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Lavazza with Fnatic to debut into the esports industry with the “Icons of Italy” Campaign

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Lavazza enters the world of esports with purpose-driven, interactive in-game experience that celebrates coffee and the Italian spirit.   

Lavazza and Fnatic, the leading global esports organisation, today announced a partnership to launch the “Icons of Italy” Campaign that brings a custom, co-branded map to the Fortnite game. This first-of-its-kind collaboration marks Lavazza’s innovative entrance into the esports industry in an engaging, unique and disruptive way.

The campaign features professional Fortnite player and streamer, POW3R, telling the lifestyle journey of Lavazza and Fnatic through an interactive in-game experience. Players engage through a custom map called “Icons of Italy” that begins at POW3R’s mansion and where they’ll compete to complete the course as fast as possible.

The timed map is presented to the player as a true experiential journey through Italian culture, symbolically represented by coffee-themed customisation and references to the Lavazza A Modo Mio brand. What makes it truly representative are the Lavazza headquarters in Turin, the Nuvola signed by architect Cino Zucchi, and symbols of Italian cultural heritage such as the Colosseum. The map will have two additional levels added over time. Players will then submit their best runs by posting videos using the hashtag #IconsofItaly and tagging Lavazza, POW3R and Fnatic on Instagram or Twitter.

“We are delighted to announce this collaboration with Fnatic because it represents an important debut for Lavazza in a sector that is experiencing considerable growth, and we could not have hoped for a better partner”, said Carlo Colpo, Group Marketing Communication Director and Brand Home Director. “Esports and gaming is an interesting, challenging world, perfectly in line with the brand’s desire to relate to young people through tools and languages that are more appropriate to them”.

“Fnatic and Lavazza share the same values including a strong sense of heritage, a passion for work ethic and an unrelenting drive to be the best,” said Craig Santicchia, Partner Development Director, Fnatic. “This partnership is a taste of what’s to come from our two brands as we continue pushing boundaries and activating inside the most relevant platforms for Gen Z. Helping Lavazza enter the industry in a fun, disruptive way via these digital experiences shows that the only limitation is our imagination.”

The first prize winner with the fastest time will win a digital meet and greet with POW3R held via Zoom, along with a bunch of co-branded products. The second and third prize winners will receive the co-branded products and Fnatic Gear.

Looking ahead, this partnership will culminate in a two-part documentary that chronicles POW3R’s rise to professional esports stardom, merging the cinematic world with gaming. The documentary will uncover how he, with the support of Fnatic and Lavazza, transformed the Italian market to make gaming a part of mainstream culture. The documentary will be available on December 16 on Fnatic’s Youtube channel.

POW3R will officially kick off the “Icons of Italy” campaign tomorrow, November 11th, live streaming his first run on the custom co-branded Fortnite map via Twitch.

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PlayVS Announces Multi-year Partnership with Zenni Optical

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PlayVS, the leading esports platform in North America, announced a multi-year partnership with Zenni Optical, the world’s leading online eyewear retailer. This partnership establishes Zenni as the official eyewear partner of PlayVS, bringing exclusive benefits to PlayVS’ esports community.

As part of this collaboration, Zenni will serve as the official eyewear partner of the PlayVS Cup, the annual national esports championship for high school students. The Cup provides top scholastic esports teams from across the country with an opportunity to compete for a national title and earn recognition and awards, including college scholarships. Zenni’s partnership will help power scholarship prizes for Cup finalists, furthering PlayVS’ dedication to empowering students and supporting their educational and athletic ambitions. These scholarships not only aid with alleviating financial strain, but also highlight esports as a viable pathway to academic and professional success.

Zenni’s eyewear will also be included in the prize packages that PlayVS Cup champions and PlayVS Awards winners receive, providing students with high quality eyewear to complement their gaming performance. Additionally, Zenni will offer members of the PlayVS community exclusive discounts on eyewear.

“We are excited to partner with PlayVS and expand our ongoing support of the gaming and esports community. Empowering a dedicated high school esports program that not only will generate awareness around the importance of eye health to a new generation of gamers but also support their academic pursuits is such an amazing opportunity for Zenni to partner with,” said Robb Chiarini, Head of Partnerships, Licensing, & Events at Zenni Optical.

Through this partnership, Zenni will also be integrated into PlayVS’ content series, Road to the PlayVS Cup, a set of videos showcasing different esports programs across the nation as they compete to earn a spot in the PlayVS Cup.

“Partnering with Zenni is a natural fit for us as we continue to grow the high school esports community. Zenni shares our commitment to supporting students in both esports and academics. By joining forces with Zenni, we’re empowering students with scholarships and enabling them to partake in healthy competition to foster their esports careers. We’re excited to work together and bring Zenni’s eyewear to our community of gamers,” said Jon Chapman, CEO of PlayVS.

The post PlayVS Announces Multi-year Partnership with Zenni Optical appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.

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Genius Sports Signs Partnerships with Bayes Esports and GRID

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Genius Sports Limited has signed new partnerships with Bayes Esports and GRID Esports (GRID) to provide sportsbooks with the highest-quality official esports offering.

GRID, as the only game data platform directly working with the game publishers will provide Genius Sports with exclusive access to official live esports data from League of Legends, and VALORANT, the fastest-growing betting esports title, alongside Ubisoft’s Rainbow Six data, and a robust portfolio of CS2 and Dota2 data from the global tournaments by BLAST and Champion of Champions.

Genius Sports’ sportsbook partners will also be able to access official streaming and data visualizations powered by official GRID data.

Bayes Esports is helping power Genius Sports’ esports offering with its highly granular Live Match Data. As the exclusive data partner of key esports tournament organisers such as ESL FACEIT Group, Bayes Esports covers the majority of official live data for Counter-Strike 2 and Dota 2 esports, which brings in some of the highest revenue for sportsbooks.

Genius Sports will further enhance its offering with Bayes Esports’ data product suite, including low-latency video and live data-powered widgets. Select Genius Sports products will be available through Bayes Esports’ distribution in return.

Going forward, Genius Sports will provide sportsbooks worldwide with an end-to-end esports trading product across pre-match and in-play, powered by ultra low-latency data to guarantee sharp odds and maximum market uptime. Through this product, sportsbooks can unlock new revenues by reaching a highly engaged audience with high-octane, year-round content.

“We are thrilled to announce these new partnerships with Bayes and GRID, two leaders in their field, to create an unrivalled esports content suite for our sportsbook partners. As the new home of esports for sportsbooks, we will provide our partners with the highest-quality data and odds on the most prestigious titles in the sport,” said Matt Stephenson, Global Partnerships Director at Genius Sports.

The post Genius Sports Signs Partnerships with Bayes Esports and GRID appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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DACH CS Joins as Member of Esports Integrity Commission

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The Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) has announced that DACH CS GmbH (DACH CS), a tournament organiser seeking to revitalise competitive Counter-Strike in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, has officially joined ESIC membership.

By joining ESIC, DACH CS commits to upholding the highest standards of competitive integrity. The membership requires the league to implement ESIC’s Integrity Programme across all of its tournaments, tackling key issues such as match-fixing, cheating, and doping, fostering a culture of fair play within the region.

As an ESIC member, DACH CS will integrate ESIC’s codes of conduct, actively cooperate in investigations, and enforce ESIC’s rulings. This commitment aligns DACH CS with global best practices, ensuring that the DACH Counter-Strike esports scene operates with a proven integrity framework.

Stephen Hanna, Chief Executive Officer of ESIC, said: “DACH CS’s dedication to rebuilding and strengthening the competitive Counter-Strike scene in the DACH region makes them a valuable addition to ESIC’s growing membership. Their commitment to competitive integrity and fair competition aligns perfectly with our mission to safeguard esports. We look forward to working closely with them to support a sustainable and transparent ecosystem for players, teams, and stakeholders in the region.”

Anton Christoph, Founder & Managing Director of DACH CS, said: “At DACH CS, we’re on a mission to take the Counter-Strike Scene in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland to old and new heights! We’re super excited to be joining forces with ESIC, as we’re confident that this is a vital step in keeping our community’s most prized values at the heart of our operations. By teaming up with ESIC and aligning with their globally recognised integrity standards, we’re making a promise to you, our players, teams and stakeholders, to provide a competitive environment that’s both trusted and well-structured. We are excited to work closely with ESIC to build a sustainable and respected esports landscape in the DACH region.”

The post DACH CS Joins as Member of Esports Integrity Commission appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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