eSports
Esports World Cup Welcomes FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves to Club Championship
The Esports World Cup Foundation (“EWCF”) and SNK Corporation, a global leader in game development and publishing, today announced a landmark three-year partnership that brings the anticipated FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves to the Esports World Cup 2025. The legendary fighting game franchise’s first new entry in 26 years will rev its way onto the global esports scene at the world’s largest gaming and esports event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, this summer.
Credited with shaping the fighting game genre, FATAL FURY will connect its storied legacy with the future of esports, uniting its classic appeal with the excitement of modern competitive play. The EWC’s Club Championship will play a pivotal role in reigniting FATAL FURY’s competitive spirit, introducing the brand-new entry to a new generation of players, and fostering its growth on the global esports stage. The partnership will accelerate FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves’s debut in competitive gaming, leveraging the global stage of the Esports World Cup to introduce the iconic franchise to new audiences worldwide.
“FATAL FURY is a cornerstone of fighting game history, a franchise that helped ignite the competitive spirit of the 1990s arcade boom and set the stage for the genre’s mainstream revolution,” said Fabian Scheuermann, Chief Games Officer, Esports World Cup Foundation. “As fighting games and retro titles experience a global resurgence, fueled by nostalgia, competitive depth, and community-driven passion, we are thrilled to partner with SNK for the next three years to bring this legendary series to the Esports World Cup stage. Together, we aim to reignite FATAL FURY’s competitive legacy by introducing it to a new generation of players and fans, elevating its place in the world of esports and supporting the growth of competitive gaming as a truly global sport”.
SNK’s FATAL FURY, first released in 1991 on the NEOGEO arcade system, has captivated fans for over three decades. Garou: Mark of the Wolves, released in 1999, has served as the franchise’s most recent installment, with SNK recently announcing the new release, FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves, to launch in April 2025 – 26 years after its predecessor. Renowned for its innovative gameplay mechanics, compelling characters —such as Terry Bogard, who also appeared in other games like Super Smash Bros.—and rich storytelling, the franchise has spawned multiple sequels, adaptations, and an animated series, cementing its legacy in gaming history.
Its inclusion in the Esports World Cup is set to revive its competitive spirit while fostering the game’s global growth and inspiring the gaming community worldwide.
“This partnership marks a historic milestone for FATAL FURY, a title loved around the world for 30 years, as it steps into the competitive gaming arena,” said Kenji Matsubara, CEO of SNK Corporation. “The Esports World Cup provides the perfect platform to showcase the franchise’s enduring legacy while engaging a new generation of fans, including those watching the great fights live in Riyadh arenas and on screens around the world. With the upcoming release of City of the Wolves in April 2025, this collaboration paves the way for an exciting future, blending the series’ rich history with incredible new possibilities. Together with other landmark titles in SNK’s rich fighting game library—such as THE KING OF FIGHTERS XV and SAMURAI SHODOWN—we will continue to be a leader in the ever-expanding world of esports for years to come. We’re thrilled to work with EWCF to deliver an unforgettable experience for players, fans, and fighting game community members around the world.”
The FATAL FURY’s announcement adds another revered title to the Esports World Cup’s multi-year lineup, joining a prestigious roster of the world’s most popular games spanning a variety of genres, including first-person shooters, MOBAs, battle royales, strategy and fighting games, as well as one of the most enduring games of all time: chess. With the addition of Fatal Fury, the 2025 event features 20 tournaments across 19 game titles, with more titles set to be revealed in the coming weeks.
Esports World Cup 2025 will once again unite gaming and esports communities in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for a global competition that will crown the next Esports World Cup Champion. The tournament’s unique Club Championship cross-game format will reward Clubs and players with points based on their success in the games, crowning the top Club in the final standings as the Esports World Cup Club Champion in the largest-ever celebration of esports. The inaugural EWC in 2024 featured 200 Clubs and 1,500 elite athletes from 100 countries, competing in 22 tournaments across 21 games for a $60 million prize pool. The eight-week competition and festival drew 500 million viewers online and saw 2.6 million people attend.
The post Esports World Cup Welcomes FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves to Club Championship appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
eSports
Emmy-Winning Director R.J. Cutler’s Docuseries Esports World Cup: Level Up Premieres June 6 on Prime Video
Prime Video, one of the leading entertainment destinations, will premiere the five-part documentary Esports World Cup: Level Up on June 6, with new episodes released weekly. Directed by Emmy-winning filmmaker R.J. Cutler (Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry, Elton John: Never Too Late and Martha), the series goes behind-the-scenes of the inaugural Esports World Cup (EWC) in 2024 — a defining moment in global esports, where over $60 million in prize money ignited a high-stakes, multinational battle to crown the world’s top esports Club.
The series is produced by This Machine (a part of Sony Pictures Television), with R.J. Cutler directing, John Dorsey serving as showrunner, and Jane Cha Cutler, Trevor Smith, Elise Pearlstein and Mark Blatty executive producing. Level Up will premiere exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.
Esports World Cup: Level Up offers a rare look inside a global competition that’s redefining what it means to be a champion for a new generation of athletes and fans. R.J. Cutler and his team of expert storytellers embedded themselves within the eight-week tournament – watched by over 500 million fans globally – to uncover the personal sacrifices, rivalries and stakes driving the action.
Shot in verité style, the series combines intimate home visits from around the world and on-the-ground coverage from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It follows a wide cast of characters – from Club CEOs orchestrating million-dollar strategies to rising stars chasing life-changing wins – while capturing the pulse of elite esports competition.
“What drew me to the Esports World Cup was the compelling human stories unfolding within this high-stakes arena. Level Up isn’t just about the incredible competition and prize money; it’s about the dedication, the passion, and the sheer will of these athletes and teams pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. Under high pressure, we discover the true character of the competitors who vie for $60 million, but who also expose their humanity in the process,” said Cutler.
At the heart of Level Up is the “EWC Club Championship,” an unprecedented, multi-title tournament format where Clubs compete across more than 20 games, earning points toward a single leaderboard. Every match, every point, reshapes the race for global dominance. With the highest prize pool in esports history on the line, the EWC is not just a tournament – it’s a proving ground for the next generation of sports icons.
“A win might make the headlines — but the real story is the people behind it. Level Up dives into the human side of esports: the pressure, the ambition, the sacrifices. It’s about what it really takes to compete at the highest level — and why it matters. R.J. is the best at bringing those stories to life, and this one captures the heart of what we’re building,” said Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation.
The post Emmy-Winning Director R.J. Cutler’s Docuseries Esports World Cup: Level Up Premieres June 6 on Prime Video appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
Esports betting pioneer adds daily fantasy esports offering to its growing range of products, with its sights set on the US market
PandaScore, the award-winning provider of esports odds, data and betting products, has continued to push boundaries with the launch of Daily Fantasy eSports, a truly groundbreaking product for operators and players.
Daily Fantasy eSports has been developed for the US market but will have global appeal with players drawn in by the chance to create virtual teams of real-life players and earn points based on their actual game performances.
Contests range from daily matchups to season-long leagues, with plenty of prizes up for grabs.
PandaScore’s Daily Fantasy eSports is backed by an expert-led esports trading team to deliver fast, accurate settlement data across unique, player-focused markets driven by the provider’s established and proven betting models.
An Interactive Player Widget serves up rich player stats and profiles, with PandaScore’s powerful BetBuilder enabling same-game parlays.
But that’s not all. PandaScore has more than 17,000 players in its esports player age and info database, the largest in the market.
It also offers dedicated helper codes and documentation to ensure smooth and seamless operator integration. It really is as easy as 1-2-3.
1 – There is a kick-off call to align on goals, timelines and fantasy formats.
2 – The operator accesses PandaScore’s dedicated fantasy-focused API to accelerate the build
3 – The dedicated integration manager ensures effortless onboarding and a successful launch
By leveraging PandaScore’s odds and data, alongside its team of experts and specialists, online sportsbook and daily fantasy sports operators can launch faster, ensure accuracy and scale their Daily Fantasy eSports offering with confidence.
Oliver Niner, Head of B2B at PandaScore, said: “Daily Fantasy eSports is a pioneering product from PandaScore that will really hit the mark with operators across North America, as well as other global markets.
“It allows operators to engage esports fans and bettors with a compelling product and proposition, but without the degree of risk that comes with standard betting as the payouts are controlled.
“Daily Fantasy eSports is already live with Dabble and is performing incredibly well, so we look forward to going live with more operators in the coming months.
“This really is a game-changing product, and we can’t wait to see it become available at some of the biggest betting brands in North America and beyond.”
The launch of Daily Fantasy eSports complements PandaScore’s growing esports betting offering, which includes odds and data for a huge number of disciplines, plus betting products like its BetBuilder, MicroMarkets and StoryBuilder.
The post PandaScore launches game-changing Daily Fantasy eSports product appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Esports Charts, a Ukraine-born analytics company that aggregates real-time viewership insights about esports, has won the Esports Innovation Award at the EsportsNext Industry Awards, hosted by the Esports Trade Association (ESTA) in Dallas, US.
The Esports Innovation Award recognizes an organization or individual that has introduced groundbreaking technology, services, or strategies significantly advancing the esports industry.
Esports Charts was honored for its scalable analytics platform, which provides comprehensive tournament and viewership statistics across more than 25 livestreaming services — helping stakeholders from publishers and teams to fans make smarter, data-driven decisions.
“Winning the Innovation Award from ESTA is an important milestone for us as a leading esports analytics service in the world. Also, we’re especially proud to represent Ukraine-born innovation on an international stage.
“From day one, our mission has been to bring clarity and transparency to the world of esports data. And this recognition from the industry is both an honor and a motivation to keep raising the bar.
“Thank you to our incredible team and partners, who believed in us from the start. This award is a shared success — and we’re just getting started,” Artyom Odintsov, co-founder and CEO of Esports Charts.
The post Esports Charts Wins “Esports Innovation Award” at the EsportsNext Industry Awards appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
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