English Premier League champions Manchester City has announced they will partner with esports organisation Epsilon eSports for the FIFA portion of the upcoming Gfinity Elite Series.
As part of the partnership, Manchester City’s and Epsilon’s eSports rosters will form half of the teams’ FIFA roster with the remainder being selecting during the Elite Draft. The series will return on October 26th, with the finals taking place on December 7 – 8.
Nuria Tarre, Chief Marketing Officer at City Football Group, had this to say about the news: “Manchester City eSports’ collaboration with Epsilon provides a very exciting opportunity for us to continue our digital expansion. The Gfinity Elite Series is a globally renowned tournament and we are delighted to be competing alongside Epsilon’s experienced team. Manchester City is dedicated to growing our presence within esports. Being part of the Elite Series gives our fans a new platform to watch our players compete and we’re looking forward to seeing how they progress.”
Manchester City are no strangers to esports, City has many investments in esports, including their involvement in the recently announced ePremier League, their investment in the Chinese FIFA league and a gaming partnership with Turtle Beach.
Gregory Champagne, Chief Executive Officer at Epsilon eSports, said: “I am thrilled that we have formed this exciting partnership with the English Premier League Champions and prestigious club Manchester City. Together, we will push ourselves in the Elite Series and engage our fans in exciting new ways. Players will wear the renowned sky blue jersey of Manchester City eSports while we nourish and support them through our latest FIFA Training Program, enhancing their abilities as pro players.”
Epsilon will be hoping to improve on their 2018 Gfinity FIFA performance, finishing last in their group after failing to register a single win. They finished in 7th place overall in the last Gfinity Series and will be hoping this partnership improves their chances for the upcoming Elite Series.
Esports Insider says: A number of traditional sports teams have chosen to partner with existing esports organisations in recent months, F1 esports was a big driver of this trend, a trend that looks set to continue with two major football leagues also getting involved in esports in the past month.