UK Federal Credit Union has entered a 13-year naming rights deal with the University of Kentucky, covering its under-construction esports complex. 

The partnership, which was facilitated by JMI Sports, will see the venue named the “UK Federal Credit Union Esports Lounge and Theater.” JMI Sports will also control the media rights included in the partnership deal. 

Discussing the deal President and CEO of the UKFCU, David Kennedy, said:

“We are very excited to be the official sponsor of the Esports Lounge at the University of Kentucky. The investment our credit union is making in UK’s new esports program represents our commitment to innovate and cultivate new technologies and ideas for a large group of students.

“While typical sports teams are limited to a smaller population of the student body, we view esports as an opportunity for all students to participate. UKFCU is proud to have served the UK community for 83 years and we are excited to grow our relationship for the next generation.”

The University’s esports facilities are located in ‘The Cornerstone.’ Currently under redevelopment, the complex will feature 900 parking spaces and a 23,000 sq ft ground floor featuring retail space, dining area, 100-seat theatre, innovation center, and the esports centre. It is slated to be completed in Autumn 2020. 

Since October 2019, the University of Kentucky has also been collaborating with Gen.G Esports, again facilitated through JMI Sports. 

AYO.NEWS says:

We’re seeing educational institutions across America starting to invest heavily in esports facilities, which makes a lot of sense considering the importance of collegiate sports in the US – in commercial and social terms. Of course, having world-class esports and gaming facilities also enables universities to offer a range of cutting-edge courses, which are in increasing demand.

‘AYO.NEWS says’ features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited or its affiliates or associates. 

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2020

Finland is the latest nation to get an official top-tier efootball league, with the launch of eFutisliiga. 

Launched by Veikkausliiga, the top division of Finnish professional football, in partnership with PlayStation, eFutisliiga will be organised by local esports tournament platform Telia Esports Series. The action is scheduled to kick off in autumn 2020. 

Discussing the new league Commercial Development Director at Veikkausliiga, Ville-Mikko Korkka, said:

“What we learned during the pandemic is that not even established sport leagues like us can take their future for granted and there is always room to grow and innovate. For long we have followed the development of esports around the world as bystanders but not anymore. We could not be more excited about claiming this new territory.”

While General Manager of Nordic PlayStation, Suman Rath, added:

“PlayStation has been supporting Finnish amateur and semi-professional gaming tournaments for years, but with Telia and Veikkausliiga we can take a new step towards consolidating e-sports in Finland and PlayStation’s position at the heart of competitive gaming.”

AYO.NEWS says:

The COVID-19 crisis really has been a wakeup call for traditional sports leagues around the world. From football and NASCAR, to professional tennis and golf, over the past few months we’ve seen an avalanche of new simulation sports competitions launched. 

Only yesterday we reported the Malaysian Football League had launched a new esports league, the eMFL, in partnership with EA SPORTS. 

‘AYO.NEWS says’ features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited or its affiliates or associates.

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2020

Chinese car marque Haval has entered esports through a sponsorship deal with Russian organisation Virtus.pro. 

The Great Wall Motors-owned marque is now the exclusive automotive sponsor of Virtus.pro, with the partnership focused on the organisation’s Dota 2 roster. 

At the time of writing further details of the agreement, such as activations, financial or duration, had not been disclosed. 

Discussing the partnership CEO of Haval Motor in Russia, Jerome Saigot, said:

“Haval brand is founded on state-of-the-art technologies. As devotion to innovation spans across all our ventures, we are excited to announce the beginning of our partnership with such a renowned esports collective like Virtus.pro.

“We share the same ideas when it comes to self-improvement and love of discovery. We hope to see memorable tournaments ahead – and, of course, well-deserved victories.”

While General Manager of Virtus.pro, Sergey Glamazda, added:

“Esports fans are the youth who value cutting-edge tech and high emotions, and as such, there’s no doubt Haval will easily create a link with the gaming community. 

“Our club, Virtus.pro, is beloved by the Russian community and respected in China, which makes this partnership a logical step towards mutual benefit. We are happy to see Virtus.pro be the first pick for the global automobile brand Haval’s esports debut!”

Virtus.pro also has commercial partnerships in place with Fragstore, HyperX, and Parimatch. 

AYO.NEWS says:

Great Wall Motors has been struggling to expand its global presence for some years, and is now going to be battling growing COVID-19 related anti-Chinese sentiment among some groups, so connecting with a younger, more open-minded demographic through esports seems like a very smart mov.! 

‘AYO.NEWS says’ features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited or its affiliates or associates. 

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2020

Esports tournament organiser DreamHack has renewed its partnership with Swedish recycling brand Pantamera for 2020. 

In addition to a Pantamera presence at DreamHack Winter this December, the recycling brand will also collaborate with DreamHack for a new talk show, produced at the DreamHack Studio in Stockholm, and featuring Samuel “SampeV2” Stronegger and Yacine Laghmari.

Regarding the renewal, Strategic Marketing Manager for Pantamera, Rickard Andersson, said:

“Pantamera is thrilled to renew the partnership with DreamHack. With this new format, we hope to bring even more value to all gamers while simultaneously reminding about the importance of recycling.”

Pantamera is a brand of Returpack, a privately owned company providing can and PET bottle recycling in Sweden. Its involvement with DreamHack dates back to 2016, and last year the partnership raised more than 534K SEK in a charity fundraising drive for Musikhjälpen.

AYO.NEWS says:

It might be a slightly unusual partnership for the world of esports, but it’s obviously working for both parties, and heck, recycling is definitely something we should all be doing more of (especially considering gamers tend to produce a lot of trash, in terms of drinks cans and bottles) so it’s a win-win. 

Yesterday we reported that Mastercard has been confirmed as official payment partner of DreamHack’s new Northern League of Legends Championship (NLC) for the 2020 season.

‘AYO.NEWS says’ features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited or its affiliates or associates. 

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2020

The Malaysian Football League has launched a new esports league, the eMFL, in partnership with EA SPORTS. 

As an official esports version of the Malaysian Football League for FIFA, it has been launched to strengthen the Malaysian esports ecosystem. 

The inaugural season of the eMFL is being sponsored by TM (Telekom Malaysia), and gaming monitor brand BenQ, and supported by local organisation Esports Kuala Lumpur (ESKLA). 

Every club that currently competes in the MFL CIMB Super League is represented in the new eMFL tournament, which is being played on PlayStation 4, and will run for the next ten days.

Matches are being broadcast via Facebook. 

Discussing the new competition CEO of Malaysian Football League, Dato’ Ab Ghani Hassan, said:

“The eMFL serves as a great development platform for the younger generation. Nowadays, the Malaysian League has evolved into a digital channel where I believe the younger generation now not only has the option to be a football player but also to be a professional esport player.

“I hope that each player will do their best in this competition as they will be up against the very best FIFA esports player in the country. I hope that each player will play valiantly for each of the Malaysian Super League clubs that they represent.”

AYO.NEWS says:

A partnership between a major sports league and game publisher like this is a very positive development for the Malaysian esports scene, and hopefully eMFL will become a regular competition. 

Staying with Electronic Arts and FIFA, just last week the company announced it had renewed its partnership with LaLiga for another ten years. 

‘AYO.NEWS says’ features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited or its affiliates or associates. 

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2020

The Rocket League Championship Series league is morphing into a longer, open events-based circuit dubbed RLCS X.  

Psyonix has announced the league, which has so far notched up nine seasons, will expand with a total annual prize pool of more than $4.5 million USD across the season, and feature a larger Rocket League World Championship event. 

More flexibility and more competition

According to Psyonix, the new RLCS X will provide more flexibility in terms of live events – something that has become critical since the COVID-19 crisis emerged –  and will open top-tier competition to more teams while encouraging steady performance through a points-based format.  

Previous RCLS seasons, used a League Play format and bi-annual seasons, ending with a World Championship. In addition to North America and Europe, the league also covered Oceania and South America – where things were locally organised. There was also a lower-tier Rival Series league, giving opportunities for promotion and relegation, between the main seasons.

However, RLCS Season 9, which was scheduled to include a World Championship in Dallas, Texas, during April, was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Psyonix cancelled the World Championship and refocused on regional online finals, along with additional online tournaments. 

The new RCLS X will cover three splits: Fall, Winter, and Spring. Each split will feature three regional events in North America, and three in Europe, for a total of eighteen – including a Major at the end of each split. Psyonix says it is in talks with local organisers in Oceania and South America to thrash out the details of their own circuit, points systems and prize pools. 

At the end of the season, there will be an expanded Rocket League World Championship, featuring sixteen teams – six from North America, six from Europe, two from Oceania, and two from South America. The prize pool for the event will be $1 million USD. 

Online qualifiers open today (2 July 20202) via Battlefy, and the first Fall season broadcast has been scheduled for 1 August in Europe. 

The Grid and The Field

Additionally, RLCS: The Grid will offer weekly competitions in each league, giving teams the opportunity to earn prize money and points towards each split’s Major. There will be nine weekly tournaments per RLCS Split. Each team will also be allowed to individually stream their own The Grid broadcasts. 

To help teams climb the competitive ladder, Psyonix also recently announced a new feeder system called The Field. A partnership with Rival Esports, it features a multidivisional, team-based league built for everyone, from pros to those just entering competitive Rocket League. It features two regions, North American and Europe, and three divisions. 

AYO.NEWS says:

It’s great to see Psyonix being so proactive with RLCS – having reacted quickly to ensure it could weather the COVID-19 crisis, and now building on its increasing popularity by expanding its scale and offering more opportunities for the talent to prosper. 

‘AYO.NEWS says’ features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited or its affiliates or associates. 

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2020