This week in esports has been fruitful for news, with plenty of big developments in the industry taking place. Instead of expecting you to keep up to date with every big story, Esports Insider rounds up the top headlines so you can stay in the know.
This week has seen reports of Premier League clubs looking to join the EU LCS, FACEIT announcing that four regional Minors will be hosted in London, Real Madrid looking to enter esports, and Hi-Rez Studios creating its own esports department called Skillshot media.
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Arsenal, Crystal Palace, Swansea City reportedly eyeing EU LCS spots
Following the announcement of the EU LCS integrating franchising into its model from 2019 onwards, a new report has indicated some of the external companies and clubs that are in talks with Riot Games.
Premier League football clubs Arsenal F.C., Crystal Palace F.C., and Swansea City A.F.C. are all contemplating entering the European League of Legends Championship Series. Buy-ins for a spot in the competition will range anywhere from 8,000,000 euros (£6,997,307.20) for teams already in the league and 10,500,000 euros (£9,183,965.70) for those who are looking to get involved.
Read the full article here.
FACEIT to host four regional Minors at Twickenham Stadium
FACEIT has announced the dates and location of four upcoming Minors in July, becoming the first organizer to host all of the regional Minors and Major in one singular place.
FACEIT Americas Minor, FACEIT CIS Minor, FACEIT Asia Minor, and FACEIT Europe Minor will all be hosted at the Twickenham Stadium in London, the home of England Rugby. There will be several open and closed qualifiers leading to these Minors, which will ultimately culminate in September’s FACEIT London Major.
Read the full article here.
Real Madrid to enter esports with FIFA Online 4 in China
Real Madrid is following in the footsteps of an ever-growing list of football clubs that have entered esports, though the Spanish club is using it to tap into a new market: China.
Expanding into FIFA Online 4 – a free-to-play version of FIFA that was made for the Asia market – Real Madrid is looking to sign a team for the FSL, a professional league from Tencent.
Read the full article here.
Hi-Rez Studios launches esports production and tournament subsidiary, Skillshot Media
Hi-Rez Studios, the developers behind titles such as SMITE and Paladins, has split off its very own esports department and titled it Skillshot Media.
The offshoot comprises of 35 people and will offer tournament operation and productions services within the industry. Skillshot Media launched its own 16,000 sq ft production studio in the week and is said to be looking at producing 75 hours of esports content each and every week.
Read the full article here.