eSports
TEAM VITALITY REVEALS NEW VALORANT ROSTER WITH DESTRIAN, MOLSI, AND TWISTEN!
Team Vitality is pleased to announce that it has signed Michał “MOLSI” Łącki, Tomas “Destrian” Linikas, and Karel “Twisten” Ašenbrener to compete under its banner in the new European VALORANT competitive circuit. The trio joins returning Team Vitality stars Santeri “BONECOLD” Sassi and Jokūbas “ceNder” Labutis who helped lead the team to victory at the VRL 2022 France: Revolution league, and to significant milestones in the VALORANT Regional Leagues 2022: Finals.
The rebuilt roster signifies Team Vitality’s ambition to take the newly formatted VCT European League by storm in 2023. After a solid team performance in 2022, where Team Vitality made it to both closed qualifiers in the 2022 VCT, the organisation hopes to advance next year with a revamped roster. With a mixture of European talent and the ambition to become an international contender, Team Vitality is bringing together a powerful fusion of its own VALORANT veterans, combined with rising talent guided by the direction of the remarkable coaching staff.
The team will be coached by Salah ‘Salah’ Barakat (Head Coach) who will direct the new roster towards success. Having previously taken OG LDN UTD to the EMEA Last Chance Qualifiers before the VALORANT Champions 2022, and coached North American talent such as FaZe Clan, the young coach plans on building a cohesive unit in and out of the server. Harry‘ Gorilla’ Mepham has also been signed on for an extra two years as the sixth player, Joe ‘Strong’ Edwards as Positional Coach, and Robert ‘Mulgan95’ Mulgan will continue to act as team Manager.
The disruptive line-up, who is ready to battle their way to the top of the European scene will be making their debut at Riot Game’s biggest VCT tournament to date in São Paulo, Brazil, where they will be testing their mettle against all 30 of the global VALORANT partnered teams.
The full Team Vitality VALORANT roster:
- Santeri “BONECOLD” Sassi (Poland, 24)
○ The VALORANT World Champion 2021, also led Vitality to the VRL 2022 France: Revolution league as captain
- Jokūbas “ceNder” Labutis (Lithuania, 21)
○ Began his career in CS:GO before becoming one of the most promising players in VALORANT
- Tomas “Destrian” Linikas (Lithuania, 23)
○ Placed first in LVP – Rising Series #4 when playing for LDN UTD and 4th place in LCQ EU in 2021
- Michał “MOLSI” Łącki (Poland, 25)
○ Placed first in LVP – Rising Series #4 and first made a name for himself in CS:GO
- Karel “Twisten” Ašenbrener (Czech Republic, 18)
○ One of the most promising duelists in European VALORANT with some of the best statistics in VCT 2022
“Whilst we have already begun proving our strength in VALORANT, when we were given the opportunity to join the VCT European League, we knew we had to create a robust and carefully curated team that would make us a serious contender for the best team in Europe. We’re incredibly proud of the roster we’ve created, and we cannot wait to see how far they go next year.” said Fabien “Neo” Devide, Co-Founder and Esports Director, Team Vitality.
eSports
GIANTX unveils its team for the Spanish Superliga of League of Legends
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.
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.
eSports
GRID Joins IBIA as an Associate Member, Strengthening Esports Integrity
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.
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.”
The post GRID Joins IBIA as an Associate Member, Strengthening Esports Integrity appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
eSports
ComeOn Group and Astralis unite to drive esports engagement in the Nordics
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.
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.”
The post ComeOn Group and Astralis unite to drive esports engagement in the Nordics appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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