eSports
Launch of Guild College – New venture with SCL Education to offer BTEC qualification in esports
Guild Esports (LSE: GILD), a global team organisation and lifestyle brand, is pleased to announce the launch of Guild College to provide a new career pathway for young people into apprenticeships, professional roles and higher education related to the esports industry.
As part of this new venture, Guild has entered a four–year partnership with SCL Education, a leading UK–based provider of post–16 further education specialising in sports, which will provide a one–year BTEC Level 2 Diploma in Esports and a further two–year BTEC Esports Level 3 Extended Diploma as a progression route.
Guild Esports will receive a four–figure sum from SCL Education for every student enrolled into the course. SCL Education projections for total student intake for the course in the first year of the programme, based on their existing comparable courses, is 125 individual learners. This funding will stem in part from a subcontracting agreement with SCL Education, which holds a direct contract with the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA), an executive agency of the UK Government sponsored by the Department for Education.
SCL Education, as experienced providers of BTEC qualifications for clubs like Leeds United College and the West Ham Foundation, will manage the programme on behalf of Guild resulting in minimal additional spend or increased headcount at the Company.
The course will be delivered through 600 guided learning hours per student over the course of the academic year, in line with UK official further education study programme requirements. The Company’s facilities will support the delivery of the esports BTEC qualification including student access to Guild’s HQ facility in Shoreditch for technical and practical workshops.
Enrolment for the course will commence immediately, with the programme welcoming its first cohort(s) of students in September 2023.
The new BTEC qualification is skills–focused and will support the creation of long–term careers in the growing esports industry both in the UK and internationally. The esports industry is projected to generate revenues of approximately $1.38 billion globally by the end of 2022, with the total esports audience set to rise 8.7% year on year to reach 532 million individuals at year end (source: Newzoo, 2022).
SCL Education will also support Guild Academy growth through the delivery of elite programmes focused on pro–player development, and community outreach programmes with the goal of positively impacting 1,000 children through esports in 2023.
Kal Hourd, Chief Executive at Guild Esports, said: “Our pioneering course leverages Guild’s position as one of Europe’s leading team organisations and will furnish learners with the opportunity to obtain a Level Two Diploma to support their career ambitions in a fast–growing industry worth more than £1 billion. By getting involved in grassroots esports development in the UK, Guild will also support a pipeline of talent both in terms of the star players of tomorrow and future esports business leaders.
“While the esports further education sector in the UK is fast growing, regular access to the state–of–the–art facilities of a fully–fledged global esports organisation is a first for a post–16 esports course and something no other learners in the country currently have available to them. Guild College is proud to offer this experience to students.”
Stuart Allen, Group Director of Operations and Principal of Education, SCL Education, said: “We’re delighted to be partnering with industry leaders, Guild Esports, to deliver our BTEC Level 2 Diploma in Esports. An organisation made up of passionate people with the shared mission of delivering a unique learning experience, our learners have a bright future ahead of them in an industry full of great career opportunities.”
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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