MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
Hollywood star-cum-tech investor Ashton Kutcher is the latest high profile investor to back international eSports gambling startup Unikrn. The company’s current round of Series A funding opened on June 30 and has already attracted other well-known investors including Mark Cuban of ABC’s Dragons’ Den-style show, The Shark Tank. It is …
Read More »ESL goes down under to strengthen Oceanic eSports scene
ESL has partnered with the Australian Cyber League to strengthen eSports’ community presence in the Oceanic region. The ACL, founded in 2006 and operating a technical events agency since 2011, has previously collaborated with Riot Games and Blizzard to run the publishers’ World Championship qualifiers in the Oceanic region. The …
Read More »Fan favourite Kripparrian finally makes Legend rank in Hearthstone
One of the most popular Hearthstone streamers has finally ascended to the higher ranks of the game’s ladder system. Followers of the game’s streaming scene will probably be surprised to hear that Octavian ‘Kripparrian’ Morosan has never hit the rank of Legend in the game before, but that was actually …
Read More »27m CS:GO fans tune in to ESL Cologne as doping tests give all clear
More than 27m unique viewers watched Fnatic claim their third Major title at last weekend’s ESL Cologne CS:GO finals as all competitors tested negative for drug use. The Swedish team became the first to take back-to-back victories in front of an 11,000-strong crowd on both days in Germany’s largest indoor …
Read More »eSports betting enters mainstream bookies Betway’s top 10
Mainstream sports bookmaker’s Betway are seeing a ‘huge surge’ in eSports flutters as the launch bespoke microsite. The company, which offers betting options across a range of sports and other entertainment, such as poker and bingo, is now looking to capitalise on increased interest from eSports bettors. According to Marketing …
Read More »Riot withholds League of Legends rewards from toxic players
It’s a classic psychological mainstay – reward good behaviour and ignore bad behaviour. It’s not unknown for particularly distasteful online behaviour to result in players being banned or shunted onto a naughty step server. Riot, however, is trying a different tact. Rewards that are being handed out to most League …
Read More »$1m Splatoon eSports tournament announced for Japan
Nintendo’s latest IP is preparing to burst onto the eSports scene in a big way. The Daily Dot reports that media giant and Famitsu owner Kadokawa as well as Nicovideo owner Dwango will kick off a series of tournaments in Japan next month, all of which lead to the concluding …
Read More »Inside one of Sweden’s first eSports schools
On Tuesday, August 18, the first students of Sweden’s new eSports curriculum enrolled at Arlanda Gymnasiet school inMrsta. Seven High School students became the first to join a new national curriculum track in physical education, devoting lesson time to the tactics and mastery of eSports. It is the perfect time …
Read More »FEATURE: Drugs are a problem, but not just for eSports’ integrity and image
The shockwaves of Kory "Semphis" Friesen’s innocuous doping confession are still shuddering their way through the eSports industry this week. ESL spokesperson Anna Rozwandowicz confirmed that the league – which hosted the Katowice tournament Friesen allegedly took Adderall at in March – would be deferring to the World Anti Doping …
Read More »Virgin Media and Gfinity running eSports Hexathlon at EGX across every genre
Virgin Media and Gfinity are looking for the best gaming all-rounder in the UK with an eSports Hexathlon concluding at September’s EGX. Players will compete over six games online between now and the 19th of September, with 10 finalists making it to the main stage at Birmingham’s NEC between the …
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