Asia
Underdog Teams GOG Esports and Dragon Esports Set for a big leap as they seal a berth for ESPL 2 LAN Finals
In its bid to give promising gamers a chance to showcase their skills on a national platform, the second edition of the Esports Premier League organized the Underdog Phase, where Team GOG Esports and Dragon Esports put up a stellar display of talent to conquer the open qualifiers. Both teams finished in the top two positions with their dominant performances in the open qualifiers.
ESports Premier League envisioned this “Underdog Phase” to ensure that non-established BGMI Esports players and teams from across the country get an opportunity to show their talent and ability. This will be for the first time such an initiative was taken to give opportunity for the Underdogs only via open qualifiers.
Led by Manish Jangid, team GOG Esports topped the chart with a total tally of 142 points (Finish Points – 52 + Position Points – 90) while Team Dragon Esports led by Ritik Rawat finished second with 130 points (Finish Points – 70 + Position Points – 60). Both teams registered one WWCD (Winner Winner Chicken Dinner) each to their name too.
GOG Esports played their first major tournament during BMPS (Battleground Mobile Pro Series) and finished that mega event with the 21st rank. Buoyed by other talented members in Nick, Bullet, and Trex, the team is currently prepping for the mega final in a Boot Camp in Bhopal. The whole team is practicing for about 13 to 14 hours daily to give a tough competition to the best teams during the grand finals of the ESPL Season 2.
The team is excited to play in their first ever major LAN event as Manish Jangid, the team leader for GOG Esports added, “This moment gives me a sense of accomplishment and honor that our team’s diligence and commitment finally paid off. We are grinding really hard together at our bootcamp and are really excited as this will be our first LAN event. The open qualifier was an eye-opener as multiple underdog teams were playing like pros and I am sure all other teams learned a lot and will continue their grid in the upcoming events.”
Team Dragon Esports leader Ritik, son of a retired army officer opted out of education after 12th to pursue a career in gaming. His journey began in 2018 with PUBG. With Sanket Salam, Krishna Sharma, and Ashish Singh, Rawat formed the team Dragon Esports which is his third esports team. The 22-year-old also participated in the PMCO Open qualifiers 2019. He also joined NADE gaming in 2020 and now the Dehradun-based gamer is focused on the upcoming LAN event in Delhi.
Speaking on the success and response of the Open Qualifiers, ESPL director Vishwalok Nath noted, “We have seen multiple tournaments only catering to top teams on an invitational basis, and opportunities for underdog teams are very less in regards to bigger platforms. So, to give equal opportunity to all the teams, we conducted open qualifiers for underdog teams across the country to give them a bigger platform to perform. The Underdog phase was one of its kind, as it provided budding gamers with a promise to get a chance to showcase their skills on a national platform. Both the teams that won thoroughly deserve their success. Now, these teams will get a chance to put their skills and strategies to test against the top names in BGMI Esports. Who knows, we may get our new BGMI heroes out of these two underdog teams.”
This year’s league which carries a massive prize pool of Rs. 1 crore is set to engage esports athletes across the country in a high-voltage action of the most popular battle royale game, BATTLEGROUNDS MOBILE INDIA.
The league is being played in two separate stages in the initial phase — online qualifiers and invitational qualifiers — to shortlist the top 16 teams. ESPL has already got their 2 top Underdog teams from online qualifiers. The invitational qualifiers are being played in two phases; the first phase will select top 5 teams whereas in the second phase, 8 top teams will be chosen from the leaderboard. The finals will also witness one direct invited team competing and vying for the title.
Recently, ESports Premier League (ESPL) extended its association with youth icon and renowned Bollywood actor Tiger Shroff as the face of India’s first-ever franchise-based Esports league for the second consecutive year. India Today Gaming has also roped the Global smartphone brand, TECNO Mobile as Presenting Sponsor for the tournament. The smartphone maker is committed to supporting and helping aspiring underdog esports players with its gaming-focused smartphones like the latest, Tecno Pova 3. Esports fans can also watch the BGMI action live on India’s leading streaming platform, LOCO, the exclusive digital broadcast partner for ESPL Season 2. The tournament organizer has also signed Ishq FM as the exclusive radio partner for the ongoing tournament.
Building on 15 years of success, G2E Asia + Asian IR Expo is set to make its highly anticipated return to Macau from May 7-9, 2025, at The Venetian Macao.
The 2025 show will introduce a range of new initiatives, including 100 exclusive product launches debuting in Asia for the first time. These will be showcased across more than 30,000 sqm and will cover the full spectrum of the entertainment and travel industries.
The leading event in Asia is expected to attract over 10,000 visitors from 80 countries and regions. To maximise opportunities for attendees, the event will feature a series of high-impact networking sessions, along with a dedicated business matchmaking team coordinating over 400 pre-arranged meetings to streamline connections.
This year’s show will also introduce the new Gaming Innovation Forum, featuring three full days of sessions that will dive into the latest gaming trends and technologies, all presented by G2E Asia Awards winners and nominees. Located in the exhibition hall, the forum will be accessible to all event attendees.
The G2E Asia Awards celebrates excellence and innovation within the gaming and entertainment industry. The awards will spotlight five prestigious categories, each evaluated by a panel of renowned industry leaders: Best Slot Award, Best Electronic Table Game Award, Best Table Game Award, Best Casino Supply Award and Best IR Tech Solution Award. All award-winning products will be prominently displayed in the exhibition, giving attendees the opportunity to experience them firsthand.
The expanded Asian IR Expo will feature a new Smart Hospitality Technology Experience Zone, offering an immersive and interactive onsite experience. This space will showcase emerging innovations across three unique areas: Smart Reception, Smart Cleaning and Smart Hospitality, each providing guided tours and live demonstrations.
The post 100 Exclusive Product Launches to Debut at G2E Asia + Asian IR Expo appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
DigiPlus Interactive Corp. (DigiPlus) has won seven honours – including five coveted gold awards – at the 2025 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards. This milestone places DigiPlus among the most awarded companies in the region this year, spotlighting its strategic growth and transformative impact across digital entertainment, social development and investor relations.
The Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards are the only business awards Programme that recognises innovation across all 29 markets in the region. Widely regarded as the world’s premier business awards, the Stevie Awards represent a prestigious recognition of business excellence.
DigiPlus bagged five Gold Stevies for ‘Innovative Achievement in Growth’, ‘Innovation in Investor Relations’, ‘Excellence in Social Impact Companies’, ‘Innovation in Annual Reports’ and ‘Innovation in Corporate Websites’. The company also clinched Silver and Bronze Stevies for ‘Achievement in Product Innovation’ and ‘Innovation in Brand Renovation’ respectively.
At the core of these wins is DigiPlus’ commitment to innovation and digital transformation. From redefining the player experience through localised and immersive content, to launching a refreshed brand identity that resonates with a more connected and tech-savvy user base, DigiPlus has embraced a future-forward mindset. The company’s calculated investments in big data, cutting-edge technologies and stakeholder engagement have not only fueled business growth, but also opened inclusive pathways to digital participation through its social development arm, BingoPlus Foundation.
“This momentous victory at the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards affirms DigiPlus’ emergence as a true powerhouse of innovation and progress, reshaping industry boundaries and redefining digital consumer engagement on a global scale. Through consistent growth and business performance, DigiPlus reaffirms its unwavering commitment to creating long-term value,” said DigiPlus Chairman Eusebio Tanco.
Winning entries in the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards undergo a rigorous, multi-layered evaluation by an esteemed panel of judges composed of business and industry leaders across the region.
“The 12th Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards received an impressive array of outstanding entries. This year’s winners have clearly shown their dedication to innovation, and we commend their resilience and imaginative efforts,” said Maggie Miller, President of the Stevie Awards.
The post DigiPlus Bags 7 Wins at the 2025 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Grand Korea Leisure (GKL), a quasi-public firm operating Seven Luck casinos for foreign nationals in Korea, has entered into a partnership with autonomous robot specialist Robotis to introduce artificial intelligence (AI)-powered self-driving robots customised for casino operations.
Under the agreement, the two companies plan to establish joint business models and service systems using autonomous robots and deploy the self-driving robots for transporting gaming chips and cards across three Seven Luck casino facilities.
They will also participate in a large-scale convergence robot demonstration project by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.
The latest achievement came as part of GKL’s efforts to digitize casino operations.
The two firms began a six-month pilot Programme in September 2024 at Seven Luck Casino at Seoul Dragon City hotel to collect autonomous driving data and jointly develop software tailored to casino environments.
“GKL is accelerating its transition to smart casinos in line with the government’s drive to realize the so-called ‘digital platform government’. By adopting AI-powered self-driving robots, we aim to provide a new and differentiated customer experience,” GKL CEO Yoon Doo-hyun said.
The digital platform government initiative — pushed by the Yoon Suk Yeol administration — aims to resolve diverse social problems and add value using the latest digital technologies.
In August 2023, GKL developed a mobile service platform, the SevenLuck+, for foreign tourists’ easier access to the casino.
The service is the first of its kind developed by a Korean firm. Those who use the app do not have to bring traditional membership cards. It also provides push notifications for new events and promotions for the casino.
The service is powered by a blockchain-based decentralized identity technology, offering various services, such as e-wallet and entry authentication.
The post Grand Korea Leisure Partners with Robotis appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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