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EXCEL ESPORTS recruits FC Schalke 04 Esports’ Tim Reichert as new Esports Director

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Reichert brings over 20+ years of extensive experience across esports and sports performance management marking EXCEL ESPORTS’ commitment to the competitive success of all of its rosters.

British competitive gaming culture brand EXCEL ESPORTS is pleased to announce Tim Reichert has been appointed as its new Esports Director as the brand looks to elevate its competitive ambitions. A true industry heavyweight Tim joins EXCEL following over five years at German-based esports organisation, FC Schalke 04 Esports, where he oversaw the successful growth and development of its esports rosters.

Tim burst onto the esports scene in 1997 after co-founding esports organisation SK Gaming alongside his brothers, Ralf and Benjamin Reichert. SK Gaming has gone on to become a European powerhouse creating lasting legacies in multiple gaming titles. Tim then turned to his second passion in life, sports, where he became a professional footballer playing for the likes of Rot-Weiss Oberhausen. After nine successful years in football, Tim completed a five-year stint as a client consultant at the biggest media company in Germany, Mediacom & GroupM.

In his most recent role, Tim utilised his knowledge and experience from esports and traditional sports to become Head of Esports at FC Schalke 04 Esports. During his time at the organisation, Tim oversaw the success of its League of Legends team’s which included five appearances in the prestigious League of Legends European Championship playoffs and top place final finishes in 2018 and 2019.

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As Esports Director Tim will focus on driving the overall success strategy across all of EXCEL’s competitive rosters and talent. This includes ensuring the players mental and physical health, education, data, personal development, living conditions and access to top tier training facilities are at the forefront of importance.

The appointment of Tim follows the recent growth of EXCEL’s competitive rosters, the expansion of its talent and leadership team as well as a successful €20M investment round. EXCEL recently completed the biggest FIFA transfer ever, signing FIFA professional Tom ‘Tom’ Leese. The growth signifies EXCEL’s commitment and ambitions to field players in the biggest and best esports in the world.

Tim Reichert, Esports Director at EXCEL ESPORTS comments: “I am excited to be joining the EXCEL team as the new Esports Director bringing extensive experience from two top tier esports organisations. EXCEL’s unique positioning as one of the strongest economies in Europe with its strong management team and support network makes it very well prepared for the future and the opportunities to recruit top tier talent are endless. I believe EXCEL’s leadership team and I share a similar competitive vision and I look forward to ensuring EXCEL continues to strive forward and develop its players to compete on the biggest stages in the world.”

Wouter Sleijffers, CEO of EXCEL ESPORTS comments: “We are absolutely thrilled to have Tim joining EXCEL’s senior management team. Whilst EXCEL ESPORTS is rapidly expanding to become a global force out of Britain, clearly, we need to level up to compete with the world’s best. Tim brings a wealth of experience across both esports and sports industries, and we believe Tim is the perfect person to take us to the global top and support our competitive talent in their careers. With all that Tim has to bring, I look forward to working with him to build on our continued success.”

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GIANTX unveils its team for the Spanish Superliga of League of Legends

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The global esports organization GIANTX has officially presented the roster for its League of Legends Superliga team, the most prestigious esports competition in Spain, organized by the LVP. The roster includes Feisty (midlaner) and Aetinoth (ADC), who continue for another year after establishing themselves as key players for the organization, and newcomers Badlulu (toplaner), Ferret (jungler), and Lospa (support).

The team, known as GIANTX Pride, will be led by Fearless, a veteran coach who has already won three Superliga titles with GIANTX. After previous stints with teams like Guasones and Rebels, Fearless returns to lead this young and promising roster as they pursue the organization’s long-awaited eighth Superliga trophy, with the season set to begin in January 2025.

The roster was revealed during an event at the Home of GIANTX in Málaga, attended by over 150 fans and supported by Opel, the team’s main partner in the Superliga. The event featured activities, giveaways, and a showmatch against Barça Esports, where fans got a first glimpse of the team in action.

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Feisty (South Korea, 2003) and Aetinoth (Turkey, 2005) return for another year, having gained recognition as rising talents with potential for the LEC, Europe’s premier competition in which GIANTX also competes. Badlulu (France, 2002), with prior experience in the Superliga at CASE Esports, joins as the toplaner. Ferret (Turkey, 2001), a promising jungler from the Turkish scene, comes from FUT, while Lospa (South Korea, 2002), a former Iberian Cup champion, joins as support after training in Gen.G Academy.

GIANTX Pride is the most decorated organization in Superliga LVP history, with seven titles to its name. The last victory came in the summer of 2021, and the team is determined to add the elusive eighth trophy to its collection. The Superliga for 2025 will feature ten teams, including Barça Esports, Guasones, Los Heretics, LUA Gaming, Movistar KOI, Ramboot Club, UCAM Esports, VENI VIDI VICI, and ZETA, competing across three splits—winter, spring, and summer.

The LVP, part of Grupo Mediapro, has introduced changes to the Superliga’s format for 2025. The updated calendar will be released soon, setting the stage for another thrilling season.

The post GIANTX unveils its team for the Spanish Superliga of League of Legends appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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GRID Joins IBIA as an Associate Member, Strengthening Esports Integrity

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GRID, an esports data platform, has officially joined the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) as a first esports-focused Associate Member. This collaboration signifies a pivotal moment for esports integrity, aligning GRID with IBIA and its globally recognized integrity-focused members, who monitor over $300bn in sports bets per annum and have a growing focus on esports betting.

With this partnership, GRID and IBIA are committed to collaboratively addressing any integrity issues in esports, fostering trust across stakeholders, and setting a benchmark for excellence in the ecosystem. GRID has been a certified member of IBIA’s Data Standards program since 2022, actively contributing to the development of tailored esports integrity protocols. This membership further underscores GRID’s dedication to transparency and collaboration in combating betting-related corruption within esports.

Since 2018, GRID has operated an internal integrity department pioneering official data-driven solutions for esports. This makes GRID one of the first companies to monitor tournament and data integrity in the competitive sports sector and actively flag and report suspicious behavior, enabling it to collect a large database of integrity reports and insights.

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IBIA is a not-for-profit body that protects regulated sports betting markets from match-fixing. It represents over 50 of the world’s leading betting companies which operate over 125 sports betting brands. IBIA’s global monitoring network is a highly effective anti-corruption tool, detecting and reporting suspicious activity in regulated betting markets using transactional activity linked to individual customer accounts.

Under the partnership, GRID and IBIA will share information relating to suspicious esports betting and potential match manipulation from their respective monitoring and intelligence platforms. IBIA members will also benefit from free access to wider integrity-focused resources supplied by GRID.

Moritz Maurer, CEO of GRID, commented: “Integrity is at the heart of GRID’s mission. By joining IBIA as an Associate Member, we are taking a definitive step toward establishing esports as a trusted and credible industry. This partnership enables us to further our efforts in promoting transparency, reducing risks associated with esports betting, and strengthening operational practices across the ecosystem.’’

Khalid Ali, CEO of IBIA, said: “We are delighted to welcome GRID as an Associate Member of IBIA. This partnership is a landmark for the esports sector and reflects our commitment to expanding our integrity initiatives into new markets. GRID’s expertise in esports data monitoring and integrity standards is an invaluable asset in our shared mission to combat betting corruption globally.”

 

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ComeOn Group and Astralis unite to drive esports engagement in the Nordics

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ComeOn Group announced a sponsorship partnership between its flagship brand ComeOn! and Denmark based Astralis, one of the most esteemed esports organisations globally. As a global leader in esports, Astralis is providing a vibrant and engaging esports experience that is aligned with ComeOn!’s brand experience and is further enhanced by its focus in providing a leading esports betting destination.

As the official sponsor of Astralis, ComeOn! will be prominently featured across all of their platforms, including social media, team events, and competitive gaming content, boosting their brand exposure in key global markets with a focus on the Nordics. ComeOn! is already known as a vibrant brand in the Nordics and with the increased brand visibility it will be put at the heart of the fast-growing esports scene.

ComeOn Group continues to invest in its Sportsbook product experience that is powered by its proprietary sportsbook platform, where esports holds an important strategic market opportunity with its ever growing demand.

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Juergen Reutter, Chief Executive Officer at ComeOn Group, said: “We are very excited to team up with Astralis as this collaboration not only allows us to showcase our innovative Sportsbook platform but also strengthens our ties to the esports community. This partnership is very much in the heart of one of the fastest growing betting markets globally. Esports has seen great demand by our audiences, and we want to provide the best betting experience for our customers. This partnership is also a testament to our localisation and personalisation focus and by working together with Astralis, we can deliver unique experiences that resonate with our players and elevate the entertainment experience around competitive gaming.”

Mads Rasmussen, Commercial Director at Astralis, said: ”We are proud to present ComeOn Group as our new global partner. This partnership holds great significance for Astralis both as an organization and as a business, and we look forward to bringing the agreement to life, benefiting the vast majority of our fanbase – who are adults. We have undergone a long and very positive process with ComeOn, and the fact that they are European-based with licenses in all our key markets, including Denmark, has been a decisive factor in our decision. Astralis fans, both in Denmark and internationally, can look forward to an innovative new digital activation, which promises to deliver an exciting and engaging experience.”

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