Category: eSports

Over $1 million is up for grabs at the ‘Naraka: Bladepoint’ World Championships

The next battle royale esports spectacle is coming.

Naraka: Bladepoint is about to go big with its esports scene, as developer 24 Entertainment just announced its World Championships, complete with a prize pool of $1.5 million.

The inaugural Naraka: Bladepoint World Championships (NBWC) will go down early next year. There are no dates or location information about the competitions just yet, which is a bit odd, but hey — with that much cash on the line, 24 Entertainment must believe in Naraka: Bladepoint’s  esports potential. Plus, planning big LAN tournaments these days is tough.

Top-ranked players will compete in regional qualifier tournaments that will lead to global finals later on. North American players will fight for the Morus Cup, while players in South East Asia will battle it out for the Celestra Cup. Other regions have yet to get a tournament announcement — but that info is coming soon.

While Naraka: Bladepoint is still the new kid on the battle royale block and isn’t as popular as Fortnite, most everyone that gives the game a shot loves its high-flying martial arts melee brawls. Kyle Campbell, some critic I’ve never heard of, was a big fan.

“If you fancy a challenging battle royale free of build wars and machine guns,” Campbell said via IGN. “Naraka: Bladepoint provides a genuinely clever spin on the genre’s familiar formula.”

Again, not sure I trust this guy, but maybe the Naraka: Bladepoint World Championships will prove him right. 

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

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‘Rainbow Six: Siege’ Sweden Major will pit the best against each other

The biggest Rainbow Six: Siege tournament is about to go down.

The Six Sweden Major is coming up soon, and it’s looking like quite a stacked tournament. 

Teams from all four of Rainbow Six: Siege’s regional leagues will zipline and flashbang through fierce competition to figure out who the champions are. The group stage phase runs from Nov. 8 through Nov. 10, and the top eight teams will square off during playoffs from Nov. 12 to Nov. 13. Then, on Nov. 14, Grand Finals will go down here on Twitch.

Check out the snazzy trailer for the Six Sweden Major for yourself below. It’s not hard to see why Jesse Lingard is big on Rainbow Six: Siege, eh?

There will be 16 teams competing in the tournament — four from each regional league, to be specific. Let’s break these down a bit so you can see the all-star lineup, shall we?

Latin-American League:

  • FURIA Esports
  • Team oNe Esports
  • FaZe Clan
  • Ninjas in Pyjamas

Asia-Pacific League:

  • SANDBOX GAMING
  • Invictus Gaming International
  • Chiefs Esports Club
  • DWG KIA

North American League:

  • Spacestation Gaming
  • Oxygen Esports
  • Susquehanna Soniqs
  • DarkZero Esports

European League:

  • Team BDS
  • Team Empire
  • Team Vitality
  • Rogue

Yup, virtually every major esports organization involved with the Rainbow Six: Siege  scene is here. Good luck to everyone competing! It’s going to be a bananas tournament. 

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

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‘Rocket League’ is getting a BMW in time for the RLCS European circuit

Want a cheap luxury BMW? Rocket League has got you, fam.

Psyonix is partnering with BMW for the upcoming Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS) European circuit. Oh, and the BMW M240i will be available via the in-game item shop on Nov. 4! 

For only $9.99 USD credits in Rocket League, you’ll be able to pick up the BMW M240i. This offer runs from Nov. 4 through Nov. 10 for anyone eager to say they picked up a brand new BMW for less than lunch costs on any given day. It also comes with neat add-ons like the Thundernight Metallic and United In Rivalry Decals, as well as a BMW Player Banners and the Bavarian Hat Topper.

Take a gander at what the BMW M240i looks like in Rocket League  for yourself below.

To celebrate the M240i’s arrival, Rocket League is hosting the BMW Freestyle Tournament on Nov. 4 at 10 A.M. PDT (5 P.M. UTC). In this invite-only event, 16 of the best players compete in a single-elimination bracket with a prize pool of over $25,000 USD. That’ll happen over on Rocket League’s  Twitch channel here. 

Psyonix also recently hosted the Haunted Hallows Cup as part of the current RLCS season. So Rocket League  esports sure is taking off lately!

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

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‘Rocket League’ esports gets spooky with the Haunted Hallows Cup

Spooky Rocket League esports!!

Not even the Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS) is safe during this spooktacular season — at least if the Haunted Hallows Cup is any indication, anyway. 

Set to begin on Oct. 29 at 10 a.m. PDT, the Haunted Hallows Cup will be the second North American Fall Split Regional Event for the current RLCS season. Rocket League’s  best North American players will clash-bumpers while the broadcasting team participates in a Twitch-voted costume contest. Viewers get to choose which host they believe is rocking the best spooky threads and can share costumes of their own on social media for a chance to be featured during the Haunted Hallows Cup broadcast.

For a quick recap of the RLCS competitions going on lately, check out the video below.

If you happen to be watching the Haunted Hallows Cup for 30 minutes or more, you’ll likely earn the Joker Avatar Border. Batman stuff is Halloween adjacent enough, I guess?

Again, the Haunted Hallows Cup goes down tomorrow morning over here on Twitch. Props to developer Psyonix for hosting a Halloween-themed esports event!  

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

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DrLupo, Lando Norris, and other streamers return to the Gillette Gaming Alliance

360 No Scope your way to a handsome mug.

Ever wonder how your favorite streamers and esports stars like DrLupo captivate millions of people? By maintaining a handsome mug, of course, and the Gillette Shaving Alliance is here to show you how they do it. 

Four years running now, the Gillette Shaving Alliance has brought together big-name streamers from all over the globe to share shaving techniques with fans. From returning heavy-hitters like DrLupo  and  Lando Norris  to, ahem, fresh faces like oCastrin and Jolavanille, more than 11 streamers will represent the alliance this year. Every so often, each alliance member will dedicate a stream to how they go about beard grooming, and it’ll happen across Twitch, YouTube, and Tiktok. 

Check out a trailer for the Gillette Gaming Alliance for yourself below.

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“It is an honor to be a part of the Gillette Gaming Alliance as we continue to bring new content and exciting opportunities to our fans worldwide,” DrLupo said in a statement to ForTheWin. “I have always been a big fan of Gillette and use their products daily. It’s really exciting to be able to continue our partnership as this program evolves and raise awareness for a few really awesome initiatives – be sure to follow along to learn more!”

Other streamers getting in on morning-routine streams include Alanzoka,  Elded,  DeejayKnight,  Buster,  Juansguarnizo,  DreadzTV, and  Silvername. The exact dates for Gillette Gaming Alliance related streams are not known yet, though there’ll likely be plenty with Movember coming up.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF. 

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‘League of Legends’ is so huge that European theaters will broadcast its 2021 World Championships

The year’s biggest esports event is coming to the silver screen.

The 2021 League of Legends World Championships are in full swing, and even cinemas across the pond are gearing up for watch parties. 

The League of Legends World Championships, or “Worlds” for short, are the biggest esports event every year. So much so that the tournament’s grand finals on Nov. 6 will stream in 70 select movie theaters across Europe. If you happen to be on that side of the world, ticket registration is already open  here.

“As the Knockout Stage is upon us, just eight teams remain, with representatives from Europe, North America, China, and South Korea all vying for the chance to lift the Summoner’s Cup,” Riot Games said on LolEsports. “But just who will make it to the finals? Will DWG KIA successfully defend their 2020 championship, can MAD Lions fly the flag for EU, and are Cloud9 capable of bringing a title home to NA?” 

Riot Games obviously wanted a live audience for the finals at the Laugardalshöll Sporting Arena in Reykjavík, Iceland. Like DOTA 2’s  International and virtually every other big esports tournament, however, COVID-19 is putting a hold on those plans. So the theater deal they’ve got going on is the next best thing, I suppose. 

There doesn’t appear to be a similar theater option for North American League of Legends fans that want to watch the finales, though. That could change in the weeks to come, of course. Here’s to hoping it does!

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF. 

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Vladimir Putin praises ‘DOTA 2’ International champions

The President of Russia congratulates Team Spirit for winning it all in DOTA 2.

Vladimir Putin, the current President of Russia, just congratulated Moscow-based Team Spirit for winning DOTA 2’s  2021 International tournament.

Over on the Kremlin’s website, Putin had nothing but kind things to say about Team Spirit taking home a cool $18 Million — the biggest prize pot in esports history. 

“Congratulations on your well-deserved victory at The International 2021 – the DOTA 2 World Championship,” Putin  said. “For the first time in history, the Russian team of the Team Spirit won these prestigious competitions. Well done!”

It would seem that Putin may have actually watched The International 2021, too, as he added some specificity to the statement.

“On the way to the final, you demonstrated outstanding leadership qualities and solidarity,” Putin said. “In the decisive duel, which became a real test of skill and character, you managed to concentrate and seize the initiative from strong opponents at the most crucial moment. They have proven in practice that our esportsmen are always goal-oriented and capable of conquering any peaks.”

It’s certainly not every day that a world leader comments on esports, but given how huge The International 2021 was, it’s not surprising either. Valve recently caught flack for canceling ticket sales for the event shortly before competitions were to take place. Though it would seem that did not hinder mainstream attention at all.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF. 

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5 tips from ‘CS:GO’ pros to make you better, right now

A few tips from the pros to up your game.

Since its birth as a mod for Half-Life in *checks notes* the late 1700s, Counter-Strike has undergone many a facelift, engine migration, and mechanical revamp. But the proposition has always been the same: a team shooter with an eco metagame and a huge emphasis on raw shooting skill. 

It’s not lightning-fast like Quake, it’s not as rigorous about simulating reality as Escape From Tarkov, but modern-day CS:GO is considered one of the purest tests of a player’s aim and strategic nous out there. See also: incredible nades. 

Rookies don’t have an easy time picking up a game that’s been out there in various forms since 2000, and even those who’ve lapsed – or never got all that great in the first place – can find themselves overwhelmed by cryptic playcalls, improbable headshots, or barbed deployments of the letters ‘E’ and ‘Z’. 

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Lucky it has such a competitive and established esports scene. So let’s steal all the pro gamers’ habits and *clears throat* git gud. In list format, because the internet.

‘FIFA 22’ vs ‘eFootball 2022’: Which one’s better? The (not so close) virtual soccer race

There’s a clear winner here.

Every year soccer fans have only one question: FIFA or PES? Which game’s the best? In 2021, this question is just slightly different, as Konami thought it’s a good idea to change the franchise’s name – a move EA is apparently mulling over, too. But the core question stays the same: is FIFA 22 better than eFootball 2022, or vice versa? Virtual soccer has always been a tough challenge to pull off, but this time the answer might be a little easier, though.

To be honest, soccer fans can’t say they’re 100% satisfied with either FIFA 22 and eFootball 2022. EA’s game has an unrealistic pace that makes it feel more like a flipper sim than a soccer simulation, and its Premier League inspiration doesn’t really serve as a good excuse. Konami’s eFootball, on the other hand, is way too slow and suffers from a number of technical issues, ranging from its cheap AI to some often incomprehensible referee decisions.

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So, FIFA has tried and offered an improvement upon its usual weaknesses with its first true next-gen chapter, but the new game’s DNA is still the same. With a comparable stubbornness eFootball 2022 is pretty close to how soccer is played in the Italian Serie A, but has so many and longstanding flaws, it gets annoying before you can get any fun out of it.

Top 5 basketball stars who have invested in esports

Basketball stars are investing in esports and it’s not just the returns that are sparking their interest.

Esports started as a niche of a niche — hardcore competition in video games. For decades it could only happen in damp warehouses and cigarette-smoke-laden internet cafes. Recently, however, it has been deemed a lucrative investment by superstars from its athletic cousins, including the NBA and WNBA.

Investments made by famous people from across different fields are far from what makes esports the cultural phenomenon that it is, but they don’t hurt. For a number of the entries in this article, their interest in esports came not through a monetary incentive, but from a connection to the medium – either a personal passion or the passion of their children.

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