The past week in esports has been fruitful in terms of big news and new developments, so naturally we’ve got the most interesting bits covered for you.
This week saw the announcement of the first Dota 2 Major in the UK, Facebook has secured more exclusive broadcasting rights, the NHL has entered the industry with its own World Championship, and footballing legend Javier Mascherano is working on esports within the Latin American community.
Below is a brief overview of each of these stories. Remember to sign up to our ESI Dispatch newsletter to get these kind of stories delivered to your inbox twice a week.
Gfinity Elite Series to broadcast exclusively on Facebook
Facebook has snagged the exclusive broadcasting rights for yet another esports series, this time it’s Season 3 of the Gfinity Elite Series. The competition will be streamed globally on the social platform, excluding Australia.
The regular season, play-offs, behind-the-scenes looks with players and teams, weekly highlights, and more features will be streamed on Facebook due to the deal. Gfinity Elite Series returned on March 9th, with teams competing on titles such as FIFA 18, Rocket League, and Street Fighter V.
Read the full article here.
NHL Gaming World Championship is on the way
Yet another major sporting organisation has entered esports: NHL. Set to commence on March 24th, qualifiers will be taking place to find the competitors who will make it to the NHL Gaming World Championship.
Eight players from each of the three divisions – Europe, America, Canada – will advance from the qualifiers and have the chance to compete live in studios ahead of the main championship. Hosted at the Esports Arena Las Vegas, the budding competitors will face off on June 19th for their share of the the $100,000 (£72,150) prize pool.
Read the full article here.
ESL One Birmingham confirmed for May, the first UK Dota 2 Major
ESL One Birmingham, the first Dota 2 Major and ESL One to be held in the UK, has been announced! Arena Birmingham will be the location of the tournament, which takes place during 25-27th May 2018.
Twelve of the best Dota 2 teams in the world will travel to the second largest city in the UK to battle it out for the $1 million (£719,000) prize pool and 1,500 qualifying points for The International 8. Six of the 12 participants will be directly invited to the event, while the others will have to go through online qualifiers.
Read the full article here.
Javier Mascherano enters esports to develop Latin American scene
Former FC Barcelona footballer Javier Mascherano has entered the esports scene by partnering with Latin American esports agency, eSports Planet. His goal? To develop football content and tournaments for the Latin American community, which he believes is severely disregarded.
eSports Planet works in several different capacities in the industry, including the development of tournaments and offering consultancy for companies in esports that want to specifically target millennials with content.
Read the full article here.
