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League of Legends ‘MSI’ and VALORANT ‘Stage 2 Masters’ live events to take place in Reykjavík, Iceland in May

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Riot Games announced that two of its biggest esports events of the year will take place back-to-back this May in Reykjavík, Iceland. Additionally, as Riot Games continues to expand its esports footprint, the company has expanded its partnership with Verizon as the official 5G partner, supporting both LoL Esports Global Events and VALORANT Esports.

The League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational (MSI), which was cancelled last year due to COVID-19, will kick off competition between the top 12 teams from the regional leagues on Thursday, May 6 and culminate with the final on Sunday, May 23.

The VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) Masters Reykjavík, beginning the next day on Monday, May 24, will be the first VALORANT esports event to feature live international competition, bringing together the top 10 teams from around the world to fight for a spot at VALORANT Champions later this year. VCT Masters Reykjavík will conclude with a final scheduled to take place on May 30th.

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Competition for both events will take place in the Laugardalshöll indoor sporting arena as Riot brings best-in-class esports competition from two titles to Iceland for the first time.

“We are thrilled to showcase high-level Riot esports competition to a country as stunning and unique as Iceland, underscoring that passion for our esports can be found in every corner of the globe,” said John Needham, Global Head of Esports for Riot Games. “Both MSI and VCT Masters will introduce us to breakout stars to watch this season, and also serve as the initial events for Verizon’s extended and much-appreciated commitment to our esports ecosystem.”

In addition to MSI and Masters 2, Verizon’s multi-year agreement as the Official 5G Partner also extends to the biggest global events of the LoL Esports and VALORANT competition calendar. This includes the League of Legends World Championship (“Worlds”), which makes its return to North America in 2022; LoL Esports All-Star Event; three VALORANT Champions Tour Masters events; and VALORANT Champions. The partnership also includes the VALORANT North America Challengers.

Verizon also is a key partner in VALORANT’s recently announced VCT Game Changers, a program that will host monthly tournaments to give female players more opportunities to compete at the semi-pro and grassroots level.

This partnership just serves as the latest iteration of Verizon’s consistent support of Riot’s esports business. Since 2020, Verizon has been the Official 5G Partner for the League Championship Series (LCS), providing support for LCS through original video content and in-broadcast sponsored segments. Their support extended to VALORANT First Strike: North America, the first official tournament for Riot’s premier tactical shooter, as well as The Wild Rift Invitational – the world’s first Wild Rift esports event featuring LCS players and celebrities.

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“Expanding our partnership with Riot esports allows us to build on the success of the past year and continue expanding the opportunities to leverage the power of 5G Ultra Wideband for player and fan experiences across both LoL and Valorant,” said Yvette Martinez-Rea, Vice President, Sponsorships and Partnerships at Verizon. “We’re also very proud to put our support behind VCT Game Changers to provide more opportunities for female players at all levels.”

“We were thrilled to have Verizon on board as a partner for the LCS and Wild Rift last year, so to expand on that relationship across the biggest esports events in the world with both LoL and VCT is meaningful validation of what we are creating here at Riot esports,” said Naz Aletaha, Head of Global Esports Partnerships and Business Development at Riot Games. “Our aspiration to consistently deliver unforgettable experiences and initiatives for fans is a passion we’re proud to share with Verizon, and we look forward to leveraging their expertise and best-in-class technology across our sports.”

The Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) is a foundational battleground in the annual LoL Esports season, where rising stars and teams make a global name for themselves. Held between the first and second splits of the season, the best teams from each of the 12 regional leagues compete for the title. This year, a new format will open with three stages, beginning with Groups, in which all 12 teams split into three groups of four teams, each playing a Best of 1 double round robin. The top two teams per group will advance to the next stage, where the six remaining teams will play another Best of 1 double round robin. The top four teams will advance to a playoff bracket, and play in a Single Elimination, Best of 5 Semifinal followed by Finals.

VCT Masters Reykjavík will bring top VALORANT teams from around the globe together for the first time to determine who will stand as the best VALORANT team in the world heading into the second half of the season. Starting in April, thousands of teams will attempt to qualify for Masters Stage 2 through their regional Challengers events, with the 10 teams securing a spot in Reykjavík.

“VCT Masters Reykjavik is our next big step in further establishing VALORANT as the fastest-growing global esport,” said Whalen Rozelle, Riot Games’ Senior Director of Esports. “We have some of the most passionate fans around the world, and we’re committed to giving them a live event so that they can see how their favorite teams stack up internationally for the first time ever.”

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Teams from both sports will quarantine upon arrival in Iceland. For the health and safety of the players, staff, and local residents, the events will be unable to accommodate a live audience, however all MSI and VCT Masters Stage 2 matches will be broadcast live globally across various digital platforms.

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Sportradar and Oddin.gg ink AV betting agreement to elevate and expand esports reach

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Sportradar and Oddin.gg, an award-winning B2B betting-solutions provider for esports, today announced they have entered into a multi-year strategic partnership to offer audiovisual streaming of Oddin’s exclusive esports content to Sportradar’s betting operator clients around the world.

The deal will support Oddin.gg’s growth ambitions in the expanding global esports market, whose betting turnover was estimated to be €83 billion in 2023. It will extend the reach of Oddin.gg’s official competition content by leveraging Sportradar’s market leading position as an AV betting provider.

Sportradar’s global network of 900+ betting operator clients will benefit from the opportunity to offer greater volume and a wider variety of live streamed esports events to their customers, increasing opportunities for engagement with existing and new betting markets. The partnership also paves the way for future collaboration in other areas.

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Oddin.gg holds the official rights to high-profile competitions including the newly released Counter Strike 2 (CS2) which Sportradar will distribute to sportsbooks through the company’s integrated streaming product, providing access to prominent competitions globally and enabling operators to offer exciting new content to their customers.

A number of prestigious competitions are featured in the partnership, including:

• PGL Copenhagen Major 2024, the first Major for the newly released Counter Strike 2;
• Dacha DOTA2 Qualifiers and Main Events;
• Dacha Counter Strike 2 Qualifiers and Main Events;
• Tipsport MCR 2024.

Patrick Mostboeck, SVP Fan Engagement, Sportradar said: “This agreement further strengthens Sportradar’s esports offering while supporting Oddin.gg in realising their growth plans through AV streaming for betting. Sportradar’s ultra-low latency audiovisual outputs, as well as our comprehensive Live Odds and real-time trading solutions, provide betting operators with the critical materials they need to commercialise the global, highly engaged esports fan base.”

Vlastimil Venclik, CEO and co-founder of Oddin.gg shared: “As the forefront innovator in the esports betting sector, Oddin.gg is embarking on a journey by aligning with Sportradar, a leader in the realm of sports data and content distribution. This partnership is not just a collaboration but a combination of distinct strengths, where Sportradar’s extensive and sophisticated video distribution capabilities are set to be the vehicle for our unparalleled esports odds and analytical insights. This strategic alliance aims to harness the best of both worlds, merging our profound expertise and nuanced understanding of the esports betting market with Sportradar’s wide-reaching video distribution.”

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Apeiron Partners with TALON and United Esports To Bring Web3 Esports to Both East and West Markets

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Apeiron, the first-ever web3 god game, today announced a partnership with Hong Kong-based TALON and LA-based United Esports to host the Apeiron x TALON Nova Tournament.

Apeiron is a dapp x god game x roguelite x battle arena, combining classic with modern gameplay to create a unique entertainment experience. The tournament will feature two conferences, each hosting eight top players from around the world. The goal is to showcase Apeiron’s PvP to the world, with the Eastern Conference (Asia) scheduled for April 4-6 and the Western Conference (Americas) for April 11-13.

The tournament will follow a double-elimination bracket format, with matches being best-of-3 matches and the final matches being best-of-5. Each player will bring 3 decks, each with a different Avatar, and once a deck has won a game, it may not be used again within that set. The total prize pool is $30,000, split equally between the two conferences, with rewards ranging from $750 to $5,000 for the top Apeiron competitors.

Participation is by invitation only, and fans influence the selection by requesting their favorite Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) to join. The participants include notable members of the Web2 and Web3 gaming space, including:

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Web2

  • (East) League of Legends pro player Tsai “GreenTea” Shang-Ching, Thailand content creator gamtoh and Wild Rift analyst Kitiphat “Cyberclasher” Kanjanapiphat

  • (West) top TeamFightTactics player RobinSongz, content creator and chess Woman Grandmaster Nemo, master of card games Deathsie, the most viewed English Hearthstone streamer Rdu.

Web3

  • (East): GamingGridX founder Yellow Panther, Axie Infinity player 1437, GGChronicles’ raiden, crypto gamers, esushima

  • (West): Content creator orangie, content creator Brycent, US content creator rojan, Twitch streamer ralo, METAT8 Esports founder Elijah Flowers

“We are excited to partner with TALON and United Esports from both the East and West to bring competitive web3 esports to a wider audience seeking strategic and fast-paced gameplay. Apeiron’s unique gaming experience challenges players’ strategic thinking, reflexes, and ability to improvise, offering an exhilarating experience for both streamers and viewers to witness and share the most epic clutch moments and comebacks,” commented Frank Cheng, CEO of Foonie Magus.

“The appetite and opportunity for esports within the Web3 space continues to grow and what we love about Apeiron is that it has a low floor making it easy to come in and play, but a high ceiling for experienced players to grow into their mastery of the game,” said Jazz Tham, Co-Founder of TALON.

The post Apeiron Partners with TALON and United Esports To Bring Web3 Esports to Both East and West Markets appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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SIS launches market-leading esports product in Kentucky with bet365

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SIS Content Services, part of the SIS Group (Sports Information Services), the leading global multi-content supplier of 24/7 live betting services, has made its market entry in Kentucky with ebasketball from its esports product suite now live with long-term operator partner bet365.

This launch in the Bluegrass State enhances SIS’ reputation as a leading supplier in the esports betting space, widening the audience that can engage with its competitive gaming content across the US. It follows on from successful launches of its esports products in New Jersey and Colorado.

Developed specifically for betting, SIS’ H2H Global Gaming League hosts over 150,000 events per year. The Competitive Gaming content is produced entirely in-house from SIS’ self-contained gaming studios in Milton Keynes, United Kingdom. It has ultra-low (sub-second) latency live streaming, visible ESIC-trained integrity referees for every game, live caster commentary, and on-screen graphics with unique betting prompts to maximize engagement.

SIS’ short-form, event-based esports product provides a full end-to-end solution with integrity at its core and is proven to deliver superior margins around the clock, adding as much as 10% in value to sportsbooks.

Since legalized sports betting launched in Kentucky in September, it has generated $447.8 million in handle across retail and mobile, providing SIS with the opportunity to expand its US offering.

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Michele Fischer, Vice President, SIS Content Services, said: “As Kentucky is a basketball state, we are confident that our ebasketball product will provide an elevated experience for the bettors on the bet365 platform. Our offices are located in Louisville, so it is meaningful to be part of the sports betting infrastructure in our home state.”

Richard Ames, Chief Executive, SIS, and President, SIS Content Services, said: “To grow our esports content across the US has been an aim of ours for some time, and to be able to expand our competitive gaming product into a third US state showcases how we are well-placed to deliver engaging wagering experiences to bettors.”

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