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Ninjas in Pyjamas wins Red Bull Home Ground open qualifier to earn a place in the Finals against the biggest VALORANT teams

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Ninjas in Pyjamas mount a thrilling comeback to emerge victorious in the Red Bull Home Ground open qualifier final and seal a place at the pro VALORANT invitational in London, November 4th-7th.

Battling through a field of 64 teams across three intense days of competition, the open qualifiers culminated in an epic Thursday night showdown between London United and Ninjas in Pyjamas, with the Stockholm-based team scraping a hard-won victory that seals a place in the star-studded Red Bull Home Ground Finals.

Streamed on The Goose House’s Twitch channel and casted by Ryan “RyanCentral” Horton and Vincent “Zescht” Talmon-Gros, the Final proved a gruelling series. London United scooped the first match, before a resurgent NIP returned the favour to set up a climactic deciding third round.

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Going to the wire in the best-of-three clash, fans also got to see new map Fracture in competitive action for one of the first ever times. With the stakes high and tensions higher, it was nearly impossible to separate the two teams during the early clashes in the third round, before Ninjas in Pyjamas eventually pulled away to earn an incredible comeback win, and secure a place at Red Bull Home Ground against the very best VALORANT teams in November.

Cementing the final spot for Red Bull Home Ground, Ninjas in Pyjamas completes the sixteen-team lineup that features many of the biggest VALORANT teams, including G2, Team Liquid, Gambit and Na’Vi.

 

The full lineup for Red Bull Home Ground is as follows:

  • G2 Esports
  • Team Liquid
  • Vodafone GIANTS
  • Tenstar
  • Acend
  • Futbolist
  • Fnatic
  • Supermassive
  • Heretics
  • Anubis
  • FPX
  • Gambit
  • BIG CLAN
  • BDS
  • Na’Vi
  • Ninjas in Pyjamas

Speaking about the team’s win, Ninjas in Pyjamas VALORANT Head Coach Emil “eMIL” Sandgren said: “The qualifier was tougher than expected, with a lot of underrated teams that deserve a lot of credit. That being said, we are happy to go through and will have to bring our A-game for the main event”

Red Bull Home Ground pitches teams in a riveting best of five battle, with the first two opening matches on each team’s chosen ‘home ground’. Added pressure is put on these opening home and away rounds, rewarding teams that can make the most of their home advantage and turn the tables on their opponent’s chosen map. If a team wins these two opening rounds they automatically win the tie, while a stalemate will then default to a best of five format.

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The competition pioneers a unique Home & Away structure that delivers an exciting twist to the normal VALORANT format, placing an even greater emphasis on map knowledge and strategy and a new layer of unpredictability to map picks.

Making the competition even more of a spectacle, renowned VALORANT host Yinsu Collins will be leading a lineup of talented broadcast pros bringing the Red Bull Home Ground experience to life throughout the London Finals.

Yinsu will be joined by two iconic pairs of casters, with Lauren “Pansy” Scott and Michael “hypoc” Robins teaming up once again to reignite their rapport after the VALORANT Champions Tour Stage 3 Masters in September, while Mitch “MitchMan” McBride and Tom “Tombizz” Bissmire will pair up to and lend their charismatic expertise.

 

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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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