CEE Esports Report is a fortnightly series covering the Central and Eastern Europe region, written by Esports Insider’s esports business media partner Esport1 CEE.
After the Easter holiday break, the CEE Esports Report returns, filled with competitive action, a new TV show and some good news from Poland.
Competition buzzing in the Balkan region
As we moved into spring, competition became fierce in the Balkans. In Serbia, the Esports Balkan League (EBL) in League of Legends crowned Partizan Esports as victors during the offline grand finals at a new event called Reconnect Gaming Festival.
On the very same weekend, Slovenia had one of its biggest esports events in recent years. The Game Gang Show attracted thousands of visitors and had esports competitions in six different games with a total prize pool of more than €10,000 (~£8,800).
Crossing the Croatian borders, A1 Adria League just announced its 11th season. The regional competition, operating since 2017, will feature nine titles in various formats. These include traditional leagues and standalone cups with a total prize pool of more than €15,000 (~£13,100). FIFA, Rainbow 6 Siege and CS:GO are the flagship games this season, but more games are to be announced later on.
There is a new Slovenian TV series about video games
GG is a new Slovenian TV series about video games aired on one of the biggest national TV channels of Slovenia. Each episode focuses on two people — a video game enthusiast, and their acquaintance who isn’t familiar with gaming but wishes to know more about the gamer in their lives.
Conflicts arise and incidents are resolved while all the reasons for playing or disallowing games are played out. Viewers can learn about games that drew inspiration from real-life Slovenian places, along with useful words to understand gaming culture.
The Polish Esports Association has become a full member of the Polish Olympic Committee
Esports has been treated as any other traditional sports in Poland, but there was no legal basis for the status of Polish esports in the Sports Act. The recognition of the Polish Esports Association by the Polish Olympic Committee is the next step for the full recognition of esports in Poland.
By being a full member, The Polish Esports Association (ESA) will be able to exercise its electoral rights in the Olympic Committee. Such rights include submitting motions to the Polish OC governing bodies, taking part in statutory activities and developing cooperations with local governments and traditional sports associations.
