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Team Vitality reveals CS:GO powerhouse and €50M talent investment

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Team Vitality continues its journey to European esports domination as it reveals it has signed dupreeh, magisk, and zonic to create one of the best CS:GO rosters in history as part of a €50M talent investment

Team Vitality is excited to share it is taking its CS:GO roster to the next level with the signing of Peter “dupreeh” Rasmussen, Emil “magisk” Reif, and Danny “zonic” Sørensen. The decorated trio join Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut, Dan “apEX” Madesclaire, and Kévin “misutaaa” Rabier to complete one of the strongest line-ups in CS:GO history. The new roster comes as part of a €50M investment from Rewired.gg spread over the next three years to create European super teams capable of winning the most coveted trophies in esports. The news follows the reveal of Team Vitality’s League of Legends roster, featuring World Champion finalist Luka “Perkz” Perković and back-to-back European Champion Matyáš “Carzzy” Orság.

Team Vitality’s CS:GO and League of Legends rosters represent a new era for the organisation as it aims to dominate European esports, bolstered by increased investment, unrivalled facilities and performance staff, and a strong leadership team from the sport and lifestyle industries. With a new laser focus on performance and securing the best international talent in esports, it is Team Vitality’s goal to conquer the biggest stages of them all by being the most serious contender at Worlds and Major on the three next years.

These gigantic rosters are represented in the “Watch us follow us” Team Vitality brand video in which CS: GO and League of Legends athletes become real Titans and gather to conquer the world. The video showcases Team Vitality’s ambitious objectives and performance goals which the organisation has created to take themselves to the next level.

As a legacy player, dupreeh is one of only five to have attended every CS:GO Major with titles secured at an impressive four tournaments including ELEAGUE Major: Atlanta 2017, FACEIT London Major 2018, IEM Katowice 2019, and StarLadder Major: Berlin 2019. magisk also joins Team Vitality with a long list of accolades including winning the prestigious Intel Grand Slam, a $1,000,000 prize awarded to teams who win a number of S-Tier events organised by ESL or DreamHack. Leading the helm, the most decorated coach in CS:GO history, zonic brings a wealth of experience, trophy wins, and expertise which is set to take Team Vitality to new heights.

This scale of talent investment has never been seen in esports before and I am honoured to be leading the charge with these rosters which have the potential to make history in Europe and beyond,” said, Fabien “Neo” Devide, Co-Founder and Esports Director, Team Vitality. “Since the beginning of our entrance into CS:GO, we have been working with intensity to get to the top and nurture some of the best talent France has to offer. It’s now time to think internationally and create a new CS:GO culture of European talent with legacy athletes. As proven winners, dupreeh, magisk & zonic have what it takes to move us from not just being a strong contender, but the best CS:GO team in the world.”

CS:GO has always been central to Team Vitality’s competitive ambitions with a long history of winning trophies and nurturing some of the biggest players in the space. Team Vitality is home to back-to-back HLTV Player of The Year and Forbes 30 under 30 honoree ZywOo. At only 21 years old, ZywOo is on track to mark the history of his sport and broke records by becoming the holder for the most MVP awards earned by a player during their first competitive year, securing five. With this new roster of experienced talent, Team Vitality is set to elevate ZywOo to earn another HLTV Player of The Year award and take his skills to unprecedented heights.

I couldn’t be more excited to have dupreeh, magisk, and zonic join the team. Together they have achieved so much and I know there is a lot both myself and the team can learn from them. I am so ready to show everyone how far this team can go!” said Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut.

Team Vitality’s new CS: GO roster will be composed of:

  • Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut, France, 21 years old
    • Two time, and current,  HLTV best player in the world
  • Kevin “Misutaaa” Rabier, France, 18 years old
    • Blast Premier Fall 2020 winner as a rookie
  • Dan “apEX” Madesclaire, France, 28 years old
    • Captain and 2015 Major winner
  • Peter “dupreeh” Rothmann Rasmussen, Denmark, 26 years old
    • 4 time Major winner and Intel GrandSlam Winner
  • Emil “magisk” Hoffmann Reif, Denmark, 23 years old
    • Major MVP,  3 time Major winner and Intel GrandSlam Winner

 

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eSports

GIANTX wins Madrid’s heart during a historic weekend for European esports

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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.

The post GIANTX wins Madrid’s heart during a historic weekend for European esports appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Daily Fantasy Sports

Assessing the esports DFS opportunity in the US

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Oliver Niner, Head of B2B says that DFS remains a compelling vertical with huge growth potential especially if operators expand their offering into esports

The roll out of legal online and mobile sports betting across US states has presented a significant opportunity for operators, but the market has proved harder to crack than many anticipated.

The cost of customer acquisition is skyrocketing, building brand equity is taking much longer than expected, and there’s been a slowdown in new states embracing regulation and licensing.

This has led to a run of operators exiting the market as the numbers simply don’t add up.

But while this is happening, the daily fantasy sports space continues to thrive and remains a compelling opportunity for operators.

DFS has a unique legal standing in many states where sports betting is still restricted, allowing operators to reach audiences they otherwise couldn’t.

It also fosters deeper engagement with those who play – players aren’t just betting on outcomes; they’re actively managing lineups and pitting their knowledge and skills against others.

This is the perfect combination for retention and loyalty – something sportsbooks struggle to achieve with players easily swayed to join another brand simply because of a generous free bets offer.

There’s also an untapped opportunity in bringing the worlds of esports and daily fantasy sports together, allowing operators to connect with an entirely new audience.

Until now, traditional DFS brands have focused on the major sports, but the younger, digital-native audiences are more interested in esports such as CS2 and LoL than the NFL.

 

Why the DFS model works:

Before discussing how operators can get in on the esports DFS action, it’s important to understand why the DFS model works so well in the US, especially for those looking to diversify their offering.

The first is regulatory accessibility. DFS is legal in more states than traditional sports betting, allowing operators to enter markets where sportsbook licensing is unavailable or complex.

DFS has much lower acquisition costs while serving as a gateway to paid gaming. It often attracts a younger, more engaged audience at a lower CPA compared to traditional sports betting.

Strong user retention is another upside. Unlike one-off bets, DFS players return regularly to manage lineups, track stats and compete in contests, driving retention rates way beyond sports betting.

It’s also esports ready. Esports fans are highly engaged with player performance stats, making DFS a natural fit. It can then serve as an introduction to real-money esports betting when regulations allow.

 

The esports DFS opportunity to be explored:

DFS is an established and thriving vertical and while some operators offer esports within their proposition, it often lacks depth, innovation and mainstream adoption.

Esports fans are naturally engaged with stats, player performance metrics and in-game analytics, so easily segue into the DFS format.

Titles like LoL, CS2, Dota 2 and Valorant offer rich data sets that allow for creative and competitive fantasy formats, but most operators are yet to really get into it.

This leaves a major gap in the market and a huge opportunity for those who put together a compelling esports DFS product, especially as the popularity of esports betting grows.

 

What a compelling esports DFS product looks like:

The foundation of any esports DFS product is reliable, real-time data and the ability to provide a range of engaging contest formats.

This is where companies such as PandaScore come in. We provide operators with comprehensive esports data including player and team stats across all the major disciplines.

We supplement this with accurate odds and DFS pricing models, helping operators to set accurate and competitive odds – both our data and odds feeds are integrated seamlessly via API.

We also provide unrivalled market expertise; the team has years of experience powering esports betting which we leverage to ensure our partners can succeed with esports DFS.

In addition to markets and odds, players need to be able to access deep performance metrics so they can make informed decisions.

It’s also important for the operator to provide a smooth and intuitive experience via a seamless UX and mobile first approach to site and app navigation.

The diversity of the contests offered needs to be considered, too. This includes classic salary cap formats as well as pick’em games and more.

It goes without saying that social interaction needs to be baked into the experience through features such as leaderboards, private leagues and head-to-head challenges.

 

Operators need to get ahead in a rapidly evolving market:

The US sports betting and iCasino market is fast moving with the landscape constantly changing – just look at the conversation around sweepstakes casinos.

For me, DFS and especially esports DFS remain an underutilised growth channel that operators need to take advantage of.

As esports betting gains traction – PandaScore recently surpassed €1bn in bets through its platform – DFS serves as a vital entry point through which operators can build brand recognition and engage a digital-first audience primed and ready to play.

This audience might not be familiar with real-money betting today, but by providing them with an experience they are familiar and comfortable with, they can become the bettors of tomorrow.

At PandaScore, we are here to help operators capitalise on this opportunity with best-in-class data, pricing models and strategic support.

For operators, this means the numbers will always add up when it comes to esports daily fantasy sports.

The post Assessing the esports DFS opportunity in the US appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.

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Asia

Hero Esports Announces Venues for ACL Grand Finals 2025

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Hero Esports, an industry leader and the largest esports company in Asia, has announced its championship venues for the Asian Champions League (ACL) Grand Finals 2025 taking place May 16-18 in Shanghai. The landmark event will transform three of the city’s most iconic venues into battlegrounds for nine premier esports titles, cementing Shanghai’s status as the global esports capital.

The tournament is expected to attract 80,000+ live attendees across three venues, with global broadcasts reaching millions via Twitch, YouTube and TikTok. Participating teams will be competing for a total prize pool of $2 million. Selected ACL winners will earn direct entry to the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia—the largest esports event in history due to take place from July to August.

“Shanghai’s selection as our host city reflects its unmatched esports infrastructure and passionate community. By combining elite competition with DreamHack’s festival energy, we’re creating a new blueprint for global esports events,” said Jonny Wang, CEO of ACL.

“This is Hero Esports’ most ambitious project to date. The ACL bridges Asian talents with the world stage while delivering unforgettable fan experiences through cutting-edge production,” said Danny Tang, Co-Founder & CEO of Hero Esports.

The post Hero Esports Announces Venues for ACL Grand Finals 2025 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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