rAge weekend, which will pack in many other surprises.

More details will become available as the event draws near. Last week, the organization unveiled plans for three R7,000 multi-day cash cups.

Europe esport news

L33T-Gaming Helps DreamHack Sports Games Supercharge eSuperliga

Dreamhack Sports Games have found a valuable new partner for Denmark’s eSuperliga, and the organization has unveiled a new deal with L33T-Gaming. The gaming chair provider will furnish the eSuperliga studio and player practice room.

As part of the agreement, L33T-Gaming will become the official gaming chair partner for the eSuperliga. The top competitive league in Danish FIFA will kick-off its fifth season on November 3rd and it willfeature official FIFA teams representing the 15 best football clubs in the country.

The teams will be competing for a cash prize pool of more than $50,000. You can catch the broadcasts through TV3 Max and Viaplay. eSuperliga betting consistently drives considerable sportsbook action.

South America esports news

Rainbow Six Esports’ Brazilian Six Major Tournament Set To Kick Off

Rainbow Six Esports LATAM’s Six Majors are underway, and the Brazilian arm of the competition is here. Four teams will face off in a series of adrenaline-filled matches over the weekend. After today’s two semi-finals, victors will move on to the winner’s final.

Losers will meet in the lower bracket of the tournament, but will still have a shot at the Grand Final. The final bracket will play out on Halloween, while the Grand Final match will be on Sunday, November 1st. Upper bracket winners will have a 1 map advantage for the grand final.

Teams include MIBR, Team Liquid, Team oNe eSports, and Ninjas in Pijamas who are allcompeting for a $100,000 cash prize pool. It’s a major sports betting opportunity covered by many esports bookmaker operators.

Oceania esports news

Red Bull And ESL Australia Launch 2v2 King Of The Hill CS:GO Tournament

Registrations are open for a brand new CS:GO tournament, organized by Red Bull and ESL Australia. Dubbed the Red Bull Flick, it’ll be Oceania’s first CS:GO tournament to feature the ‘Hold the Flag’ game mode. It’s a 2v2 take on typical ‘king of the hill’ game dynamics.

For hardcore CS:GO fans, it’s an exciting opportunity to strut their stuff in a new game mode. Five unique custom maps have been developed for ‘Hold the Flag’ mode and will be debuting alongside it. New rules, objectives, and maps mean a refreshing shake-up for the community.

Eight qualifier events will take place online in mid-to-late November. The Grand Finals will be played on November 29th.

Western Digital And San Jose Sharks Team Up To Sponsor Esports Tournament

The San Jose Sharks and hardware manufacturing company Western Digital will be sponsoring a new NHL 21 esports tournament. The event will be presented by Western Digital’s new WD_BLACK brand. Dubbed the Sharks Pacific Cup, it’ll be a 6-vs-6 NHL 21 tournament.

With a US $25,000 prize pool, the event is reportedly the richest 6-vs-6 NHL tournament in history. The San Jose Sharks had a pre-existing relationship with Western Digital, including several sponsorship agreements, but this is their first joint foray into esports.

As North America reels from poor international esports performances, commentators are calling for increased investment in esports talent development. Small-scale tournaments like this one foster competitive play, polishing local talent.

Asia esports news

Suning Dominate JD Gaming To Reach LoL Worlds Semis

The League of Legends World Championship quarter-finals are over. In a showdown of two of the hottest Asian LoL teams right now, Suning prevailed 3-1 over JD Gaming. It was a surprising outcome, considering that LoL bookmakers favored JD Gaming at the start of the tournament.

Heading into the quarter-finals, Asian betting sites still favored JD Gaming over Suning. However, Suning proved to have built a solid, well-rounded team from fresh new talent. Tang Huan-Feng had a spectacular performance as bot laner, living up to team expectations.

According to Chen Ze-Bin, Suning’s rookie top laner, the team owes its success to its strong leadership. Veteran jungler Lê Quang Duy and support Hu Shuo-Chieh are largely responsible for that. Suning will now face the winner of the Fnatic vs Top Esports match in the semis.

Africa esports news

Africa Comicade Gamathon 2020 Comes To An End

After two weeks of events, the 2020 edition of the Africa Comicade Gamathon has come to an end. The convention saw the best creative minds in African gaming come together to develop and celebrate local talent. It also included a game jam with US $7,000 in cash prizes.

Several partners and sponsors worked together to organize the event, including Humble Games, OyaMedia, LudiqueWorks, and Africa In Colors. Twenty-two entries were registered on the game jam’s itch.io page. Winners were decided by a panel of judges and itch.io ratings.

Several noteworthy figures in the world of game development participated in the event. Rovio Games’ Peter Vesterbacka and Tencent’s Mason Liebermen both spoke to audiences about the future of African gaming. Dozens of other speakers were present as well.

Europe esports news

FIFA Esports Structure Revamped Ahead of New Season

The next season of competitive European FIFA 21 esports is set to start soon, and football’s governing body has announced some exciting developments. Chief among them is the revelation of new dedicated narratives, qualification dates, and additional information about included events.

The new tournament structure will feature three distinct narratives, focusing on players, clubs, and nations. Each competitor will be able to play in each standalone narrative, all leading up to their own separate final events.

In November, the first qualifiers for each narrative will take place. Players can register through the official FIFAe website.

South America esports news

Sergio Agüero Launches Esports Team

Manchester City striker Sergio “Kun” Agüero has revealed an exciting new project to launch his own esports team. Titled “KRü”, the team was introduced by Kun during an interview with Juan Pablo Varsky.

According to Agüero, the idea of launching an esports team came to him thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. Stuck at home, he wound up playing video games like FIFA. His brother helped him figure out basic structure and requirements, and the two of them set things up within three months.

Agüero’s move is unprecedented among Argentinian footballers. However, he is following the footsteps of superstar David Beckham, who recently launched his own esports brand. These may be just the first examples of a nascent esports craze among professional footballers.

Oceania esports news

Oceanic Esports League Playoffs Set To Kick Off

The group stage of the Dota 2 Oceanic Esports League is over, and the main event is all set to begin. After more than two months of round-robin gamea, the playoffs will start on October 20. The 10 best teams from the regular season will face off in a double-elimination bracket.

Teams are competing for a share of a $34,000 AUD prize pool. The winner will take home a $5,000 prize. Many esports betting sites are offering Oceanic Esports Season 2 markets.

Sportsbook odds seem to favor Cuteanimegirls over group stage winners Spag and Sons. C’s Better are also expected to fare well in the playoffs.