Another week, another bunch of developments in the esports industry! As always, plenty has taken place – don’t worry though, we’re here to break down the biggest and best stories.
Perhaps the most exciting story this week came towards the end, with it being announced that FACEIT will host a CS:GO Major in the English capital. Not only that, IEM Katowice‘s finals will be shown in select UK cinemas and Redeye has become an ambassador for Luckbox. And finally, the Olympics is one step closer to fully embracing esports.
FACEIT to host first CS:GO Major in London, $1 million on the line
London is set to host a Major CS:GO tournament for the first time in September. Tickets will be available for purchase from April 2nd.
Taking place in the SSE Arena in Wembley, 10,000 fans will be able to watch the top 24 teams in the game compete for a monstrous $1,000,000 (£716,180) collective prize pool. The thirteen Major for the game, FACEIT will be working on improving the live broadcast for those who cannot make it to the arena.
Read the full article here.
IEM Katowice 2018 finals to be shown in select UK cinemas
IEM Katowice 2018 will spend some time on the big screen in the UK, with the CS:GO finals being broadcast live in select cinemas around the country. ESL UK and CinEvents have teamed up to bring this vision to life.
Avid CS:GO fans will have a choice of 13 cinemas to choose from as the last two teams battle it out for a massive $250,000 (£178,582.50) payout. This screening will be preceded with an exclusive behind-the-scenes video from ESL and IEM.
Read the full article here.
Redeye joins esports betting platform Luckbox as advisor and ambassador
Esteemed esports personality Paul ‘Redeye’ Chaloner has signed an interesting deal with an emerging betting platform. The host, presenter, and commentator is set to work with the startup as both an advisor and brand ambassador.
Luckbox isn’t ready for public use just yet, but it’s gearing up to become a leader in the esports betting scene, and will focus on “being fully licensed and community driven”. Redeye will be using his years of experience to help the company enter the market and ultimately, appeal to spectators.
Read the full article here.
Olympic Channel to embrace esports after Pyeongchang
The Olympic Channel is looking to use esports as a way of enticing young audiences to its platform after the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. Launched in 2016 with a $450 million (£320.8m) budget, it has been tasked with keeping young people interested in sports.
Officially recognised as a sport by the International Olympic Committee last year, esports’ future is looking promising when it comes to being included in the biggest mainstream competition in sports. The industry is growing rapidly, so it’s no wonder traditional sports is finally welcoming it with its arms wide open.
Read the full article here.