The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) announced the launch of ‘Music of EWC,’ a new initiative that will create an original musical identity for the Esports World Cup 2025, the world’s largest esports and gaming festival, set to return to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from July 7 through August 24. The multi-stage program kicked off on Sunday, April 27, with the recording of a four-track music suite at the legendary Abbey Road Studios featuring original compositions by acclaimed music development collectives 2WEI and Hollywood Scoring.

The EWCF now invites the global music community to take part in shaping the sound of the EWC 2025 through an open competition on Audiotool, a leading cloud-based music creation platform. Two winning tracks will be selected and added to the official EWC music suite, joining the professional works recorded at Abbey Road. The full soundtrack will be featured across tournament broadcasts, on-site events, and digital content during the seven-week event this summer. The inaugural EWC 2024 recorded over 250 million hours watched, reaching more than 500 million viewers and welcomed 2.6 million visitors to Riyadh’s Boulevard City.

“At its core, the Esports World Cup is about community – a global platform that connects people and elevates talent in all forms,” said Mike McCabe, Chief Operating Officer, Esports World Cup Foundation. “Music of EWC is a natural extension of that purpose, built on the same passion, creativity, and collaboration that define gaming and competition. Music and esports both bring people together, they let us feel the same rhythm, the same energy, wherever we are. With Music of EWC, we’re creating our own voice, sharing a universal language that tells the story of our sport and defines the role of esports in global culture.”

Studio One at Abbey Road, the birthplace of iconic albums for Pink Floyd, Adele and more; films such as Star Wars, Avengers: Endgame, Across The Spiderverse, and games such as Halo, Call of Duty, Final Fantasy, World of Warcraft, and more, hosted the initial recording session, bringing together two of gaming’s most respected music collaborators. 2WEI, known for producing some of the most popular anthems in League of Legends, and campaigns for Assassin’s Creed Shadows and Call of Duty, and Hollywood Scoring, recognized for its work on the Star Wars films, Riot Games’ Arcane, and Disney Parks, will each contribute two original tracks to anchor the suite.

“Music of EWC” marks the beginning of a long-term investment by EWCF in music as a universal language that elevates the storytelling, emotion, and drama of competition. By combining professionally recorded music at one of the most iconic studios in the world with community-created works, the EWCF is building a new platform that celebrates the evolving sound of esports and helps shape the cultural identity of the Esports World Cup.

In addition, to support emerging talent from across the globe, two winning tracks from the Audiotool competition will be selected by industry judges to join the suite and debut during the Esports World Cup this summer. The winners will also receive 25 limited-edition vinyls of their track and a one-year LANDR Studio subscription –an opportunity that could launch careers in gaming and entertainment. Submissions must be original, under a Creative Commons license, and are open until 8 June 2025 at ewc.audiotool.com.

“Partnering with the Esports World Cup, the world’s biggest esports and gaming festival, is a unique opportunity to spotlight new talent on a global stage,” said Andreas Jacobi, CEO of Audiotool. “Together with EWCF, we’re proud to help emerging artists bring their music into esports – a space that’s rapidly reshaping the future of entertainment – and share their work with a global audience as part of a cultural moment that connects creativity, community, and competition.”

The Esports World Cup 2025 will once again unite gaming and esports communities in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for a global competition that will crown the next Esports World Cup Club Champion. The tournament’s unique cross-game format will reward Clubs and players competing for a life-changing prize pool across a mix of platforms and genres, bringing together esports’ best teams, players and games under one banner in the largest-ever celebration of esports.

BETBY, the premium sportsbook supplier, has expanded its proprietary esports feed, BETBY Games, with the launch of two new e-sims inspired by some of the most popular titles in global gaming: FIFA’s Penalty Shootout and Mortal Kombat 11. With these additions, the BETBY Games portfolio now includes 16 titles, offering expanded betting opportunities for operators and players.

The latest releases further reinforce BETBY’s two core esports verticals — eSoccer and eFighting — and reflect the company’s ongoing commitment to delivering diverse and engaging betting content. The football-themed title introduces fast-paced gameplay, with each match lasting less than 3 minutes, and includes three leagues based on the World Cup, Spanish La Liga, and Brazilian Série A. Featuring over 15 betting markets in a classic format of 5 shots for each team, this addition brings 30,000 matches per month to the BETBY Games feed, all designed to run with low margins and high engagement.

The second release draws from the iconic world of arcade-style fighting games, offering dynamic player-versus-player action in a Best-of-3 (BO3) format with each match also taking less than 3 minutes. Featuring more than 15 markets and three ongoing tournaments — Elements and Forces, Power and Royalty, and Technology and Chaos — this title equals the football counterpart delivering another 30,000 monthly matches to the platform.

With these new launches, BETBY Games now boasts 70+ tournaments, 350+ betting markets, and supports over 300,000 live matches every month, cementing its position as one of the most comprehensive and high-frequency esports betting solutions in the industry.

Kirill Nekrasov, Head of Sportsbook Product at BETBY, commented: “The launch of these new titles showcases our commitment to evolving the BETBY Games offering and delivering esports content that resonates with players worldwide. By drawing inspiration from globally recognized franchises, we create products that are both familiar and optimized for high-frequency betting environments. This approach enables operators to expand their portfolios and gives players even more excitement and engagement.”

This launch follows the recent success of BETBY Games, which was awarded Best Esports Product 2025 at the SiGMA Americas Awards. This achievement underscores BETBY’s strategic focus on redefining the esports betting experience through unmatched flexibility, deep customization, and exceptional engagement for both operators and players.

Global esports organisation GIANTX has come away from Madrid with a landmark victory, outstanding performances, and the affection of thousands of fans, after the Spanish capital turned into the European hub for esports over the weekend. The LEC Roadtrip, hosted by Movistar KOI — the organisation led by Ibai Llanos — proved to be a resounding success in terms of attendance and organisation. GIANTX, with roots in London and Málaga, played a starring role. Only a narrow defeat against the hosts prevented a perfect weekend. Now, the focus shifts back to Berlin, where GIANTX will fight for a place in the playoffs of the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC), the continent’s premier esports league.

For the first time, the LEC temporarily moved its competition from Berlin to Madrid. The Spanish capital once again demonstrated the strength and passion of its esports community, particularly in League of Legends. Around 10,000 spectators filled the Madrid Arena over two days, witnessing four thrilling matches — all decided on the final map — alongside fan activities and community events. The success of the Roadtrip has reignited calls for more international esports events to be hosted in Spain.

GIANTX approached the weekend with two objectives: to improve their standings by securing key victories and to reaffirm their status as one of Europe’s most historic esports organisations, with more than 15 years of tradition and success. The support for GIANTX was immense, with fans travelling from across the country to gather in Madrid. While the team fell just short of a perfect weekend, they earned the respect and affection of the entire arena.

On the competitive front, GIANTX made a strong start by defeating G2 Esports, the historic powerhouse of European League of Legends. It was GIANTX’s first-ever victory over G2, following a tense three-map series that also played out heavily on social media. In the first game, Lot and Jackies led the charge with standout performances on Jax and Yone. Although GIANTX faltered in the second map after a promising early game, they pulled off an unforgettable comeback in the decisive third map, overcoming a formidable performance from G2’s superstar Caps.

Later on Sunday, GIANTX faced KOI in another fiercely contested series. After a standout performance with Tristana in the second game, GIANTX forced a third map but could not maintain their momentum. KOI, who had defeated Fnatic the day before, emerged victorious and closed out the weekend as Roadtrip champions. Fnatic, meanwhile, secured a win over G2 to salvage their weekend.

GIANTX proved itself a top-level contender at the Madrid Arena, but earlier inconsistencies during the Spring Split now weigh heavily in the standings. To qualify for the LEC playoffs, GIANTX must defeat Team BDS next weekend and Team Heretics the following one. The team currently holds a 2-5 record — results that do not fully reflect the positive performances seen in Madrid.