First four Gfinity Elite Series Teams

RNS Number : 9045A

Gfinity PLC

29 March 2017

 

Dissemination of a Regulatory Announcement that contains inside information according to REGULATION (EU) No 596/2014 (MAR)

Gfinity plc

("GFIN" or the "Company")

First four Gfinity Elite Series Teams

Gfinity plc (AIM: GFIN), a leading eSports business, announces the first four professional eSports teams have signed up to compete in the Gfinity Elite Series ("Elite Series"), launching later this year.

The first four teams are Team Infused, Excel eSports, Reason Gaming and Prophecy. These four teams represent some of the best of UK-based gaming talent and will be competing for the previously announced Elite Series championships of Rocket League, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Street Fighter V.

Registration is still open to all to participate in the Challenger Series tournament, where aspiring gamers can acquire ranking points ("G-Points") and the opportunity to be drafted into one of eight pro-franchises. The franchises will then compete in the Elite Series and give gamers the chance to compete against the best players in the Gfinity Arena in London.

The Elite Series, first announced in November 2016, is a dynamic new eSports league format which will provide the eSports community with an exciting new platform to play and watch games in a fiercely competitive environment on www.gfinityesports.com. The series is expected to attract an active audience of eSports enthusiasts and competitive gamers to generate sponsorship and broadcasting rights for the Company and provide a unique set of sponsorship, media and franchise opportunities for potential partners, with the competition to be broadcasted around the world across multiple platforms.

Neville Upton, Chief Executive Officer, Gfinity plc, said: "As a UK-based company, we're really proud to announce that the first four teams competing in our inaugural Gfinity Elite Series have deep roots here in the UK, and a proud history and reputation for excellence in the UK and international eSports community. There is incredible eSports talent here in the UK, from team managers to players, and the Elite Series is our commitment to providing them with a world-class tournament, helping to bring more exposure to the UK scene. This is shaping up to be a hugely exciting tournament that showcases, supports and invests in the future of UK teams. Watch this space for more exciting team announcements in the coming weeks."

For more information on Gfinity's Elite Series click on the following hyperlink: www.gfinityesports.com.

Enquiries:

Gfinity plc	www.gfinityplc.com
Neville Upton, Chief Executive Officer	Via Walbrook PR
Allenby Capital Limited - Nominated Adviser and Broker	Tel. [phone]
Jeremy Porter / John Depasquale / James Thomas
Walbrook PR (Media & Investor Relations)	Tel: [phone]
Paul Cornelius / Sam Allen / Paul Whittington	or [e-mail]

About Gfinity

Founded in 2012, Gfinity has quickly established itself as one of the world's leading eSports companies.  The London-based business enjoys strong relationships with game publishers, players and the wider eSports community and has already built a strong reputation for delivering high quality competitions, both on-line and off-line, and producing industry leading eSports broadcasts.

The Company has over half a million registered users, eligible to compete in its online competitions and stages world leading off-line events, which see the top players in the world, across a range of eSports titles travel to the Gfinity Arena in London to take part in competitions, which are broadcast on-line to millions of viewers around the world.  The Company stages events featuring a number of top video gaming titles, across PCs, consoles and mobile devices.

The Company monetises the strong position that it has created through a combination of sponsorship, advertising, broadcast income relating to Gfinity's own events and through fees received for creating and delivering bespoke events for sponsors and game publishers seeking to engage with the eSports community.

About eSports

eSports (electronic sports) is watching or playing competitive video gaming. Leading titles include League of Legends, Counter Strike: Global Offensive, Defence of the Ancients 2 (DoTA 2), Call of Duty and Rocket League. The industry is growing rapidly, with new communities developing around more and more titles. The global eSports market generated US$325 million of revenue in 2015 and is expected to make $463 million in 2016. The global eSports audience in 2015 was 226 million people, 80% under the age of 35 and 70% male (source: Newzoo). Online streaming channels Twitch and YouTube command the biggest audiences, although eSports events are also now being broadcast on conventional TV. The 2015 League of Legends Championships finals in Berlin were watched by 36 million people, with a peak concurrent viewership of 14 million viewers, while at DotA 2's flagship annual championship 'The International 2016' competitors from around the world competed for a prize pot of over $20 million.

 

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