This week in esports: G2, Overwatch League, Esports Industry Awards and Piqué

17 November 2017

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Whilst there’s no such thing as a quiet week in esports, this week was probably as mute as they come. With a lot of the big hitters in esports over in London for the Industry Awards night, potentially business was quiet for the last seven days. The highlights in business to business news this week include G2 partnering with Logitech G, the Overwatch League introducing an award in memory of the late INTERNETHULK, the Esports Industry Awards crowning 22 winners and Gerard Piqué’s partnership with KONAMI. 

Piqué’s eFootball.Pro partners with KONAMI for global esports league

Esports company eFootball.Pro and the developer behind the Pro Evolution franchise, KONAMI, have reached an agreement to create an esports competition.

The press release stated that ‘the league will be international and broadcasted all around the world’.
 
The company (eFootball.Pro) was briefly in the esports spotlight some months back after news broke of its formation and the fact that it has Spanish international and Barca player Gerard Piqué as its President. The company was seeking professionals with a knowledge of both esports and football across a variety of roles in March, from business development to content creation, though this is the only news we’ve heard since that time. 

Gerard Piqué, eFootball.Pro President and FC Barcelona player, said of the announcement: “The goal is to drive all that makes traditional football the king of sports, towards electronic football, towards eSports’.
 
“We want to bind the best of both worlds to bring the public a new entertainment model that they love since the first day.”

Read the full article here.

G2 and Logitech G announce global partnership

G2 Esports has announced a global partnership with Logitech G, the gaming brand of Logitech International.

The deal, which was published on both G2’s website and Logitech’s own blog, will see the team participate in upcoming tournaments with new Logitech G wireless peripherals, such as mice, keyboards, and headsets.

G2’s announcement described the deal as ‘a great honour’ to make a global partner with the company, and cited a strong match due to a shared outlook regarding similar ‘work ethic and philosophy’. As well as having access to Logitech G gear, the team’s players will also take part in product research, giving their input to ensure that quality and comfort matches their preferences.

Read the full article here.

Overwatch League honour INTERNETHULK with award

On November 8th the esports world learned of the passing of Dennis “INTERNETHULK” Hawelka, a man who worked for Team Liquid as an Overwatch coach before moving to League of Legends when Liquid dropped their Overwatch squad. 

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Image credit: ELEAGUE

Tributes poured out to Hawelka’s family and friends and the Team Liquid organisation last week, with the community calling for Blizzard and the Overwatch League to honour a man who “helped forge the foundation of competitive Overwatch worldwide”. 

The developer took heed, and has announced that the introduction of The Dennis Hawelka Award. The award is in memory of Dennis, and will be presented at the end of each Overwatch League season to the player that was deemed to have had the most positive impact on the community. 

The announcement included some heartfelt words from the Overwatch League and Blizzard. It read:

“To the esports world, Dennis was more than just an accomplished player and coach – he was a friend, a confidant, someone people looked towards for guidance and support. He reached out to those around him, drew them in and built them up. In doing so, he not only helped forge the foundation of competitive Overwatch worldwide, he changed countless lives for the better, in game and out.”

Read the full article here.

Esports Industry Awards crowns 22 winners

The second Esports Industry Awards took place this weekas the industry gathered and took a moment to appreciate the work of many across the last year. 22 awards were handed out at The Brewery, London as individuals and companies were rewarded for their exceptional work in the space.

The night was build around the final award of the evening, with nominees being shown throughout the night for the Esports Personality of the Year before Eefje “Sjokz” Depoortere, a League of Legends talent member was presented the award to rapturous applause.

Duncan “Thorin” Shields took home the Esports Journalist of the Year, with ESPN Esports labelled Esports Coverage Website of the Year. It was a solid year for Riot Games, as the company took home Esports Publisher of the Year as well as Esports Live Event of the Year. 

OpTic Gaming and the coveted #GreenWall fan base will have had a lot to cheer about, too. They won Esports Team of the Year and Call of Duty player Matthew “FormaL” Pipe took home both Esports Play of the Year and Esports Console Player of the Year. Davis “OpTic Hitch” Edwards also won the Esports Videographer of the Year to round off four trophies for the Texas gang.

Read the full article here.