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Luxury Brands Louis Vuitton and Gucci provide further legitimacy for esports industry – states Abios Founder Oskar Fröberg

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4 years ago

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The Abios founder and CEO explains why esports is one of the most promising sectors for future growth within the iGaming market

What does the recently announced relationship with ICE365.com mean to the company and what do you hope to achieve?

We are naturally very excited about the partnership and to contribute to the new ICE365 platform. Abios aims to provide content and detailed insights for the industry to take part of through the platform, while presenting our team with a great communication platform to address important topics and potential issues. Among these are very important but often overlooked topics such as match integrity and regulatory compliance. Building the right foundation for esports is paramount for its continued growth.
Having been active in the industry for 8.5 years, we believe ourselves to have profound insights into what is important and want to bring them to light. Our intention is ultimately to protect the future of esports. Our team also seeks to provide value for the iGaming-community through timely esports content.

The partnership has a clear focus on education – do you think there’s a knowledge gap as far as esports and the broader igaming community is concerned and how do you hope to address it?

The iGaming community is well-aware of esports, as many have already identified the market as one of the most promising sectors for future growth. Most sportsbooks have also started experimenting by at least offering a couple of markets or tournaments in esports.
Esports can however be demanding to navigate since it is both dynamic and fast-moving, with changes introduced on a regular basis and new game titles still trying to establish themselves as part of the core offering. In addition to our data and odds products, we do our best to offer in-depth content around various esports-related topics to help the iGaming community identify opportunities within the sector and make educated decisions.
While there may sometimes be a slight gap in knowledge, it is more often the case that traditional companies lack properly customised tools to monetise esports. Alongside our data business, we are currently investing heavily in enabling sportsbooks to build completely custom and new experiences using our odds product.

You appear to have a strong commitment to protecting the integrity of esports – how important is this and is match-fixing a very real threat?

Match-fixing is a prevalent threat to esports, as it is to any traditional sport. Nobody wants to watch or place a bet on a match with suspicious or unfair behaviour. It removes the fun out of the competition and gambles (no pun intended) with the entire legitimacy of esports. If esports is perceived as an environment with lots of suspicious activity, its public perception and viewership will be adversely affected. This is not only a challenge for Abios but for the industry as a whole.
Today, game publishers are increasingly improving safeguards to deal with cheating, making it more and more difficult to cheat. Tournament organisers work closer with data partners and sportsbooks to identify suspicious betting behaviour. Generally, large tournaments are very safe, game publishers and tournament organisers alike take these issues very seriously. It’s important to continuously raise awareness of these subjects.

Does the involvement of big blue chip sponsors the final symbolic confirmation that esports is here to stay?

While some blue chip-sponsors such as Coca Cola have been in the industry for years, the real shift is seen when non-endemic luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton and Gucci join the mix, designing skins for games as well as clothing lines with teams. These companies are incredibly quality and brand conscious. Seeing them engage in esports provides further legitimacy for the industry. We’ve come a long way from esports being perceived as a pastime for young boys sitting in their parents’ basements, but there is still a long way to go until esports has reached its full potential.

How important is it that regulators understand the nuances of esports?

We generally do not comment on the work of regulatory bodies in esports, as we respect the immense complexities of the subject. We do however feel that it is important for regulators to understand esports and its intricacies instead of simply copying the regulations of regular sports and pasting them for esports.
A great example of a relatively new regulation is that of player ages. Several countries have put regulations in place against offering matches where the players are minors. This is both to protect the players and to combat match-fixing, which is noble. However, it simultaneously imposes complications for sportsbooks looking to keep their markets open while staying compliant in different regions simultaneously.
Abios has always put a lot of emphasis on regulatory compliance, which encompasses the need for downstream partners, such as sportsbooks, to comply with these regulations without any friction. We therefore make regulatory compliance tools an integral and automatic part of our products.

During the pandemic has esports managed to fill a void while the traditional big sports such as football weren’t able to function properly?

When practically all traditional sports were delayed, postponed or outright cancelled more than a year ago, we experienced a strong influx in interest for esports. The esports betting market has proven to be very pandemic-resilient. The best part is that esports seems to remain popular, even as traditional sports have come back.
The interest is definitely there among punters and the audience is huge. However, we still believe that there is a long way to go with building the best possible products for esports. We are conducting extensive research to find the most engaging markets and fast integration processes for our odds feed and will bring new and unique possibilities for customer differentiation given the data rich nature of esports.

Has the pandemic created a new esports audience and demographic?

With more people staying at home, more people have picked up on esports tournaments. However, the pandemic has also increased the pace of change in the esports industry. New games have grown in popularity, especially sports games which from a competitive esports perspective were very small two years ago. These games have helped bridge the gap to esports for regular sports fans and punters. The sports games have also proven to work tremendously well as filler products for when there are no matches in traditional sports.

Is this the most exciting time to be involved with the esports phenomenon and what does it mean to you personally and to Abios as a company?

With the risk of sounding clichéd, it has always been an exciting time to be involved within esports. The industry is fast-growing and nowhere near its peak.
While our odds product is currently on par with other products on the market, we have so much more in the pipeline. We have built a strong foundation with over eight years of esports data management and base our in house modelling on this unique dataset and platform. This allows us to drive down bet delays and increase uptime through automation while creating completely unique and engaging bet offers.

Clarion’s head of Esports, William Harding, described Abios as being ‘the perfect partner’ – would you concur?

We want to add value to Clarion Gaming’s high-quality content by bringing our expertise and leveraging our 8+ year history in esports to provide the iGaming audience with further insights. Given the past years growth in the esports iGaming-sector, this partnership is certainly a perfect fit.

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ESFI’s Lokesh Suji Re-Elected as Asian Electronic Sports Federation VP, South Asia, Strengthening India’s Esports Leadership

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1 day ago

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April 9, 2025

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In a significant boost for Indian esports, Lokesh Suji has been re-elected unopposed as Vice President for South Asia in the Asian Electronic Sports Federation (AESF) during its recent online Electoral General Assembly in Hong Kong for a four-year term. Holding this position since AESF’s inception, Suji’s re-election highlights India’s growing influence in international esports, reinforcing the Esports Federation of India’s (ESFI) role in shaping the region’s competitive gaming landscape.

The AESF Electoral General Assembly, chaired by outgoing President Kenneth Fok, convened representatives from 38 member nations and OCA Deputy Director General Vinod Tiwari. Thailand’s Santi Lothong secured the AESF Presidency with a simple majority, alongside new Vice Presidents for different Asian zones.

“I am deeply grateful for the continued trust placed in me and extend my sincere thanks to Kenneth (Fok) for his leadership and guidance over the years. I also look forward to working closely with Santi (Lothong) for this next phase. This re-election is not just a personal milestone but a testament to the remarkable growth of esports in India and South Asia. Esports in Asia is entering a defining era, and I am committed to ensuring that our players, federations, and stakeholders receive the recognition, opportunities, and platforms they deserve,” said Lokesh Suji, Vice President, South Asia, of AESF and Director of ESFI.

As Asia’s esports governing body, recognised by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), AESF has been instrumental in getting esports included in Asian Games and hosting major tournaments like the Asian Esports Games 2018 and the Asian Games 2022, featuring top titles such as Dota 2, Street Fighter 6, and FIFA Online. AESF has also been selected as the Technical Delegate for Esports at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026.

Commenting on Suji’s re-election, Santi Lothong, the incoming AESF President, said: “Having worked alongside Lokesh for years, I have witnessed his unwavering dedication to developing esports in South Asia and beyond. His leadership, vision, and relentless efforts have helped shape the region’s competitive landscape. I look forward to continuing our collaboration and strengthening esports across Asia under this new leadership phase.”

Kenneth Fok, the outgoing AESF President, added: “Lokesh has been a steadfast pillar in AESF’s journey, always pushing to elevate esports across Asia. His passion and commitment have left a lasting impact, shaping key initiatives and strengthening our community. It’s been a pleasure working alongside him, and I am confident he will continue driving esports forward.”

Under Suji’s leadership, India has made significant strides in esports, with historic medal finishes in the Commonwealth Esports Championship 2022, BRICS Esports Championship and Asian Esports Games and strong performances in the Asian Games 2018 and 2022, where Indian athletes proved their mettle against the world’s best. ESFI is further cementing India’s esports dominance with the WAVES Esports Championship (WESC) —a pioneering initiative that fosters homegrown talent and provides Indian players with an international platform to compete at the highest level. WAVES Esports Championship is one of the ‘Create in India Challenge’ as part of Ministry of Information & Broadcasting’s marque event ‘World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit’ (WAVES) to be held on 1-4 May 2025, Mumbai.

Recognized by and Member of the International Esports Federation, Asian Esports Federation, and Global Esports Federation, ESFI remains dedicated to strengthening India’s position on the global esports stage.

The post ESFI’s Lokesh Suji Re-Elected as Asian Electronic Sports Federation VP, South Asia, Strengthening India’s Esports Leadership appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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S8UL announces participation in five titles at Esports World Cup 2025: Chess, EAFC 25, Tekken 8, COD: Warzone, and Apex Legends

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April 9, 2025

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S8UL, a global name in esports and gaming content, has officially announced its participation in five titles at the highly anticipated Esports World Cup (EWC) 2025, set to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from July 7 to August 24. The first wave of titles includes Chess, EAFC 25, Tekken 8, Call of Duty (COD): Warzone, and Apex Legends, with more titles and the official rosters to be revealed in the coming weeks.

This move marks a significant milestone for Indian esports. By entering globally competitive titles such as EAFC, Warzone, Apex, Tekken, and Chess, S8UL becomes one of the first Indian organizations to compete at this scale and across such a diverse mix of esports titles. It reflects a clear step toward going global, showing how Indian esports is moving from regional success to a much bigger stage. With this participation, S8UL reinforces the message that Indian esports orgs are ready to compete at the highest level, alongside some of the biggest names in the international esports scene.

To kick off the campaign, S8UL launched a quirky and fast-paced announcement video featuring popular content creator BeYouNick and its star-studded roster of creators. The storyline follows a raid at the S8UL gaming house by an ‘EWC Squad’, leading to a string of humorous reveals and cryptic clues — ultimately leaving fans with just enough answers to be excited, and just enough mystery to keep them hooked. The video has already garnered more than 2.8 million views on Instagram and over 738K views on YouTube, sparking massive fan engagement and applause across platforms.

“The announcement video was our way of involving the community right from the start — showcasing that S8UL’s strength lies not just in gameplay but in storytelling,” said Animesh Agarwal aka 8Bit Thug, Co-founder and CEO, S8UL.“This is a defining moment for Indian esports. Our entry into titles like EAFC, Warzone, Apex, Tekken and Chess is not just participation — it’s a statement. S8UL is going global. We’re stepping into arenas that many never imagined an Indian org could enter, and we’re doing it with heart, skill and intent. We’re not just here to play — we’re here to make a mark. And this is just the first stop in that journey.”

But S8UL’s plans for EWC 2025 go far beyond team participation. The organization is gearing up for one of its biggest campaigns yet, with a pan-India journey across 20+ cities in the lead-up to the World Cup. Fans can expect never-before-seen content, IRL experiences, roster reveals, exclusive behind-the-scenes access, and opportunities to travel and celebrate with the team. This campaign will bring together India’s vibrant gaming community — from brand partners and creators to hardcore fans and casual gamers — and unify them under one flag.

Featuring the largest prize pool in esports history and 24 of the world’s biggest esports titles, the Esports World Cup will also crown a Club Champion — the top-performing esports organization across all games. With over 50,000 square meters of space dedicated to fan activations, global pop culture integrations, and entertainment, the event promises to be the largest gaming festival on the planet.

As the only Indian content and esports org to have won at the prestigious Esports Awards, and with creators who continue to redefine the boundaries between competitive play and pop culture, S8UL is leading India’s global gaming revolution — and the Esports World Cup 2025 is just the next stop.

The post S8UL announces participation in five titles at Esports World Cup 2025: Chess, EAFC 25, Tekken 8, COD: Warzone, and Apex Legends appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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eSports

Galaxy Esports Becomes a Member of the Esports Integrity Commission

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2 days ago

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April 8, 2025

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Galaxy Esports Ltd has become a member of the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC). This new membership reflects Galaxy Esports’ commitment to safeguarding competitive integrity and promoting ethical standards in the esports industry.

By joining ESIC, Galaxy Esports reaffirms its dedication to fair play and professionalism by adopting the ESIC Integrity Program across its activities. Galaxy Esports joins an extensive list of the world’s largest esports stakeholders who rely on ESIC’s Integrity Programme for their competitive integrity and governance needs.

Stephen Hanna, Chief Executive Officer of ESIC, said: “We are pleased to welcome Galaxy Esports to the ESIC membership network. Galaxy’s proactive adoption of ESIC’s standards represent a positive step for the competitive integrity of their tournament offerings. We look forward to supporting their journey and working together to uphold the values of fairness and transparency in esports.”

Yurii Tereshchenko, CEO of Galaxy Esports, said: “Having been involved in esports for many years, I have witnessed its evolution and the increasing need for structured integrity frameworks. At a pivotal point in the industry’s growth, ESIC has emerged as a vital organization in establishing and upholding standards of fair play. We are proud to become a member of ESIC and view this as a significant milestone in Galaxy Esports’ development and our ongoing commitment to competitive integrity.”

The post Galaxy Esports Becomes a Member of the Esports Integrity Commission appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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