This week in esports: 100 Thieves, Intel Grand Slam, MTN DEW, RFRSH Entertainment

100 Thieves has raised some serious capital, the Intel Grand Slam has returned for a third season with some changes, MTN DEW AMP GAME FUEL is betting even bigger on esports, and RFRSH Entertainment is separating itself from both Astralis and Origen. Here’s the lowdown on this week in esports.

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100 Thieves closes $35M Series B funding round

100 Thieves Series B Funding Round
Photo credit: 100 Thieves

North American organisation 100 Thieves completed its Series B funding round, raising $35 million.

New York-based investment management company Artist Capital Management led the round, with Josh Dienstag, its Chief Investment Officer, joining 100 Thieves’ board of directors.

Read the full article here.

Intel Grand Slam returns for third season with rule changes

Intel Grand Slam
Photo credit: ESL

ESL announced that the Intel Grand Slam – one of Counter-Strike’s most prodigious rewards – will be returning for a third season, starting this week.

Its return was met with changes, seemingly making it harder to win the $1,000,000 (£798,800) prize pool. Teams must now win six in 10 premier ESL and DreamHack events, or win four events including designated events such as ESL One: Cologne and IEM Katowice.

Read the full article here.

ESL appoints MTN DEW AMP GAME FUEL as beverage partner

ESL PARTNER MTN DEW
Logo credits: ESL, MTN DEW AMP

ESL appointed PepsiCo brand MTN DEW AMP GAME FUEL as its official global beverage partner for IEM and ESL One events, as well as its CS:GO Pro League.

The two-year deal kicked off at ESL One Katowice earlier this year in February. The partnership also includes the launch of a post-match broadcast segment, ‘MTN DEW AMP GAME FUEL Power Plays.’

Read the full article here.

RFRSH Entertainment to split from Astralis and Origen

Astralis Origen RFRSH Entertainment
Logo credits: Astralis, Origen

A report – which was later confirmed by Nikolaj Nyholm, Founder & CEO of RFRSH Entertainment – revealed that the company will split from its two competitive brands, Astralis and Origen.

This split means that RFRSH Entertainment, and its employees, will soon be solely focused on operating its CS:GO tournament circuit, BLAST Pro Series. Astralis and Origen are now housed under RFRSH Teams, a company that will soon be renamed.

Read the full article here.