The summer months are here and the many eSports tournaments and events that everyone has been waiting for are finally upon us.

With the competition being so highly contested, the odds stacked against the players looking to take home the victory in each tournament can be pretty slim. There are lots of professional eSport teams who usually do well in these types of tournaments, such as FaZe Clan, Team Liquid, and Cloud 9, to name a few. These teams are always popular choices among those who enjoy betting on the outcome of eSports tournaments, but perhaps a new British team will take home the crown on UK turf.

Here’s what to expect from the exciting events set to take place.

British eSports Student Champs Grand Finals 2023

British eSports has finally announced the time and location of the 2023 Grand Finals. This tournament is available to colleges and schools up and down the UK, taking place between the 24th and 25th of June at the Confetti X in Nottingham, a 4,00 sq. ft., 100-seater multi-event eSport facility.

Throughout the two-day thrilling event, the best students across the UK will showcase their skills in a bid to become champions of the Student Champs Live Finals. The finals are huge, including more than 5,000 student players from 180 colleges and schools across the country.

There will be three divisions taking place, Division 1, Nationals, and the Women in eSports Division, all to be played on the main stage. These 2023 finals are promising to include all the ingredients for an exciting event. To add to the excitement, many fans will be looking forward to betting on their favorite team’s success. The way betting sites are rated in the UK means that many of the best and most reputable sites will offer punters the chance to make bets across the eSports world. Although the British Student Championships isn’t available to bet on, reputable bookmakers still offer fans plenty of betting opportunities on eSports. From betting on the outcome of the match to more specific markets like the number of towers destroyed by a team in LoL, there are plenty of options to add more excitement to the already thrilling eSports tournament.

Red Bull Contested

Red Bull Contested compiles the world’s best Fortnite players to go head-to-head live in action this June. Taking place at the McEwan Hall in Edinburgh, this will be the UK’s first-ever major Fortnite LAN tournament, hosted in front of a live audience. The players that have been confirmed in this star-studded line-up include:

• Jaden ‘Wolfiex’ Ashman
• Thomas ‘Th0masHD’ Hoxbro Davidson
• Martin ‘MrSavage’ Foss Anderson
• Harry ‘Veno’ Pearson
• Zachariah ‘Pinq’ Siddall

This Red Bull contest is unique as it features a Fortnite solos format that was specifically created for this event. The world's very best players will battle and fight over eight intense rounds with added twists and turns surrounding the traditional points system.

The final four rounds will see eliminations worth double points, forcing each player to adopt a different—and much more aggressive—style of playing to stay in the hunt to earn the crown. This way of playing has delivered a much more incentivised approach for the lower-ranked players looking to give fans a final that they’ll never forget.

For those who cannot make the event, it will be broadcast live on the Red Bull Twitch Stream and Red Bull Gaming YouTube pages.

ESI London 2023

ESI London is the flagship event from eSports Insider—a three-day event set to bridge the gap between interest and expertise. It’s less of a tournament and more of a business conference; ESI explains everything you need to know about eSports whether you’re completely new to it or somewhat of an expert.

The attendees do not fit a particular type, but the list of people speaking ranges from major tournament organiser executives, big-name sponsors, professional gamer teams, and investors, as well as the likes of the accountants, consultants, and lawyers who help eSports events, take place. If you’re looking to know more about the ins and outs of the world of eSports, this is the event for you.

EGX London 2023

The next edition of the EGX London is about to take place this year, welcoming a host of novice and experienced players, developers, and cosplayers. It’s a trade show that celebrates all things gaming, held at the ExCeL London between the 12th and the 15th October 2023.

All participants will love the superb selection of playable games from both the olden days and the new. This trade fair is the perfect location for participants to explore and play their favourite games while also connecting to people professionally and personally. EGX London 2023 is planned to span across many different themed zones such as the Tabletop Zone and Retro Zone, offering a range of experiences, accessories, and other gaming products.

There are many other events to get involved with throughout the day, such as:

• Host Guided Tours,
• Live Demonstrations
• Gaming Competitions
• Cosplay Competitions
• Lectures
• Practical Workshops
• Stage Presentations

Some of the main highlights that EGX London 2023 is looking to include feature the Video Game Library, Console Corner, and the Leftfield Collection area displaying the many weird and wonderful games available.

Abu Dhabi is set to become a central stage for eSports in December with the Blast Premier World Final 2022 held in the capital of the United Arab Emirates for the first time. The event will run from December 14th-18th. The city was selected by the Blast organizers to reflect the growing interest in professional video gaming in the Middle East.

Welcome to Blast Premier World Final

Audiences in the region have been developing an appetite for eSports betting and it is expected to skyrocket during the Blast Premier World Final 2022. This is the largest event in the Blast Premier Series which runs annually. The tournament features sizable prize pools and they are only getting larger each year.

Ticket sales for the event have not yet begun. The plan is for the event to have a live audience in addition to those watching online. Teams who enter the World Final will have won throughout the year already. Apart from the upcoming World Final in December, there have been six tournaments with varying prize pools between $135,000 and $425,000.

Three of those events are scheduled to take place prior to the World Final. Events scheduled for August, October and November play an important role in the local and global eSports CS:GO community and surely drive betting interest. The World Final will be the seventh and last event for the year, before Blast Premier returns once again in 2023, with announcements to follow soon after the World Final has been wrapped up.

Blast Premier has picked the venue for a specific reason. The company hopes that it can continue to reach new audiences. The official press release detailing why Abu Dhabi has been picked from a pool of other available options. The organization’s managing director, Charlotte Kenny, explained that Blast Premier is looking to ensure that it reaches new audiences and delivers incredible eSports experiences.

Abu Dhabi is a perfect location to complement the already established calendar. The events will cover global audiences with events in Europe, the United States. The addition of Abu Dhabi means that now the Middle Eastern market is included. Kenny confirmed that eSports is growing at a rapid pace in the Middle East. Blast Premier will do everything it can to ensure that it continues to deliver best-in-class experiences to players.

The gaming and eSports sector is growing rapidly in the middle east, as confirmed by recent surveys. Locals are turning to games and gradually switching to professional gaming and eSports betting. They seek to connect and bond with the experience on a deeper level that enables them to remain competitive and enjoy themselves.

CS:GO remains one of the most popular games worldwide and it is no different in the Middle East. While the game was released more than a decade ago, it still remains one of the true competitive fixtures out there. Many other games have been released after it, including Valorant, Call of Duty, and Overwatch, and they have their sizable audiences.

However, in terms of pure viewing and eSports betting interest there is hardly a more successful game than CS:GO when it comes to the competitive angle of it as well. Why is that? Players can get into CS:GO easily, the game requires less high-end hardware and is overall a shared experience enjoyed by many.

Easy to Get into and Understand

The fact that you can compete, play casually or even support your teams with hundreds of thousands other people watching is definitely a part of it. The Blast Premier is set to pivot more confidently towards the EMEA region after December, so this won’t be the only event in the region we will see for a while.

For those who are new to CS:GO, though, the game may look a little distant. This is okay because players will still be able to enjoy it. One of the biggest pluses of CS:GO is that this game makes it very simple for you to get involved and enjoy it. Tracking the action is a piece of cake and even though many people attending the Abu Dhabi event will be known, they will be able to immediately get themselves involved in the process and understand how the game works. Whether they are there to scout out a betting opportunity or just enjoy, Blast Premier would have hit its mark!

>>> Visit Gurugamer.com for more updates and gaming reviews!

When there is a conversation about eSports and the mainstream - which is something that happens with increasing regularity these days given the increased interest out there - there is always an element of that conversation that says eSports are already mainstream. After all, there is widespread betting on eSport on games like Call of Duty and there are dedicated arenas being built to showcase the sport. So where is there to go?

That’s a reasonable point. As things stand, eSport has a profile that a lot of traditional sports would love to have, sponsorship and even broadcast deals that gamers could only have dreamt of until recently. For the sport to keep growing, though, it is reasonable to look at avenues for greater recognition, and one way that this could happen is through its inclusion in the Olympics. Is this something that could one day happen? There are points that indicate it could, and others that seem to argue against - but let’s look at whether this is a realistic possibility in the near- to medium-term future.

Inclusion in the Asian Games sets a precedent

When you are trying to make a case for anything, the importance of precedent cannot be denied. If something has happened in a certain way before, it creates credibility for it to happen in a broader way. And so the inclusion of eSport in this year’s Asian games gives some assistance to those making the case for it to be featured in the Olympics. Regrettably, we know that there won’t be a space made for it in 2024, when the Games will be in Paris - a noted hot spot for eSports. But with the 2028 games being in LA, that does keep the way open for its inclusion as at least a demonstration sport.

There are a lot of sports that aren’t in the Olympics

One thing that is demanded of sports if they are to be recognised by the Olympic Charter is that they be played in enough countries on enough continents by enough people of both sexes. The numbers differ for men and women, and eSports could make a case for inclusion on this point. However, the same is true of cricket, which has never been included since 1900. Chess could also make a claim on this basis, and both sports have been mooted as possible inclusions for longer than eSports. So while its continued lack of inclusion may be irritating, it’s not anomalous.

There is support within the IOC

One thing that may benefit eSports’ case for inclusion is that it does have its supporters within the International Olympic Committee. During the Tokyo games, there was a parallel Olympic-affiliated eSports event, which does suggest that the door is ajar. For the moment, eSports fans can console themselves (pun not intended) with the fact that it’s come a lot further in a shorter time than many other sports, it’s on the sportsbook at Cloudbet and other betting sites, and little by little, eSports stars are becoming mainstream names.

>>> Visit Gurugamer.com for more updates and gaming reviews!

On the 24th of January 2022, Savvy Gaming Group, which the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund owns, officially bought both ESL Gaming and FACEIT. In total, both companies were estimated at around $1.5 billion.

Once they signed the paperwork, ESL Gaming and FACEIT merged into one company named ESL FACEIT Group. Joining the leading eSports company ESL, with the number one digital platform for gamers in FACEIT, indicates that Savvy Gaming Group wants to develop and grow eSports not just in Arab countries but also worldwide.

ESL Gaming and FACEIT

For over two decades, ESL has been the leading organization in eSports, bringing events and tournaments worldwide. It all started in 2000 when ESL began publishing their own magazine and gave out or rented online servers for competitive gaming. Fast forward to 2015, the Swedish company MTG bought majority stakes in ESL for over $86 million.

Over the next few years, ESL organized some of the biggest eSports events in history, in competitive games like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, DOTA 2, HALO, Mortal Kombat, and more. Besides ESL, MTG has also owned DreamHack, another big eSports event organizer, and in 2020, MTG decided to merge the two companies, ultimately creating ESL Gaming.

FACEIT, on the other hand, is an eSports platform. Besides creating and hosting tournaments, they also provide a space where players can play Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, League of Legends, Rocket League, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, Dota 2, and Team Fortress 2.

One of the biggest tournaments that FACEIT has hosted was the 2018 London Major. Valve, the developers of CS: GO, gave the green light to FACEIT to host the thirteenth CS: GO Major. Besides being the first major eSports tournament hosted in the UK, it also had a prize pool of $1 million and held the later stages of the tournament at Wembley Arena.

Goals of ESL FACEIT Group

Individually, ESL and FACEIT have provided their platforms and hosted events and tournaments for gamers over the past two decades. With the merger, the company wants to create a better eSports environment for players, teams, and fans.

The numerous brands connected with both ESL and FACEIT will continue operating as usual. So there is no need to worry about your FACEIT or FPL rank or any changes to ESEA Leagues. Also, you will still be able to watch every upcoming tournament like IEM Rio 2022 or participate in any DreamHack festival.

The coming together of these two giants in eSports will certainly bring growth and evolution to the gaming world. Excellent teams have run the organizations over the years; now that they’ve joined, the future can only be bright.

ESL has also come out with an article showcasing the direction they want to head towards when the new merger is finally completed in the second quarter of 2022.

Finding and Coaching New Talent

With the creation of new online events, ESL FACEIT Group will look for up-and-coming gamers who show passion and love for the games they play. Also, there will be coaching and teaching platforms to bring out the potential of numerous players.

Various Local Online and LAN events

ESL FACEIT Group will support small local organizations that want to host local online or LAN tournaments, to further develop a stable grassroots level. They aim to increase the standards in as many regions as possible for amateur and professional level gamers.

Technology Development for Fair and Competitive Environments

For years, ESL and FACEIT have provided a fair playing field for everyone that wants to compete in their favorite video games.

However, with the merger, there will be more focus on developing a better server infrastructure and various anti-cheat solutions, so there can be a completely equal playing field in the future. Of course, all this tech will be free to all players and fans.

Final Thoughts

When the news was made public back in January, apart from the excitement from the majority of the eSports community, some were a little skeptical about how much the operations of the two organizations will change.

For now, the official press release from the ESL FACEIT Group assures us that the merger will create the biggest and best competitive gaming platform in the world. Changes will happen; however, the quality of service is bound to stay the same, even get better. If you are a gamer, there’s much to be excited about!

Esports are big enough business now that the people who play them are household names in a lot of homes. It’s not that long ago that the idea of competitively playing video games, and making real money from doing so, would have been laughed at in the same homes. To this day, being good at video games doesn’t necessarily mean being an esports pro - because, for one thing, not every popular video game becomes an esport.

Let’s take an example of a top game that has never truly crossed over into esport territory. GTA - whichever version of the game you choose - has always been a highly popular game with plenty of online versions where you can play competitively. But it’s never become the kind of game that esport teams play in front of arena crowds. Why is that? Well, to understand why some games have bettors scouring casinos8888.com to find odds for esport competitions, and some remain popular household games, let’s look at some of the key differences.

Mission-based playability doesn’t help

As epic as GTA San Andreas is, and the same can be said of its follow-up games, it doesn’t lend itself to esports gaming because it’s inherently mission-based. You can play “free” for a spell, enjoying the various attractions of the location in which the game is played, but to advance, you’ve got to play missions - and that doesn’t lend itself to an esports setting. Games which have become esports are ones where the competition is the point - any head-to-head fighter like Mortal Kombat or StreetFighter 2, or sports games like FIFA - or free-world games like DotA or WoW.

Publishers need to be open to esports compatibility

Older gamers will remember the first time they played a specific game, and how tough the whole thing felt. Only with continued play did they get good enough to master levels and bosses. And then, before you knew it, you could complete the game with your eyes closed. If Sonic the Hedgehog became an esport, the playing field would be filled with 50-year-old gamers who knew all the hiding places for extra lives and the short cuts.

In more modern games, which see updates released on a regular basis, there can always be something new to master. This means there’s always something to learn and a new challenge, which separates good players from people who’ve just played a game lots.

Funding makes a difference

One major reason why games become esports is because it’s easy enough to hold events. That’s how they get mass exposure, and it means they need to be able to support arena-based competition. That’s not the kind of thing any player can do by themselves, it requires serious cash injections, which will usually come from game developers themselves. A great independent game is unlikely to ever become an esport, even if it has all of the other elements, because a shoestring publishing house isn’t going to be able to hire an arena and attract the sponsorship to make it go viral.

While that is a shame, it’s not the end of the world - there are thousands of games, and maybe dozens become esports, so the most important thing continues to be that games are enjoyed by those who play them.

>>> Gurugamer.com updates latest gaming news and reviews, check in daily for more!

Thailand is a nation that loves video games and also has a deep love of competition. In video gaming that equals a love of eSports. As such, the nation has forged some of the most talented eSports players out there. Finding them today is a simple matter of looking at how successful they have been in their respective disciplines. From Dota 2 to Arena of Valor, to PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, there are many games in which Thai gamers excel. Today, we will take a look at some of the most accomplished ones and see how they got to the top.

Anucha Jirawong, Jabz

Jabz is without doubt the most accomplished video gamer in Thailand. He has won more than $700,000 playing Dota 2. The game developed by Valve features some of the biggest and most worthwhile prize pools worldwide so that is an impressive prize figure. Players who are keen to find out more about Dota 2 in Thailand always go to Jabz for a piece of advice.

The man has amassed his solid earnings through dedicated play and today stands at the very top of the pecking order that features many other Thailand top eSports players. However, few come even close to Jabz’s accomplishments. He has been able to win this amount of money in less than three years of play, which makes this accomplishment even more worthwhile.

Nuengnara Teeramahanon, 213 Savage

213 Savage definitely has a nickname you are going to forget. The player is another accomplished Dota 2 professional who does his absolute best to accomplish as much as possible. This is easily visible by the fact that he has won $319,925 in his career as a professional player.  The bulk of his earnings came from the 2021 season. He’s still at it and his most recent wins include a $8,778.57 in 2022. He is definitely not going anywhere.

213 Savage will continue to be a fixture in Thai gaming and his choice of game is definitely one of the toughest titles to be competing in. However, it’s also one of the most significant in terms of competitive potential and this is precisely what this is about. Players who are keen to uphold Savage as their role model will definitely be right to do so, as the man is an absolute legend in what he does.

Sanpett Marat, FirstOne

To be absolutely fair, FirstOne’s total winnings are even more impressive when you consider the game he competes in. Arena of Valor is a fantastic Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) title for mobile. It has just a sliver of the prize pool that Dota 2 is throwing around. This means that FirstOne is competing for much less money overall, but he is managing to secure a very big chunk of it. The total he has won so far includes $235,068.76, which is definitely something to keep in mind. FirstOne is a top talent when it comes to gaming and Thailand can be very proud of having such an accomplished gamer. Thailand is often one of the countries to host various events for Arena of Valor.

Bawonchai Han, D2E

When it comes to anything outside of MOBAs, Thai gamers are actually quite good at PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. This game has become an absolute fixture in the competitive gaming world in the world and not least because of the high level of skill and understanding involved. Players who compete in PUBG – as the game is known for short – can expect serious competition from beginning to end. Despite this, D2E has been able to amass $145,866.67 and, once again, the total money going for prize pools in PUBG isn't as much as the money you can expect to get for Dota 2. Competition has been definitely mounting in the PUBG vertical, but D2E has held his ground well enough.

Piyapon Boonchuay, TheCruz

TheCruz is definitely a great example who belongs to our list of the greatest eSports athletes Thailand has to offer today. The reason behind this is actually quite simple. The man competes in Free Fire, another popular video game that is only now developing its full eSports family. As such, TheCruz may not have access to big prize pools but he has been winning quite a few, with more than $100,000 in net winnings. Players who are looking to get inspired by some of the most talented Free Fire players out there need not look past TheCruz, as the man is one of the most capable guys in the country who drives others to do better at the games they play.

>>> Gurugamer.com updates latest gaming news and reviews, check in daily for more!

The technological advances of the last decades have generated more fascinating, interactive and competitive video games, resulting in the birth of the well-known eSports. If before each person remained alone in their own home or in a group, but on the same computer, today they participate in contests with other online players from all over the world in matches with as much or more emotion than in face-to-face games.

Electronic sports emerged a few years ago, but they are the trend among many young people around the globe. There are competitors with growing fame, even professionalized. A growing universe of interested parties attends the competitions in person or remotely, via the Internet. Platforms have also diversified it, from online streams to TV. Esports lovers can also access eSports news easily from well-known platforms such as fragster.com.

The first electronic tournament of the genre took place in 1972, when a Spacewar game contest was held for students at Stanford University, in the USA. The picturesque name of the Spacewar Intergalactic Olympics was the call of the event and the prize was a year's subscription to the popular Rolling Stones magazine.

eSports Categories

Today there are basically three most popular eSports game categories, with great variety: fighting, first-person shooter (FPS), and real-time strategy games. These, even, are just a few examples, since there is an ever-increasing diversity of possibilities for players.

Among the fighting games, there are the famous Street Fighter, the Supersmash Bros. and Marvel vs. Capcom. Examples of FPS are Doom, Quake, Call of Duty, Halo and Counter-Strike. At last, Fifa Series, NBA 2K, Pro Evolution Soccer are RTS. There is also the option of racing games, such as F1, iRacing and Project Cars.

Currently, the biggest championships are concentrated in players and teams that compete against each other in games of the MOBA genre (multiplayer online battle arena video games), including League of Legends (LOL) and Dota 2. The matches have ten players, five per team, and last between 30 minutes and an hour. An example of popularity, The International, the Dota 2 world cup, had almost all 27 thousand tickets sold in 53 seconds and offered a prize of more than US$34 million. The turnover of the video game industry, according to estimates, around US $ 100 billion. eSports correspond to US$1.5 billion of them.

The eSports modality has grown so much in recent times to the point of famous bookmakers offering their users, with peace of mind and security, the possibility of making offers in the area and a growing number of bookmakers are already acting.

Betting on eSports

To bet on eSports, to the place that any modality, it is necessary to study about the tournaments and players. However, a beginner can still place himself in this fascinating world. The odds are attractive and offer good chances of success and the best brokers are enabled to bring a pleasant and exciting experience to your betting environment. Good luck with your eSports deals.

>>> Visit Gurugamer.com for more updates and gaming reviews!

The global eSports industry is positively booming, and it generated revenue of more than $1 billion in 2020. Competitive gaming is breaking into markets all over the world, and India is seen as a lucrative spot because of its vast population of more than 1.3 billion people. Until recently, lack of widespread internet availability had stunted India’s growth in online gaming. But now, online connections are more readily available and 34 percent of people in the country accessed the internet in 2017 – up from 7.5 percent in 2010. mobile

Rise of Online Mobile Play in the Country Has Helped eSports

With internet access becoming widespread in India, the number of mobile users has shot up rapidly. There are now more than 430 million mobile users here, making this by far the most popular way to access games on the internet. One of the biggest ways that Indians have got into online gaming has been through casino offerings. Indeed, it has been estimated that at least 17.2 million people in the country play online casino games. One of the most popular ways to enjoy casino games in India is to play roulette online. A main attraction of this genre is the sheer variety available for players. The games range from Lightning Roulette and European Roulette, to live offerings like Speed Roulette Live and Instant Roulette Live.

Competitive gaming has strong links with the gambling industry, with numerous land-based casinos in Las Vegas and Macao having added eSports arenas to their facilities. Players who get involved with gaming at online casinos may end up hearing about eSports from other players there, or may simply find that their interest in online casino games also spreads into other genres such as competitive gaming.

Major Tournaments Gaining Greater Recognition

One of the main reasons for the rise of eSports in India is down to the fact that some of the major tournaments are gaining greater recognition and are being followed by increasing numbers of people each year. Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds, otherwise known as PUBG, is one of the most popular mobile eSports in the country and there are regular online tournaments held for the game.

India even has its own dedicated eSports platform now in the Mobile Premier League. It was only launched in 2018 but already has more than 25 million dedicated players, highlighting how rapidly interest in eSports is growing. The platform operated by Galactus Funware Technology Pvt Ltd has various formats including tournaments, 1-vs-1 battles, and fantasy sports. It has the backing of famous Indian celebrities including the cricketer, Virat Kohli, and could be seen as an indication that India’s eSports scene is about to boom.

Online gaming as a whole is blossoming in India thanks to the widespread availability of internet and affordable mobile devices. Online casino and eSports will be the main industries that benefit from this huge nation entering the online market in swarms.

The success of any industry lies in the way it adapts to changes and scales its growth by including these trends and changes. Stagnancy in industrial trends can very well lead to the decline of the growth curve and can thereby, result in the industry to perish eventually. It is, thus, exceedingly important to keep a weather-eye on all that is transpiring in the respective domains, and act according to them. Having said that, the industry trends that this article aims to talk about is ESports.

Over the last couple of decades, ESports have seen a series of development and has also been making quite some noise in the right places. And therefore, it is important to understand what the trends are in this very same domain and examine the significant changes that they are expected to bring in the sector. Therefore, without further ado, let us move on to addressing these trends and see them in clear light.

ESports Shall Witness a Global Increase in Interest.

It is expected that more and more people around the world shall start showing an increased level of interest in the domain of ESports. The domain of Esports has not yet been accepted by everyone around the planet and that is primarily because not everyone knows what it is all about. However, with the changing face of media and a wider outreach, it is expected that ESports shall become a household name in a few more years, and the trend of the same begins this year. This increased awareness and knowledge about ESports shall open up newer portals in the industry of Sports and make the industry more inclusive.

Gaming Brands Could Act As Powerful Influencers.

Perhaps the second-most important trend to watch out for this year is the role gaming brands is going to assume. It is expected that individual gaming brands shall become powerhouses and act as influencers in the months that shall follow. The latest development in the sector of ESports shall act as promotional techniques that can further the cause of various sporting events and help these traditional sports to find a wider fan base and better outlets. The different gaming brands in ESports are expected to bridge the gap between traditional sports and people and better the communication between the two. And this is also going to further lead to the teams and brands in building up their power and brand image.

ESports Betting Shall Gain Much Popularity.

The next trend that we need to talk about in this article is the popularity that ESports betting is probably going to receive this year. Betting is a tricky affair, just like gambling. And much of it depends on pure luck. However, there are ways to increase your chances of winning by following a few protocols. But that is something we can discuss some other day. Speaking of ESports betting, there are high chances of its popularity to soar. Online betting shall become more streamlined and the boatload of questions about betting shall be put to rest. People often find themselves asking questions like, “is online gambling legal in California?” and “how could one bet online in various parts of America?” However, with the greater popularity of ESports, these apprehensions shall be clarified once and for all.

An Exponential Growth in Technology Shall Aid the Domain of ESports.

The contribution of technology in the sector of ESports is not something that we can avoid while discussing the trends in ESports. Technology has always worked hand-in-hand with different industries to scale their growth. And therefore, the various technological innovations are themselves a trend to keep an eye out for. This year too, technology shall prove to be a major contributor in furthering the cause of Esports. From a variety of games to providing platforms for the integration of traditional sports with ESports, the technological innovations in the domain of ESports is what we must watch out for this year.

Conclusion

ESports is a sector that has not yet been explored fully, and this leaves a lot of room for apprehensions, doubts and experimentation at the same time. Therefore, it is important for the sector to step up its game and follow the trends if it is to do well and grow to unprecedented heights of success.

>>> Visit Gurugamer.com to get the latest news in gaming world.

Prestige Cup 2.0 is a PUBG Mobile tournament powered by Insidious Esports. With a Rs 15,000 prize for the winner, this event has attracted up to 312 teams from all around India. Starting from October 20 to 27, 240 teams semi-pro teams have been battling against each other to pick out 10 teams for the Grand Finals. After that 22 elite teams will play in Elite Semi-Finals to pick out 5 teams. The last 7 slots will be invited top elite teams.

The Grand Finals of the tournament lasted for 3 days has just ended yesterday with team SouL as the champion, followed by team FullPWR and Entity Gaming.

Day 1 is a great day for team SouL as they got a Chicken Dinner in the second match and finished second in the third match. Overall they concentrate on controling the circle more than getting kills so there were fewer kills than previous rounds. Mortal was the one who got the most kills for the whole team with 5 kills. They ended up being in the second place at the end of Day 1, only losing to Enity Gaming, who got the Chicken Dinner in the first match.

Day 2, FullPWR has gone full power as they top the list with 100 points in total. Team SouL got ahold of themselves after the early elimination in the first match and still got a decent amount of points at the end of the day. Overall, they got 96 points in the second place followed by Enity Gaming and Fnatic with 95 points and 94 points respectively.

Day 3, SouL got back on their feet and got  2 Chicken Dinner in match 1 and 3. They played the first match perfectly and won even though they were actually playing with only 3 members and without Mortal.

In the end, team SouL took the crown with 3 Chicken Dinner. FullPWR came second thanks to their absolute dominance on the second day. The third and fourth place belonged to Entity Gaming and Fnatic. They both only got 1 Chicken Dinner each but both were the top 2 teams with most kills, 55 kills for Fnatic and 53 kills for Entity Gaming.

Aliens, pirates, and Vikings and many more are coming in a battle of champions to earn mead, bragging rights, and the joy of beating down your opponents. You could enjoy classic 4 players local matches, challenge your friends, or fight randomly online.

Odin has made this warriors heaven called Valhalla and he commands Valkyries to search the whole universe to fill that hall with the greatest warriors. Therefore, she brought back lots of legendary warriors from aliens, monsters, Amazons, Mongol warriors, cowboys, pirates, and Vikings.

While on the wait for Ragnarok, they got bored. Thus, they fight constantly in the majestic Great Hall. They smash Asgard to rubble over and over again. To resolve this matter, Odin arranges a massive tournament. Now all the warriors will have a chance to fight for the title of champion.

World Championship 2019

From Ubisoft, we got more details on this year's World Championship for Brawlhalla. The event will take place in DreamHack Atlanta, Georgia from the 15-17 of November

This competition will witness lots of skilled warriors from all over the world face-offs in the double-elimination bracket to win the title of champion, as well as the prize pool of 100,000 U.S dollars.

Since this February, the proudest and most beautiful warriors of Brawlhalla have proven their value in various offline and online tournaments as part of a 4 years program. By participating in these tournaments, you could earn a part of the total prize pool of 500 000 U.S dollars along with Power Ranking points. Players' power ranking in this year World Championship would determine the seeding in the game Finals.

Live on Twitch and YouTube

You could watch the tournament live from the official Twitch channel of Brawlhalla; it will also come as a video later on YouTube.

The title is now available for PC, Xbox One, PS4, and Nintendo Switch.

If you claim yourself an esports fan but still don’t know what/who is Tencent, we recommend you look it up now. It is not an exaggeration to call Tencent a dominator in Chinese esports industry now. This corporation is huge.

Not to mention that they are running successful businesses in multiple fields like television and real estate, Tencent owns WeChat – the most popular social media in China. All of these aspects create a very smooth pathway for Tencent to join and become a dominant organization in gaming and esports industry

For every League of Legends (LoL) fans, you must have spotted that in the recent years, the game becomes more “Chinese”: more Chinese themed skins, new champions or reworked champions carrying Chinese vibes, Lunar New Year events lasting longer with more valued rewards. All of these are the results of Tencent purchasing Riot Games in 2011. And the same thing happened with Fortnite: Tencent bought and now owning Epic Games.

Even more, Tencent is currently owning a few more famous game developer. This list contains Supercell (a mobile game developer owning Clash of Clans, Clash Royale, Hay Day …), Miniclip SA (an online website gaming), Grinding Gear Games (a New Zealand game developer owning Path of Exile).

All of these make Tencent become one of the most powerful gaming company in the world. And luckily for us, Tencent also sees esports as a promising long term investment. In 2018, Tencent has already created an ecosystem for esports in China with many esports titles. The MOBA mobile game Honor of Kings (also known as Arena of Valor in EU market) esports championships generated over 1.3 billion dollars in 2018 alone for Tencent.

In a recent interview, Mr. Hou Miao – Tencent’s e-sports division manager – said that while the short term revenues from esports are not enough to leave any profits (after subtracting the cost), esports have the capability to create long-term profits, as well as a safe play for gamers to entertain, learn and grow. Mr. Hou Miao also revealed a quite interesting fact is that many local Chinese governments are forming cooperation with Tencent in organizing and running high-level esports tournaments.

But Tencent doesn’t show any sign of slowing down. The ambitions of this gaming corporation are getting higher and higher every day. Tencent now is in the negotiation with EA to bring Apex Legends to China with an exclusive distribution right. Needless to introduce anything more about EA and Reswapn Entertainment’s newest battle Royale FPS hit. Despite being released for one month only, this game has taken down multiple Fortnite's record. Even more, Apex Legends has gained for itself numerous esports tournament already. Imagine how huge this game would be when it sets foot to the most crowded country in the world. If this deal goes well for Tencent and EA, it will bring Tencent to a whole new level of power in gaming and esports industry.

In February 2019, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security in China (CMHRSS) has officially recognized esports as a profession in China. That means you can put these professions in your CV: "esports operator" and "esports professional." The Chinese government is being more open to gaming industry than ever before, and with Chinese team Invictus Gaming’s convincing victory in the 2018 League of Legends World Championship last year, Tencent looks like they will have a bright 2019.

The game Magic: The Gathering seems to be making its way to esports by taking a special way: this card game which is 25 years old is planning on revamping its own competitive circuit as well as starting the year 2019 with its own professional league with the prize pool up to 10.000.000 dollars across tabletop Magic and Magic: The Gathering Arena.

"There's a $10 million prize pool up for grabs in 2019 across digital and tabletop Magic, which is more than double 2018. The new system provides lucrative opportunities for pros, players, sponsors, and esports partners," expressed Magic.

From what we know, the Magic Professional League is featuring "32 of Magic's top-ranked players from around the world who are each offered player and streamer contracts with a combined worth of $75,000." There still hasn’t been any information about the players yet. However, soon, there will be some information via the player profiles you can find on the official website of this eSport.

In the league, competitors will compete with each other in competitive, seasonal match-ups held every week on Magic: The Gathering Arena. Moreover, when it comes to tournaments on Mythic-level, they will be held in both tabletop and MTG Arena. Those Mythic-level ones, which used to be called Professional Tours, are "high prize pool, high drama events in both MTG Arena and tabletop."

"You'll be able to qualify for MTG Arena Mythic Championships by playing MTG Arena at home. Then test your skills against the stars in the Magic Pro League to claim your share of prizes and glory," explained Magic. Each of the Mythic Championships is offering $500 thousand in the prize pools. Moreover, the so far officially announced schedule is on the official website of Magic.

The Magic Invitational, which will become the first ever grand event of 2019, will be held at some point in the last week of March. Professional players as well as "challengers from the Magic community" are going to be battling to get their own share of 1.000.000 dollars at the Penny Arcade Expo East at the beginning of 2019. Further information on the event, which includes how to be qualified enough to join, will be revealed in January next year.

Moreover, Magic said that "a significant prize pool [has been] set aside to partner with independent organizers." Particularly, the tabletop game Grand Prix circuit is offering a prize pool of 2.500.000 dollars, along with some partner events, including those especially for Magic: The Gathering Arena will be introduced in 2019.

Lastly, Magic: The Gathering's year is planned to culminate in a World Championship "featuring the most accomplished Magic players of the year across MTG Arena and tabletop."

Recently, a car manufacturer from German - Audi has begun its partnership with Two FIFA teams from the same country Schanzer Esports and FOKUS CLAN, the arm of the Football Club Ingolstadt 04 that is responsible for the esports aspect. This is also the first automobile company that has ever invested in the game favorite game Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.

FOKUS CLAN’s being in a partnership together with Audi, in fact, was initially involved with STARK eSports. Soon, there will be Audi’s branding inclusion on the apparel as well as the social channels of the team. There are also activations already planned for the upcoming time.

The relationship with Schanzer Esports, which has just been announced recently, is a part of the cooperation with Media Markt - an electronics reseller. From January 2019, the club is competing in a small part of the TAG Heuer Virtual Bundesliga - the VBL Club Championship. STARK eSports will be representing and managing two competitors from Schanzer Esports during this event.

Franz Spitzauer, Sports And Finance Managing Director at Football Club Ingolstadt 04, had a little discussion about the club entering esports: “The subject of eSports has been occupying us for a while. After very positive talks with Audi and the media market, we are now starting into this exciting new business area.” He added that they really looked forward to taking part in the new challenges in that area. However, he stated that they dealt exclusively with football in the digital world of gaming.

Audi's first try to enter the esports industry was when it became a partner with a CS:GO brand, Astralis from the RFRSH Entertainment back at the beginning of 2017. Later, it started sponsoring a team called Bayern Ballers Gaming, which is one of the competitors in the NBA 2K League.

The Sports Marketing Head at Audi, Thomas Glas, also expressed the presence of the company in this industry: “Esports opens up new and exciting marketing opportunities for us. Esports is dynamic and far more flexible than many traditional sports. This enables us to shape many things and actively participate in their further development.” To further explain his ideas, he added: “The young and, above all, digital and technology-savvy target group with an enormous reach and strong global networking is interesting. This makes a commitment to esports particularly attractive for Audi and ideally complements our digital communication strategy.”

In the past month, FOKUS CLAN has found itself the first partner ever: funny-Frisch - a crisp brand of Intersnack. Infront Sports & Media, a big marketing agency took part in helping to build the partnership, including the logo of the brand appearing on the jersey as well as digital channels of FOKUS CLAN

Esports Insider shares that: Any football club that intends o enter esports is always highly welcome, and it is not very surprising to say that FIFA would be the best game for the club to choose. However, what is really surprising for both FOKUS CLAN as well as STARK eSports is having a partnership with the famous automobile manufacturer Audi. This has, once again, proven that it is certainly a perfect agency when it comes to companies.

Kumawat, a professional CS:GO player was found using a suspicious software at the ESL India Premiership and Extremesland Asia finals.

An ex-member from CS:GO division of OpTic India was found cheating a week ago amid the game with team Revolution and thus has been prohibited by the Esports Integrity Coalition (ESIC) from taking part in any esports activity involved with ESIC for an aggregate of 5 years.

ESIC claimed that the proof against the man is "convincing" and "past sensible uncertainty," and showed that he swindled at both the ESL India Premiership and EA competition prior in October, which his team has won.

Optic India has recently declared their victory on their Twitter page.

According to ESIC, they have found plenty of evidence for Kumawat's action and many have ordered them to quickly make a decision and ban the man for his entire life. However, they will resolve this problem with a legitimate procedure regarding the Code of Conduct of the tournament.

ESIC also reported that Kumawat is still remained entitled. Though they have endeavored to get in touch with him to give him a chance to concede guilt or to argue not liable and protect himself but apparently he hasn't responded yet.

Kumawat was potentially banned for a lifetime as a multi-time offender, yet ESIC decided on the 5-year ban since his past offense in last year has not much relation to this recent one. Though ESIC comprehends the outcry of the esports community, however, the sanctions in the industry should not be compared with those in the conventional sports.

While Kumawat has not reacted to ESIC's endeavors to get in touch with him, he released an announcement to AFK Gaming, saying sorry for his conduct and implying that his partners had no clue he was conning. ESIC affirmed that no sign of cheating had been spotted on other gamers of the mentioned team. All things being equal, Kumawat's CS:GO team was disbanded not long after he was caught.

The PUBG Mobile Campus Championship has finally come to an end. On October 21, after the qualifying rounds that lasted 12 days, the 20 remaining teams battled it out for the final prize in Belaguru, India.

PUBG Mobile Campus Championship 2018 is an eSports event exclusively for college students in India. It was hosted by PUBG developer Tencent Games and sponsored by Oppo India. It is reportedly the biggest PUBG Mobile eSport tournament in India up to date, with a total prize pool of Rs 5,000,000 (close to $68,000). The event attracted 25,000 registrations over the span of a month. The contestants came from over 1000 colleges across 30 cities.

In the end, it was team The Terrifying Nightmares from Mumbai that came out on top. They won the trophy as well as the prize of Rs 1,500,000 ($20,350). Moreover, every member that belongs to the top 15 teams got an Oppo F9 Pro smartphone. There were also awards for players with impressive individual performances. Eleen Raj, a member of ‘Team NSD’, was awarded the MVP of the tournament for winning the most MVP in the final day. The Medic Award went to Hardeep Singh of team ‘R4W Official’ for the highest number of revives. The Lone Ranger award, meanwhile, belonged to Jatin Gupta of team ‘6ix9ine’ for scoring the most kills in one game.

Furthermore, Tencent Games and Oppo India also joined hands to establish a PUBG Mobile themed store, the first of its kind, in Church Street, Belaguru.

PUBG Corp CEO Chang Han Kim says that PUBG Mobile has generated colossal response in India. He describes the popularity of the game here as “overwhelming”. PUBG Mobile is no longer just a mobile game that people play to kill time, it has become Indian’s’ choice game. It comes as no surprise that the eSport scene of the game would thrive here. Chang says the country is a market with lots of potential. With this event so well received, he is excited to create more experiences for Indian PUBG Mobile fans.

The RSR Partners x HIVE Esports Business Conference features the presence of CEO of ESL America Yvette Martinez-Rea and Shizuka Suzuki, assistant vice president (AVP) of corporate sponsorships of AT&T Inc. During the conference, Martinez-Rea said that she was “excited because mobile game tournaments are much shorter”.

In Jun 2018, at the E3 gaming convention, AT&T joined hands with ESL to host an Arena of Valor competition. According to Suzuki, AT&T is looking for opportunities to get into eSports. She thinks that the partnership with ESL will help AT&T achieve its goal.

AT&T will fit the market

Despite many opinions to the contrary, Suzuki believes that AT&T will fit in to the industry perfectly. The best way to convince people is to have the actual gamers use what the company has to offer. AT&T is working on this by investing into eSports in a relevant way. Providing sponsors for mobile eSports competitions is one of the actions it has taken.

Beside that, AT&T also appears at several ESL-hosted events. For example, during ESL One Newyork in September, AT&T provided guests with portable chargers that they could use during the tournament.

While AT&T has sponsored many tradition sport events such as NCAA, PGA etc., gaming and eSports is a new area for it. Suzuki thinks this brings AT&T a new opportunity to get to an under-reached audience. This audience includes who aren't watching traditional sports and therefore are unaware of the brand.

While mobile eSports have been prospering in eastern markets such as India and China, in the west they are still quite underdeveloped. However, Suzuki says that AT&T is ready to make long term investments.

Mobile games are relevant in eSports

On the side of Martinez-Rea, she thinks the popularity and pervasiveness of mobile games make them very relevant in the eSports industry. Mobile games tend to be easier. Furrthermore, almost everyone has a mobile device these days. This means anyone can play these games if they want to. Mobile games are accessible to people of all genders and economic backgrounds. Of the same opinion, Suzuki remarks that not everyone can afford a gaming setup. On the other hand, most own a mobile phone. That makes mobile games “much easier to access”, says Suzuki.

While the viewership numbers of mobile eSports events are not going to be comparable with those of League of Legends or Counter Strike any time soon, the sheer ubiquity of mobile games means most everyone is a potential mobile eSport watcher or player. There are reasons to believe mobile eSports will be greatly popular in the future.

If you show any League of Legends player a picture of this woman, 90% of the time they will recognize her, by face if not by name. That is completely understandable, as she is one of League of Legends’ most recognized faces, having been present at every League international tournament as an MC.  We often see her interview players, but rarely do we have the chance to see her at the receiving end of the interviewing, to really get to know her.

Eefje Depoortere, also known as “Sjokz”, was born on 16 June 1987 in Bruges, Belgium. She loved playing video games growing up, with her first competitive gaming experience being in Unreal Tournament, a popular online shooting game in the early 2000s. She participated in several LAN tournaments during that period and even went so far as to win a national cup. Her nickname, Sjokz (pronounced "shook"), also came from a weapon from this game, the shock rifle.

Going to college, Depoortere had to temporarily stop her gaming activities as there was no time, no computer, and no good internet connection. However, after four years of studying history, she realized she much preferred to be a sports reporter, so she stayed in school to get a Master’s Degree in Journalism and an additional teacher’s degree.

After finishing school, Depoortere still could not decide what she wanted to do with her life. She had various temporary jobs and played games in her free time. It was then that an old friend from her Unreal Tournament days introduced her to League of Legends. That was in 2011, when the game was still young growing. Depoortere shared that she “didn’t like it at all at first” because she “just wanted to shoot people”. Luckily one of League’s original champions, Ashe, satisfied her. She started to really get into it then.

After a few months of playing League, Depoortere came across a stream that changed her life. It was a match of the professional League of Legends team Counter Logic Gaming. Depoortere was hooked. She discovered that the game she had been playing for a few months had a competitive scene. It reminded her of Unreal Tournament, but it was bigger in every way. She knew then that she had to be a part of this world.

Depoortere started the first step towards her goal as a freelance journalist writing Esport-related articles for SK Gaming and eventually worked her way to being their chief editor for League of Legends-related content. This then led to her first on-screen job as the host of Summoners Recap, a show for League fans to update news about the competitive scene of the game. Over time, her love and dedication to her job got her more recognition. This opened a lot of chances for her to start traveling around Europe and interviewing players in different tournaments.

But life isn’t always pink. Even though Depoortere was doing what she loved and was making progress, it was not a steady job. She was running out of money. Pressures were put on her to find a reliable job. “I was in that hybrid between being a student and a freelancer and there wasn’t really a lookout to a steady job. Things were getting difficult”, she said, “I knew I had to make a decision, either I find a job or I quit and leave everything behind.”

It was in that moment of instability that she was approached by people from the ESL – the largest Esport Company in the world. At first, they only hired her to do a small fan interview, but she did such an amazing job that just a few weeks later she was offered a job as an interviewer for the first European League Competitive Series (EU LCS) in 2013. And that is the story of how we get our beloved Sjokz on the LCS Stage.

The establishment of the LCS was a major milestone not only for competitive League of Legends, but for Esport in general, and Sjokz was a part of it. She was also the host of the League of Legends Season 3 World Championship in 2013, the most-watched Esport event in history up to that point. Her beauty, charisma, and professionalism made her one of the most popular faces, not only in Europe, but in every international League event.

One thing for certain, Sjokz is not there just to look pretty. Far from it. She is not there to simply deliver opening speeches and ask players repetitive questions either. From her perspective, it is very important to develop a personal connection with the people she interviews. She likes to be herself, and talk to the players as a person to a person. That makes her who she is in front of the camera: Professional, but hilarious and at times brutal. We have all probably had a good laugh from seeing Sjokz roasting players, casters and analysts alike during interviews. The reason she can pull that off while at the same time retain professionalism is because, as she said: “I build a connection with them over the years, or I’ve talked to them behind the scenes and I know how far I can and can’t go.”

Of course, building connections with players isn’t always just fun and games. Sometimes it means being with them through tough times as well. Such is the case in Sjokz’s interview with former Team Solo Mid (TSM) Top laner Marcus “Dyrus” Hill after his last match as a professional League of Legends player. Ending his career with a defeat at the hands of LGD Gaming, Dyrus was very emotional during the interview. He felt as if he had let his fans down, and Sjokz stood beside him then, almost literally offering him a shoulder to cry on. Sjokz later admitted she was proud of the way she handled the interview, and it was a big moment in her career too.

Sjokz’s influence extends far more than most realize. Through her, professional League gamers become closer to the viewers. Through their interaction with Sjokz, people see them as they really are: Not some names on top of digital characters on a big screen, not “nerds” with social anxiety who impassively sit in front of the computer playing games all day as stereotypes make them out to be, but real people, with characters, emotions, struggles, just like everyone else. She helps fans connect with players, who often seem so cold and detached. She brings the soul to competitive League of Legends.