Allied Esports, a global esports entertainment company and a subsidiary of Allied Esports Entertainment, Inc., has been selected by the American Red Cross to produce its inaugural Rescue Royale charity esports tournament and streaming event to engage the gaming community in giving back to help people impacted by disasters of all sizes.

“Disasters impact a tremendous amount of people around the country every day and the American Red Cross is the first name you think of when it comes to helping people in need,” said Jud Hannigan, CEO of Allied Esports. “As gaming and esports have gained mainstream popularity, especially since the onset of the pandemic, people have come to learn how incredibly aware and giving the gaming community can be. We are honored and excited to work with the Red Cross on this important initiative.”

Gamers and streamers can now register for the month-long stream-a-thon and fundraise on Tiltify by starting their own Rescue Royale Disaster Relief charity stream on their favorite platform. Individuals can also register to compete in the Rescue Royale Fall Guys Tournament. The top 20 qualifiers will win a free weekend trip to play live in the finals at HyperX Esports Arena Las Vegas on October 16. Qualifiers can also participate virtually, if needed. Either with a solo campaign or alongside a squad of friends, gamers can fundraise and compete for special prizes and giveaways. Visit Redcross.org/rescue-royale and follow @RedCrossGaming to learn more and to register to compete.

“We are thrilled to launch our first Rescue Royale esports tournament, which offers a unique opportunity to provide lifechanging aid to people impacted by crises across the country,” said Nathan Groce, director, Consumer Fundraising at the American Red Cross. “Every day we see the heartbreak and devastation disasters inflict, and we need the gaming community to get into the game and come to the rescue of those in need.”

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By joining as a Rescue Royale fundraiser, gamers will also have access to CrowdControl. This optional tool for their charity stream can help gamers hit their fundraising goals by encouraging their supporters to sabotage their live gameplay with their donations as they stream.

Donations made between September 9 to October 16 through the stream-a-thon, tournament and finals will support Red Cross Disaster Relief which helps people affected by disasters like wildfires, floods, and countless other crises. These gifts enable the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small.

The Red Cross responds to more than 60,000 disasters across the country every year, providing shelter, food, relief supplies and emotional support to people in need. Last year, on top of the coronavirus pandemic, disasters overwhelmed families who spent more nights in emergency lodging in 2020 — nearly 1.5 million — than any other year over the past decade.

Allied Esports and NASCAR announced an event tour that will bring gaming activations to racing fans in 2021.

The Allied Esports Truck, North America’s first and only 18-wheel gaming truck, will make seven stops at NASCAR Cup Series race Midways and Fan Zones starting August 6-8 at Go Bowling at the Glen in Watkins Glen, New York and concluding November 7 at the NASCAR Cup Series Championship in Phoenix, Arizona.

The 80-foot, 35-ton mobile gaming arena, which includes a main stage, caster booth, roof deck, and full production capabilities, will host gameplay featuring Rocket League and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, as well as iRacing on simulators. Participating fans will have the chance to play for prizes and giveaways throughout each weekend activation. On select dates, fans will also have the first opportunity to get their hands on a limited demo of the new NASCAR 21 video game from Motorsport Games.

The Allied Esports Truck made its sporting event debut at the 2018 DAYTONA 500. Since then, the popular mobile competition arena has been a regular attraction at some of the biggest gaming, sports, entertainment, and consumer events, including Super Bowl LIII, CES, DreamHack, WonderCon, KAABOO, E3, VidCon, and Posty Fest.

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“The integration of gaming into major sporting events is a family focused, entertaining way to attract new audiences and brands. The Allied Esports Truck shines a spotlight on gamers and the communities they live in, and we are thrilled to partner with NASCAR to bring racing and gaming fans across the country a new race weekend experience,” Jud Hannigan, CEO of Allied Esports, said.

“Gaming has had a massive impact on the world of NASCAR over the past year and a half – to the point where it is now undeniably part of the sport’s DNA in the digital age. With that in mind, as fans across the nation return to our race tracks this summer and fall, we believe it’s crucial that gaming plays a central role in that on-site NASCAR experience – and Allied Esports is helping us accomplish that in a truly unique way,” Nick Rend, managing director of gaming at NASCAR, said.

Allied Esports has partnered with Xsens, a global leader in inertial motion capture products, to bring live animated casters to a professional esports tournament production for the first time.

Through the use of Xsens’ MVN motion capture systems, Allied Esports will transform its tournament casters into animated characters. The exclusively designed live motion avatars will provide fans with a fun and engaging viewing experience specific to the game being played, and create unique, innovative opportunities for brand and product integration.

“As gaming and esports viewership continues to grow, we need to push the boundaries of competitive content to provide new and engaging viewing experiences for our audiences and partners. We’re thrilled to make history again with the Legend Series and use Xsens’ innovative motion capture animation technology to create a first-of-its-kind broadcast experience in esports,” Jud Hannigan, CEO of Allied Esports, said.

“Allied Esports is taking live esports broadcasting to the next level by adding live animated casters to the tournaments. This is very challenging, and in such a demanding technical environment, Xsens is the only solution to give a reliable performance,” Rob Löring, Business Director at Xsens, said.

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The three-day, €5000, winner-take-all CS:GO Legend Series tournament, featuring teams Apeks, Club Brugge, Nexus and NLG, will be produced out of Allied Esports’ AE Studios in Hamburg, Germany from April 10-12 and be live-streamed on Allied Esports’ North American and European Twitch channels. Inside the motion capture suits will be casters Robert Jan Kortooms (@RJcasts) and Thiadrik Oldersma (@Toldersma), who will inject their personalities and CS:GO expertise into the animated characters and tournament broadcast.