Planet9.gg, an esports social community platform, has launched the inaugural Planet9 University Invitational; a League of Legends competition bringing together eight London universities to boost grassroots esports.
Acer and Predator have been revealed as official partners of the Planet9 University Invitational whilst HudL.gg will be supporting the event, which begins on November 12th with the group stage.
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King’s College London, London School of Economics, Royal Holloway University of London, and the University of Roehampton London have all been announced as teams in the inaugural competition with the universities battling it out for a piece of the £2,000 prize pool.
Joining them will be London South Bank University, Imperial College London, University College London, and Queen Mary University of London who’ll compete for the chance to be named the first Planet9 University Invitational champion.
A spokesperson from Planet9 commented: “Planet9 look forward to laying the foundation for esports in education through the collaboration of this tournament, which we believe this is truly an important step forward.”
The invitational highlights the continued development of the UK’s grassroots esports scene, which can be seen by brands exploring the space too; the University of Warwick’s esports society striking its first-ever commercial partnership is one example, along with LDN UTD and the Mayor of London partnering on a campaign. According to Planet9, the firm will be using the competition to provide more competitive opportunities at a university level.
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Planet9 was developed by Acer last year, with the goal being to offer a community platform that allows gamers to build teams, train, and take part in a variety of open tournaments. The project was specifically created for amateur and casual players across various esports by allowing players to learn about a variety of titles, such as League of Legends, Dota2, Battlegrounds and more. The platform also offers professional tips from high ranking individuals and experts of the titles, whilst also allowing players to understand their own strengths and weaknesses.
The Planet9 University Invitational will be streamed live for spectators on Twitch.TV/HudL.gg. Moreover, the platform will reward its viewers with a variety of giveaways throughout the duration of the invitational, which will conclude on November 21st.
You can find out more about the Planet9 University Invitational at Planet9.gg.
Esports Insider says: Planet9’s new competition provides yet another university esports option for students, particularly in the London area. The competition’s particular focus on League of Legends is a smart decision given the popularity of the title, however, if the tournament proves to be a success then don’t be surprised to see other invitationals pop-up featuring different titles too.